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To reach 100% renewable energy, we will need to store large amounts of energy generated from “intermittent” sources — things like solar or wind that only produce power sometimes. Large-scale industrial battery storage is one way to store this energy. But a recent fire at the Moss Landing battery facility in Monterey County has some folks concerned. A recent battery proposal in Blue Lake, for example, was met with some skepticism.

On Wednesday, July 23, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., the Redwood Coast Energy Authority, in collaboration with the Schatz Energy Research Center, is hosting a free public workshop on grid-supporting battery energy storage at the D Street Neighborhood Center (1301 D Street, Arcata). The event will feature a presentation and panel discussion that explores how large-scale utility battery storage works, its role in supporting California’s grid, and how storage projects can differ in purpose, safety, size and benefits.

Richard Engel of the Redwood Coast Energy Authority joins this week’s show to give a preview of how batteries feature into the Redwood Coast Energy Authority’s work to transition our energy away from fossil fuels.

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Fortune had smiled on him for sixty-six years. He had been blessed with a large family of twelve children, prospered by the time he was thirty-one years later in the timber industry, and moved to California in 1903 to supervise his latest half-million-dollar land acquisition. He knew how to organize and manage; he designed his mill and its surrounding community with the latest technology and most modern conveniences in mind. But the vision Henry Neff Anderson had for his model mill town, Andersonia, did not anticipate the disaster that befell him shortly before opening day, and it certainly did not include the bad luck that has plagued his mill throughout this century.

Pap Anderson. Photos via the Humboldt Historian.

Henry Neff “Pap” Anderson was born on August 2, 1839, in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He was the fourth of at least five children. (Five appear on the census in 1850 and 1860, but other children also appear in later records.)

Pap was reared on a farm in rural Allegheny Township, which his family had owned since the early 1800s, and he lived much of his early life in Altoona. He served in the Civil War along with his older brother Samuel, and later in the Pennsylvania Militia. After the Civil War and while still in his prime, he was self-employed as a contractor and miller in Pennsylvania’s timber industry. With the high prices lumber acquired during the 1860s and 1870s and Pap’s sharp business acumen, he became a “self-made man.” By the time of the 1870 census he had over $14,000 in real estate and personal wealth, married Sara Counsman and fathered five children. One of the businesses he helped found and manage was the Citizen Steam Grist Mill, which he ran until 1874.

When timber became scarce in Pennsylvania and national consumption remained high. Pap set his sights on Michigan’s lumber frontier and in 1878, moved his growing family to Greenville. He built the first sawmill in Basslake, Michigan, with James Louder, and also the Anderson Graffin sawmill in West Troy, which allowed him to substantially increase his family’s wealth over the next twenty years.

Pap soon followed others to yet another timber frontier when the Michigan white pine woods began to diminish. The “tall and uncut” in Grays Harbor, Washington, and a mill up for auction there beckoned. In 1898, Pap and Albert W. Middleton, his son-in-law, successfully bid for the Weatherwax Mill in Aberdeen, which they jointly owned and operated under the name of Anderson & Middleton Lumber Company. The Anderson and Middleton families became “irremovable fixtures” in the Grays Harbor area, and Pap’s wealth continued to increase.

The capital from his companies, along with his business savvy, allowed him to make decisions that later put him in a position with other lumbermen to invest over $500,000 in Andersonia and the surrounding areas of southern Humboldt and northern Mendocino counties.

Andersonia.

Bear Harbor

Some twenty years earlier in Redwood Country, events occurred that eventually would lead Pap to California and, ultimately, to his death. But his was neither the first nor the last tragedy linked to this area. Bear Harbor, situated midway between Eureka and Fort Bragg along the Northern California coast, saw timber development as early as 1882. C. C. Milton began building a wharf there to facilitate the shipping of tanbark and railroad ties. He drowned at nearby Rockport before construction could be completed.

Bear Harbor.

The wharf stood in disuse until 1885 when Dr. W. A. McCormack finished it and added a chute that permitted schooners to load or unload directly from the site.

By the late 1890s, new markets were opening up for American lumber. In a diminished role as controller of exports and determiner of consumption, San Francisco took a backseat to Japan, Australia, South Africa and others, as timber barons along the West Coast sought and found new markets for their produce. The United States saw a dwindling need for its timber with the completion of the transcontinental railroads, and many lumber companies joined forces, forming cooperatives to control prices and production in an oft-futile attempt to stave off bankruptcy. Such was the case when Mr. Weiler and Calvin Stewart bought out McCormack’s business in 1890, and two years later, they, along with a group of Humboldt County men from the Union Lumber and the Eel River Valley Lumber companies, acquired 12,000 acres of timber east of Bear Harbor.

They planned to build a railroad into the interior for logging purposes and ordered a Gypsy (Engine No. One) from the Marschutz and Cantrell Company in San Francisco. On July 26, 1893, the Bear Harbor Lumber Company (BHLC) was formed. By 1896, ten miles of track led from the incline east of Bear Harbor into Moody, where Lew Moody had constructed a hotel and saloon. On September 8, 1896, BHLC incorporated the Bear Harbor and Eel River Railroad (BH&ERR), and in 1898, a Baldwin (Engine No. Two) was ordered and a route was surveyed to run east to the South Fork of the Eel River and then north to Garberville. But misfortune came between success and investors again. In 1899, a tidal wave destroyed the wharf at Bear Harbor and construction by the company came to a halt. Money ran out.

Pap Steps In

Word soon reached Washington and Pap Anderson that a timber company with a small rail line had gone bankrupt. Pap had previously bought and restored another bankrupt company (the Weatherwax Mill in Aberdeen) and would do so again. To increase the milling capacity of his two mills in Grays Harbor, Pap purchased 10,000 acres of redwood on November 1, 1902, and later annexed an additional 5,000 acres, located in southern Humboldt and northern Mendocino counties along Indian Creek, a tributary between the South Fork of the Eel River and Bear Harbor in Northern California. Anderson, Middleton and the McPherson brothers, also of Grays Harbor, then joined with Tom Pollard, Calvin Stewart, and Mr. Dodge to form the Southern Humboldt Lumber Company (SHLC) five days later on November 6. Pap was appointed president, Stewart vice president, Pollard secretary, and son-in-law Middleton, as in Michigan and Washington, assumed the role of treasurer. By June of the following year, the SHLC was ready to buy out the Bear Harbor Lumber Company along with the Bear Harbor and Eel River Railroad.

The SHLC intended to log its 15,000 acres and transport the lumber first to Moody and then on to Bear Harbor via an elaborate system of yarding, floating, and portage. The company itself had no plans to mill the lumber. Instead, they commissioned the Pollard Steamship Company of San Francisco to transport the timber from Bear Harbor to Grays Harbor for milling.

But the long-term design was to connect their tracks to the railroad line being built from the Bay Area northwards, which was planned to pass Andersonia along the South Fork of the Eel River and carry the lumber and tanbark to southern mills and tanneries. This was the main reason they built their railroad using standard gauge: the engines and rail had to be the same gauge as the proposed railroad coming from the south. Ultimately, this would lead to the demise, or at least a drastic reduction in use, of the wharf and incline at Bear Harbor.

By mid-1903. Pollard, Dodge, and Stewart allowed Anderson, Middleton and the McPherson brothers to buy them out when Pap announced his plans to build a modern mill at the junction of the South Fork of the Eel River and Indian Creek: Camp 10. Pap wanted to mill his own lumber and build his own town, which he would call Andersonia. Pap Anderson was visionary: shipping timber via steamships and smaller schooners was soon to be a thing of the past as railroad companies offered bonuses and shipping rates too good to pass up. Pap would be prepared with his standard gauge railway and high-grade, clear timber that was much sought after from Humboldt and northern Mendocino counties.

A Mill and a Town

Pap Anderson had his engineers survey the site, and then he designed not only a modern mill, but a modern community resplendent with gardens and orchards for the loggers, mill workers, and their families. He spared no expense. He ordered six state-of-the-art boilers, two Allis-Chalmers band saws, a 116-ton flywheel driven by two 1,100-horsepower twin engines and other innovative sawmill equipment. Almost 200 workers were recruited from Michigan, Grays Harbor, and locally to build the mill, finish the rail line into Andersonia, dam Indian Creek to create a millpond, and log half a billion feet of standing timber in anticipation of start-up.

By late October 1905, everything was coming together. The dam was built and the millpond was stocked to capacity with logs totaling twenty million board feet. More timber was felled to replenish the millpond once milling began. With the tunnel and bridges finished, the Moody to Andersonia portion of the rail line gave the company over seventeen miles of track from Bear Harbor to the new mill.

The shabby tents that had marked Camp 10 were gradually replaced with smart cabins. And Pap had built a large two-story house for his new bride, Miss Cora Patterson.

Tragedy Occurs

Last-minute preparations were made for Dedication Day of what would be a model mill for California and the Pacific Northwest. Pap, in great anticipation, walked his rounds. He was most interested in adjustments the engineers had to make to a support joist in one of the roofs. As a piece of machinery was being moved into place, workers had found the opening too narrow for the apparatus to fit. They were installing a new beam when Pap came in to watch. Humboldt Standard newspaper articles from that time give a sampling of the disaster that befell Henry Neff Anderson.

November 1, 1905: “October 28th. A telephone message was received late this afternoon from Andersonia for Dr. Rossier to come at once to that town as Mr. Anderson had received an injury from a piece of timber falling on him.”

November 10, 1905: “A telephone message was received yesterday morning of the death of H.M. (sic) Anderson, president of the Southern Humboldt Lumber Company at Andersonia, who died from injuries received at his mill October 28th. After the operation on his head, relieving the pressure on the brain, he rallied for a short time, but his age, being a man well advanced in years, was a retard to his recovery, and the call from the Great Beyond came at 7 o’clock, November 7th. Mr. Anderson will be greatly missed from Mendocino County and Andersonia, the town named in his honor. He started life a poor man, but by perseverance and energy he gained a competence and at his death was one of the multimillionaires of the state, making the principal part of his holdings in timber. He owned vast tracts of timber in Michigan and California. He was president of the Southern Humboldt Lumber Co. for a number of years before his death. The large sawmill being built at Andersonia was one of his possessions. Mr. Anderson leaves to mourn his death a wife and several grown children.”

And with those last reported words, the bad luck of Pap’s dream mill was sealed. Litigation followed between his children, who were all from his first marriage, and his young second wife, Cora. The Southern Humboldt Lumber Company lost the right to transact business for the Bear Harbor Lumber Company and Bear Harbor and Eel River Railroad when the franchise tax came due and was not paid during the litigation. Work was all but stopped at Andersonia while needed parts and machinery were delayed from San Francisco and repairs were slowed on the wharf, which had sustained damage during a severe storm in March 1906.

The Big One

A second disaster struck the mill shortly after Pap’s death: The earthquake of April 18, 1906. Shortly before the earthquake, a potential buyer, Mr. Trumbull, inquired about purchasing the mill for his son. He made an offer that was accepted by both parties in the estate litigation, but on the trip to San Francisco to finalize the deed transfer, the earthquake changed Mr. Trumbull’s mind about California, and he backed out of the deal.

The physical damage caused by the earthquake also took a heavy toll at Andersonia and Moody. Work, which had been excruciatingly slow due to downtime spent waiting for parts, was slowed even further by repairs that had to be made to earthquake-damaged buildings. Restoration to the mill only ran into the hundreds of dollars, but when estimates were made to mend damage done to the millpond, work halted. Thousands of additional dollars would be needed to fix the dam, and money was becoming scarce. Litigation, coupled with earthquake damage, crippled any chance for the mill to operate.

Not only did the earthquake ruin the rail line, mill, and the dam at the millpond, it burned the South Fork survey plans that the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway had commissioned. There were two proposed routes from the Bay Area to Northern California: both reached Longvale in Mendocino County, but then took divergent routes north. Pap and his associates had hoped the company would choose the more accessible and resource-filled route along the South Fork of the Eel River — directly past Andersonia. The fire resulting from the earthquake destroyed the plans that showed the South Fork route, and the company did not commission its replacement. Instead, they chose the route whose survey plans survived, along the main branch of the Eel River, much farther inland.

A Second Chance?

Without milling a single piece of lumber, the SHLC could not afford to rebuild the wharf or to lay track east to the Eel River and the main rail line. This final punch closed Andersonia, forcing loggers, carpenters, machinists, and their families to move away.

A few years later, another buyer, Mr. Hicks, made a bid for Andersonia. He believed the mill could be made operational with some retrofitting and updating. The first cut of timber still lay in the millpond and on the forest floor, and almost all the equipment remained on site. The prospective buyer made his way to San Francisco to finalize the deed transfer. Once again, bad luck kept Andersonia from fulfilling its promise to Pap. While in San Francisco, Mr. Hicks committed suicide in his hotel room.

For a time, nothing happened. A few pieces of equipment were sold to other mills seeking to upgrade their machinery. Then the winter of 1925-26 brought heavy rains. The dam, weakened by the 1906 earthquake, finally gave way, and the timber that had spent twenty years in the millpond stampeded down the South Fork of the Eel. (Some men, hoping to salvage good timber, tried to net the logs as they stormed their way to the ocean. Their nets were ripped to shreds as the logs shot past. Some of the timber was salvaged from the river shores as it hung up in natural snags and more was salvaged on the ocean shore, but most was swept out to sea.) That same season, with its torrential rains, saw the washout of some of the tracks, which stranded the two engines stored in the enginehouse in Moody. But even with its future looking so forlorn, Andersonia still attracted dreamers.

And they, too, were Andersons.

In 1940, Samuel Miles Anderson Sr., Pap’s oldest surviving son, brought his three sons and their families from Aberdeen, Washington. The estate had filed a claim to recover the property, paid the back taxes for years past, and planned a smaller version of the first mill to be built. Timber remained from the original cut that had been left lying on the forest floor since 1905. Estimates placed the salvageable timber at about 400,000 board feet. The Andersons established the Indian Creek Lumber Company, and the three brothers, Reginald, Harold, and Sam Jr., all worked in some capacity at the new mill. Reginald supervised the entire operation, Harold managed the woods, and Sam Jr. took charge of maintenance. At long last, Pap’s dream seemed close to coming true. But Andersonia would not remain successful for long. Descendants of the men who sold their holdings to Pap in 1903 filed a lawsuit to regain control of the mill, and that, coupled with nationwide timber industry problems resulting from World War II, led to a shutdown in the late 1940s. Once again, the mill stood silent.

In 1950, Thomas Dimmick reached an agreement with the Anderson family. He would run the mill and log the surrounding area for the Andersons. Under Dimmick’s guidance and with outside supervision from the Anderson family, the mill operated until 1972, when the second-growth timber had been logged and milled. But timber is not the only treasure left at Andersonia.

What Remains

The remote location, destruction of the tracks from the earthquake in 1906, the floods of 1925-26, and the passage of time had aided in the partial preservation of the two steam engines. The Baldwin (Engine No. Two), which had remained at the mill site’s storage building, was being renovated surreptitiously when vandals were discovered, and some of the engine was recovered. However, the combination of brass smelting from World War I and loss due to the vandals meant too many pieces were lost irrevocably for Engine No. 2 to be restored. She now “piecefully” rests in the Northern Counties Logging Interpretive Association’s (NCLIA) storage facility.

The Gypsy, however, has made a miraculous comeback. In 1977, Pap’s great-grandson, R. Grant Anderson Jr. and Rogan Coombs, along with an entourage of other locomotive enthusiasts, rescued the Gypsy. After spending nearly fifty-two years in the enginehouse outside of Moody, she was removed piece by piece from the enginehouse to be restored. Later, the Anderson family donated the engine to the State of California, and it came to rest at Fort Humboldt’s logging museum in Eureka. Since being restored by the NCLIA to near-new condition, she has the proud distinction of being the only operating Gypsy in the world.

Time has not been kind to Andersonia. Other than the large teepee burner rusting near the river, there are no longer signs that two mills once stood above the banks. But buildings spanning ninety years still rest on the site. A newer office building erected by Sam Jr. remains tenaciously upright in tribute to his hopes for continuing the family dream. Sam followed in his grandfather’s stylish steps when he built the office: no fewer than eight sixteen-by-sixteen-inch beams grace the porch. Across Indian Creek, Pap’s two-story bridal gift to Cora still stands, though even a slight tremor could prove fatal.

Time has given the forest a chance to regrow. Now Andersonia waits quietly, even expectantly, amid an ocean of sorrel washing upon banks of Scotch broom. Mint scents the air above little heads of mushrooms pecking out in the fields. Primitive horsetails stand like sentinels watching four blue spruce scream their planted presence around the old office. And a lonely old apple tree sits overgrown and blooming, seemingly oblivious to its striking attendance against its backdrop of timber, mature and ready for harvest. The surroundings seem a surreal backdrop to one of the most tragic stories told of lumber barons in the 19th century. Many men made fortunes along the same path; Pennsylvania, Michigan, and along the Pacific Coast, including Asa Simpson, founder of one of the more famous lumber companies.

Pap’s story is tragic in its promise unfulfilled: the mill was without its great leader for the all-time peak of lumber consumption in this country in 1907. How great would our memory be of Henry Neff Anderson if a piece of timber hadn’t taken out this timber baron? Today, hardly anyone outside his family knows of Henry Neff “Pap” Anderson. The memories are only slightly more vivid in Grays Harbor, Washington, where he made his most lasting economic and social impact on the community. In southern Humboldt and northern Mendocino counties, there will always and only be the legacy of being the place where he met an untimely death and left deserted the most promising of Pacific Coast mills.

For his family, there is a permanent legacy with some of Pap’s land now in the King Range and Sinkyone Wilderness. But, with the recent passing of one of the heirs of the remaining Andersonia land, once again, a question hangs over the area. Will the mill and timber finally be sold out of the family? Who, if anyone, will become heir to Pap’s dream?

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About the Author: Lorraine Michaels is a 1999 graduate of Humboldt State University, majoring in social science education. The story printed here is excerpted from her third-place entry in the Charles R. Barnum Humboldt History Competition.

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The story above was originally printed in the Winter 1999 issue of the Humboldt Historian, a journal of the Humboldt County Historical Society. It is reprinted here with permission. The Humboldt County Historical Society is a nonprofit organization devoted to archiving, preserving and sharing Humboldt County’s rich history. You can become a member and receive a year’s worth of new issues of The Humboldt Historian at this link.

Diana Lee Harralson (Dee), beloved mother, grandmother, and friend to so many, passed away peacefully on June 22nd 2025. She was a fierce, loyal, and loving woman to everyone in family and her community and she will be missed so very much by her family and friends.

Dee was born to Melvin and Dorothy Price on September 24th, 1949 in Monterey Park California. Although she had brief moments living in Chicago and Nevada, Diana was a true Californian through and through. She was the loving mother to Krysta Hill, Kendra Harralson, and Kevin Harralson. She was truly an amazing grandma to all her grandchildren, Sierra Hill, Sydney Harralson-Pease, Brendon Harralson, Katelyn Hill, Madison Harralson, Sadie Robledo, and Astrid Bonner. She had so many near and dear people for so long of her life including, her daughter in law Charlie Myrick, who she always claimed as her own, best friends Bobbie Biederman and Lori Thomsen Coyle, and her beloved neighbor Miss Marsha. Dee had lived in Rio Dell for the last 30 years of her life and her absence will be felt by her community and her many dear friends she made over the years.

In 1995, Dee chose to pack up her family and move. She simply looked at a map of her cherished state and pointed to Humboldt County and said “that sounds good,” only for it to become one of her most favorite places in the world. The beauty, the wildlife, the redwoods, and the bluffs drew her in and that’s when she claimed her new home for her and her family. It was ideal for a free spirited, nature loving hippie lady like Dee. When her family started growing, Dee was there to help every step of the way, always being around for her children no matter what and Grandma was the go-to babysitter in our family. She had visits with her daughter Kendra every single day, and her grandkids were constantly stopping by to deliver a sweet treat or whatever else she needed. Her grandchildren have sweet, cherished memories of spending so many laughfilled days together at Grandma’s house. Probably getting into a shenanigan or two, usually led by Grandma herself, there was never a boring moment. She was a huge part in helping to raise and shape her grandchildren, teaching them important values of always sticking up for what you believe in, showing loyalty to loved ones and friends, and ALWAYS being there for people when they needed it. She was always just a phone call away and was the best listener and unpaid therapist we could have asked for.

Dee was an avid lover of animals and had many cats throughout her years, all rescued or adopted, and all named some version of Baby Kitty. She had several books on local birds and wildlife and loved to point them out and share some facts whenever she would see one in the wild. Some of her favorite birds were the egret, the many hummingbird visitors she had everyday, and any Owl she could spot or hear. Her small house was often compared to a jungle with her wide variety of plants taking over. She had so many of her beloved plants, and succulents, and could easily tell you about any type of flower you asked her about. Her bookshelves were full of nature books about plants and wildlife. Every Sunday you could guarantee there was a NASCAR race on her TV, and her walls were filled with posters of her favorite drivers. And of course she was a fan of both the San Francisco 49ers and Giants. Her infamous greeting was always a peace sign and a smile. Her favorite things to wear were a tie dyed t-shirt and her many crystal bracelets and jewelry.

She was preceded in death by her first son, baby Joseph, who passed as an infant, her second son Kevin Harralson, and her parents. Dee will be missed beyond measure and words cannot describe the grief that her loss brings to her family. Her guidance, love, strength, smile, and laughter will be forever cherished and even more missed every single day. Her celebration of life will be held at the Rio Dell fire hall on August 16th. We strongly encourage everyone who plans on attending to wear their favorite tie dye item in honor of Dee. In lieu of flowers, if you feel inclined to, we ask you to please make a small donation in the name of Diana Harralson to any of the following local charities: Miranda’s Rescue or Humboldt County Animal Shelter, Hospice of Humboldt, or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Grammy, you will be missed more than words can say and we will do our best to live in your honor and memory and remember what you taught us over all these years, every single day. Until we meet again, peace and love ❤️

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It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Lavern “Gary” Juchtzer. Gary was born on July 28, 1948, in Crescent City, California, to parents Fritz and Ruth Juchtzer. He passed away on June 19, 2025, at the age of 76, after a long battle with emphysema.

Gary’s childhood was filled with family camping trips and time spent with friends. He had a deep love for the outdoors and enjoyed being outside as much as possible. During his youth, the family moved from Crescent City to Eureka, where Gary grew up alongside his brother, Rick, and his sisters, Diane, Vivian, and Carolyn. After graduating from high school, Gary served in the Marines. Upon returning home, he became a carpenter, a profession he pursued for most of his life. He also worked alongside his brother Rick, cherishing the moments they spent together.

In 2005, Gary retired and moved to Mad River, where he embraced a mountain man lifestyle. Although he often preferred solitude, Gary easily made friends whom he considered part of his extended family. When surrounded by family, he opened up and enjoyed great times together. Friends often referred to him as “Firewalker” due to his inclination to try to walk into the fire during camping trips after enjoying a bit too much to drink.

Gary is survived by his sons, Rick Juchtzer (wife Stacy) and Garrett Juchtzer; his grandson, Logan Juchtzer; and his granddaughters, Halie Juchtzer and Naomi Juchtzer. He is also survived by his sisters, Vivian Juchtzer and Carolyn Garcia (husband Harry), along with many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Fritz and Ruth Juchtzer; his brother, Rick Juchtzer; and his eldest sister, Diane Smith.

The family would like to extend their gratitude to Ayers Cremation, Humboldt Bay Fire, Bill Long, and Rene Maveety for their support during this journey. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Cancer Society in memory of Gary Juchtzer.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, July 26, 2025, at the Jed Smith Campground off Highway 199 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. This will be a casual gathering, as Gary would have wanted nothing more than a good day at the river with family and friends.

Press release from the Arcata Police Department:

On July 15th, 2025, at about 6:45 PM, the Arcata Police Department investigated a commercial burglary at a business located in the 400 block of South G Street in Arcata.  During the burglary, a large amount of currency was taken.

Arcata Police Department Detectives identified the suspect as an employee of the business, 46-year-old Eureka resident Christopher Michael German. 

On July 17th, 2025, at about 7:20 PM the Arcata Police Department served a search warrant at a residence in the 3400 block of F Street in Eureka, where Christopher German was taken into custody without incident.

German was booked and lodged into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on burglary and grand theft charges.

This investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Arcata Police Department’s Investigations Unit at 707-822-2424 or the anonymous crime tip line at 707-825-2588.

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Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On July 17, 2025, at approximately 10:31 a.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) responded to a report of a vehicle burglary and suspect cashing a stolen check from that burglary in the Redway area.    

The investigation revealed that Charles Warren, 30, of Garberville broke into a vehicle, disabled a game camera, and stole a checkbook. Warren then attempted to cash a $2,000 fraudulent check at Vocality Community Credit Union in Garberville.

The bank teller asked Warren for an ID, which he presented to bank staff while attempting the transaction. The bank declined the request and contacted the account holder. The victim then reported the vehicle burglary and attempted check fraud to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. 

Deputies responded to the area to investigate the vehicle burglary and locate the suspect. Deputies located Warren at Eel Valley Towing in Redway and subsequently placed him under arrest for theft and for attempting to cash a stolen check. During a search incident to arrest, they found a loaded Glock 10mm handgun in his backpack, which was later confirmed to be stolen. 

Warren was booked on the following charges:

• PC470(d) – Forgery: Intent to Defraud
• PC29800(a)(1) – Felon in Possession of a Firearm
• PC484(a) – Theft of Property
• PC594(a)(2)(A) – Vandalism Under $400
• PC1203.2(a) – Violation of Probation

Anyone with additional information about this case is asked to contact the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Crime Tip Line at (707) 268-2539.

Update, July 22 at 3:31 p.m.: Read the response from the owners of the Royal Crest Mobile Estates, which isn’t Storz Management Company as was reported in a previous version of this article.

Lana Craig is 80 years old. Her house, a coral-green mobile home in Fortuna with a view of the Ferndale Bluffs, is stuffed with colorful books, plants and religious ephemera she’s had so long she can’t remember where it all came from. She fell in love with that house the first time she saw it; she told her realtor she wanted it without even going inside it first. It reminds her of the home in Hayfork she lived in for 20 years after she retired with her brother before he died. She thought her new home would be an excellent place to live out her last years; it was beautiful, but also affordable on her fixed income. 

Then the rent went up shortly, from $745 every month to $914. Utilities are another $200. She earns $1,900 a month from Social Security. 

The math is relentless, the subtraction endless. She estimates she can afford it for another three years until her savings have totally evaporated. 

Craig is looking for a job. She’s applied for work at the Dollar General and the Walgreens in Fortuna. She wouldn’t have to leave town to get there, and she’s sure she’d do a good job.

“As you can see, I’m pretty adequate,” Craig said. “I’ve done everything from cleaning toilets, I’ve owned businesses, and I’ve managed businesses, so I’d be a good employee…I’m hoping that I’ll get a chance for a one-on-one interview with someone. If they see me, and see that I can work, and that I can talk with people, and I’m customer oriented — that’s what I’ve had to do. So…”

She trailed off.

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Craig lives at Royal Crest Mobile Estates, a 205-unit seniors-only mobile home park in a little corner of Fortuna. There, the rent has gone up over and over again in the last few years, up over 21% from what it was four years ago, higher than the 15% increase in the Consumer Price Index. (Although the residents own the homes they live in, they have to pay rent on the land the houses sit on.) 

It’s ran by the Storz Management Company, a real-estate management firm in Orangevale that specializes in mobile home parks. They own 25 of them and claim over $200 million has been invested with their company. A California Limited Partnership named Royal Crest Investors LP owns the park.

Craig believes herself to be blessed with impressive mental alacrity and physical strength for a woman her age, but not everyone at Royal Crest is that lucky. Many are too old to work, or rely on a working partner that’s likely nearing retirement themselves. 

Layne Moon, 59, another resident of Royal Crest, said she’s seen three or four people move out in the last year alone because they couldn’t afford to pay the rent, and another five moved out because they were about to reach that point. Moon has a neighbor in her late 70s who walks four miles round-trip to get to her part-time job because she can’t both pay the rent and get her car fixed. Some bundle up in sweaters because they can’t afford to turn on the heat. Others have had to get rid of their pets.

On Monday, July 21, a number of them will petition the Fortuna City Council to add an item to a future agenda (they’d like it to be sometime in August) that they hope would alleviate things somewhat: a Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) that will limit how much mobile home owners in Fortuna are legally able to raise the rent on their tenants. Three councilmembers will have to approve of the idea to put it on an agenda. 

Save Our Seniors (SOS), the group that Moon and Craig are in that is responsible for the petition, hope a future RSO passed in August would tie the rent to the Consumer Price Index. Landlords wouldn’t be able to raise the rent more than 50% of the CPI annually. It’s currently legal in California to increase rent on mobile homes every 90 days. It would also have measures to prevent landowners from letting the grounds and public spaces rot. 

If the city council ends up passing the RSO, it won’t be the first in Humboldt County. Voters passed Measure V by 5,000 votes in 2016, an RSO battled by almost $150,000 in out-of-town donations from real estate millionaires, and Arcata’s city council passed one of its own in 2017.

Reached by phone, Fortuna mayor Mike Johnson said he didn’t know enough about the proposed ordinance to comment on it. 

Some Royal Crest residents feel exploited by Storz, who advertise that they can help investors purchase and maintain mobile home parks for consistent profit. Other communities have complained in the past about Storz and their rent hikes, as well as out-of-the-blue eviction notices that Storz later walked back. 

“Mobile home communities offer a combination of steady cash flow, long-term appreciation, and relatively low volatility,” reads their website under the headline “A Hidden Gem in the World of Investing.” “With a growing demand for affordable housing and a fragmented market ripe for consolidation, the potential for returns is significant.”

Moon claimed that just about every time Storz fixed something on the property, her rent would go up. When she moved in four years ago, her total rent with utilities was around $740 every month; it’s now over $1,300. 

Moon and Craig had expected their rents to go up year-over-year when they moved in, but not to the degree that they did. In 2015, the average rent in the park was around $440 (about $600 when adjusted for inflation). 

Leaving isn’t really an option. The phrase “mobile home” is a misnomer except to a privileged few. It would be almost impossible for a financially besieged senior to pick the house up and move somewhere else. It usually costs around $30,000 to move the house, and another $20,000 to hook it up to utilities. 

SOS members say that an RSO won’t have negative effects on the community. The owners of Storz don’t live in the area, the thinking goes, and don’t really invest their profits back into Fortuna. With lower rents, SOS says the Royal Crest dwellers will have more money to spend in Fortuna. 

“[City council’s] job is to protect these 300 seniors, not to protect this one millionaire who’s taking money out of your community and paying [investors] and himself,” said Hilary Mosher, a volunteer with SOS who helped lead the push behind Measure V in 2016. “Your movie theater shuts down, your restaurants are shut down. Nobody has discretionary spending money anymore when their rent is going up.”

Mobile homes are also worth less when the rent is higher. The Mobile Home Park Home Owners Allegiance estimates that for every $10 lot rent goes up, the equity of the house drops $1,000.

Moon and Craig admit they didn’t necessarily ask the right questions or read through all of the fine print when they moved in, a decision they regret but cannot change. 

Many elderly people don’t have the strength to combat practices they see as predatory. 

“As you get older, it’s harder to process things,” Moon said. “There’s more fear and vulnerability. You’re more easily intimidated or taken advantage of. And that’s what it feels like this whole thing is about. I’m still somewhat young. My husband’s 12 years older than me, and we were looking for a place — it’s your last home. It’s where you want to be. It’s just the end of it, right? It’s easy, it’s safe, and then it’s not, after so many years.”

Members of SOS and Mosher said they aren’t trying to totally throttle Storz’s profits. They’re not asking for them to make nothing, they say, but simply a healthy return that doesn’t force people out of their homes. 

“We’re in favor of a fair return,” Mosher said. “We’re just not in favor of an egregious return.”

If Craig can’t afford to stay at Royal Crest, she said she has no idea what she’d do.

“This keeps me up at night,” Craig said. “This keeps me up sleepless at night, thinking about that, wondering about it, but I don’t want to go there and make it real.”

We’re waiting on comment from Storz. This article will be updated when it is received.