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President Donald Trump has taken aim at students and professors at California’s elite institutions, such as UC Berkeley and UCLA, but community colleges, which enroll the majority of the state’s students, have largely avoided the administration’s ire.

Until recently. The U.S. Department of Education announced on March 27 that it was stopping California universities and colleges from using federal funding to “provide services to illegal immigrants.” The education department is specifically referring to federal TRIO programs, which provide various forms of financial aid and counseling to low-income, first-generation students.

California schools don’t track how many of their students lack legal status. Although exact figures are hard to capture, some estimates, such as the number of applications for in-state aid, suggest that there are thousands of students without legal status, most of whom are attending California’s community colleges.

More than 100,000 students in California are enrolled in a TRIO program, said Dalia Hernandez, the president of a professional association that works closely with these programs. Informally, colleges know that some students in these programs lack legal status. Now campus TRIO officials are grappling with the president’s order and wondering if they are going to have to start documenting citizenship.

Although non-citizens aren’t eligible for federal financial aid, in 2022 the education department granted California special permission to enroll them in TRIO programs’ academic services through September 2026.

Now the administration is revoking that permission.

In a Zoom webinar a few days after the education department’s announcement, Hernandez’s organization, the Western Association of Educational Opportunity Personnel, told college leaders that they could keep serving students in their programs, regardless of immigration status. However, moving forward, schools would need to reject any suspected non-citizen, she said. The federal education department has yet to provide any additional guidance about how to interpret the TRIO policy change.

“I’ve been in 1,000 meetings talking about every executive order that comes out, and every meeting is like, ‘Well, we don’t know what’s going to happen and it’s probably going to get blocked by a federal judge, so just hold on,’” said Brian Boomer, the director of grants at the West Hills Community College District in California’s Central Valley. “This was a little different because they actually gave a directive.”

Outside of California, it’s easy to see why some might argue these federal dollars should only serve U.S. citizens, Boomer said. But in Fresno and Kings counties, where his community college district is located, he said many immigrants are embedded in the community, work in nearby farms, and send their children to the region’s schools and colleges. “That’s the population you serve,” he said. “Our area feeds the country.”

Coalinga College is one of the two schools in his district. More than 70% of its students identify as Latino, and many are current or former farmworkers or children of farmworkers. The college’s largest TRIO program, called Student Support Services, has just under 200 low-income, first generation students enrolled, said Lissette Padilla, who oversees it.

Some of those students likely don’t have legal status, she said, but it’s not clear how many.

A ‘heartbreaking’ change for one student

As a low-income student with a learning disability and the first in his family to attend college, “J” knew he needed help navigating Oxnard College, a community college in Ventura County. He applied to one of the TRIO programs in 2021 but he said he was rejected because program administrators suspected he wasn’t a U.S. citizen. CalMatters has agreed to withhold his name because he fears drawing attention to his legal status.

“I thought this was going to be for all first-generation students,” he said. “I felt like I was abandoned.”

Two years later, after the state got special permission from the federal government, the director of the program reached out to J again, this time to encourage him to reapply. As part of one of the TRIO programs, J got one-on-one guidance with campus counselors who helped ensure that he was on track to meet his academic goals and transfer to a four-year university. The TRIO staff also took him on trips to visit various colleges, including Cal State Northridge, Chico State, and Cal State Long Beach.

Last summer, he enrolled at Cal State Channel Islands, ready to pursue a bachelor’s degree. Many Cal State and University of California campuses offer TRIO programs to their students, but Channel Islands isn’t one of them. “It’s very disappointing,” he said because he was hoping to stay enrolled in one of the TRIO programs.

Even if the university began offering TRIO programs, he won’t qualify if colleges enforce the Trump administration’s policy change. J said it’s “heartbreaking” that students without legal status will no longer have that opportunity to enroll.

In the first few days after the Trump administration’s announcement, schools received little guidance about how to respond and looked to Hernandez, the regional association president, for guidance. She said her interpretation is that TRIO programs are only required to evaluate a student’s eligibility when they first enroll. As a result, she said schools do not need to kick out any students who are currently enrolled, but they shouldn’t register any new students who may lack legal status.

She also recommended that schools revise their intake forms so that students can only identify as male or female. “We’re protecting the programs and the funding that we have,” said Hernandez, referring to Trump’s executive order on gender identity, which prohibits the U.S. government from recognizing gender expansive terms such as non-binary.

Padilla said she’s concerned that Coalinga College may, at some point, need to pull counseling services away from students without legal status who are in the program. She said the contingency plan is to move those students into similar programs that are funded by the state and which don’t ask for proof of citizenship.

Lizette Navarette, the president of Woodland Community College near Sacramento, said she was wary of the initial decision to allow students without legal status to receive services through a federal program. “There was some concern about how safe the student data would be because it’s a federal grant,” she said. For over a year now, her college has been directing those students to state programs, which she said often have more capacity and which don’t share data with the federal government.

Will TRIO get cut?

In 2021, the national association for TRIO administrators, the Cal State University system, the UC system, the California Department of Education and more than 80 other organizations signed a letter addressed to the U.S. Department of Education, calling on it to allow students without legal status to enroll in TRIO programs.

But over the years, support has waned.

The federal government allowed California to expand access to TRIO programs as part of a pilot, which was slated to end next year. In 2023 and 2024, when the U.S. Department of Education discussed expanding access in other states and in a more permanent way, California’s institutions once again voiced their support. But the national association was silent, said Antoinette Flores, the director of a higher education research team at the think tank New America.

She said the association, known as the Council for Opportunity in Education, fears that allowing students without legal status to participate could elicit more scrutiny from the Trump administration and put the entire program at risk. The association didn’t respond to CalMatters’ request for comment.

“We have had, over the years, very strong bipartisan support for federal TRIO programs,” said Hernandez, who also serves as the regional representative of the national association. But she acknowledged that nothing is certain. “There is rhetoric from the current administration about dismantling these federal programs.”

She said her regional association still wants to include all low-income, first-generation students in TRIO programs, including students without legal status, but other colleges and universities outside the state may have a different perspective. “California is one of the very few states in the country that has resources and support earmarked for undocumented students and youth. Others may not have as much.”

In Loving Memory
Judy Maxine Gower
June 3rd, 1943 - April 8th, 2025

Judy Maxine Gower, 81, of Willow Creek, California, passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by her loved ones on April 8th, 2025, after a brief battle with cancer.

Judy was born in Columbus, Georgia, on June 3rd, 1943, to Mary Lenore and Marion Francis Parrott. She grew up alongside her brothers Marion “Buddy” Parrott II, Ronald “Ronnie” Parrott, and Donald “Donnie” Parrott.

In 1964, on her 21st birthday, Judy made the life-changing decision to move to Willow Creek, California, with her first husband, Gerald Chase, and their two young daughters, Tammy and Terry. Judy met Gerald when he was serving in the military and stationed in the south. After the passing of her first husband, Gerald, she later married her loving and devoted partner, Doyle Gower, on April 9th, 1968. The following year, they welcomed their daughter, Vicki, on April 19th, 1969.

Judy was well known in the community as the longtime manager of Coast Central Credit Union, where she helped countless people over the years, not just with banking, but with compassion, wisdom, and a generous heart. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone in Willow Creek who doesn’t have a story about a time Judy helped them. She was a friend to everyone she knew, including any stranger, and she was always willing to lend a hand wherever it may have been needed.

She was happiest when surrounded by family and close friends, especially her best friends, Sherron Racy and Margie Fleming. Judy and her friends made a lasting impression on the town in the 70s when they created their famous dancing group called the Willow Creek Flappers. This group of ladies were some of her closest friends whom she loved and adored and occasionally cut a rug with. Included were – Toots Rowland, Vonnie Gower, Sherron Racy, Ella Dobrec, JoAnn Bridges, and Sue Hodgson. Having a good time and putting a smile on others’ faces was an attribute of hers that never fell short.

Judy was devoted to her family like no other. From never missing a birthday to being the first to show up on Christmas morning. She was there when we needed to cry or even share our biggest accomplishments. She made the best deviled eggs and chocolate cream pies; not a single person who tried could compare to them, even when she gave the full recipe. She was, in simple terms, one of a kind.

Judy is preceded in death by her parents, Mary Lenore and Marion Parrott; her brother, Marion “Buddy” Parrott II; her daughters, Tammy Chase and Terry Chase; and her first husband, Gerald Chase.

She is survived by her loving husband of 57 years, Doyle Gower; brothers Ronnie Parrott (Barbara); and Donnie Parrott; daughter Vicki Baugh (Gary); grandchildren Gary Baugh (Alli); Mikayla Baugh (Hunter); Larry “Jr” Alameda; Jeremy Alameda (Lucy); Sheena Chase; and Cadilla Thomas. Great-grandchildren Damon, Tyler, and Peyton Bryant; and Jeremy Alameda Jr., as well as numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Though we mourn her passing, we take comfort in the love she gave so freely, and the strong, beautiful family she leaves behind. We find peace and blessing knowing she is in the presence of Jesus, and we will get the opportunity to see her again. She will be deeply missed and forever remembered.

A celebration of Judy’s life will be held at the Salyer Wayside Chapel in Salyer, California, on Saturday, May 31st, starting at 11 a.m.

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

On March 7, 2025 Frederick Ernest Ahboltin departed for the hereafter from his home in Eureka, watched over by his beloved wife Dorie.

Fred was born in Oakland in 1950 to Fred and Monica (Job) Ahboltin. He grew up in at-the-time somewhat rural San Leandro with his older brother Marvin. In his school years he developed a love of books, comics, music and theater, and formed friendships that would last his whole life. He graduated Bishop O’Dowd Catholic High School in 1968, before getting his B.A. in English Literature at Santa Clara University.

In 1977, Fred moved north to Humboldt County to seek a simpler existence away from the city. Over the next 10 years he taught and administrated for a childcare agency, where he met Martha Dumke and her 6-month old son Matthew. Fred and Martha were married in 1980, and in September they were blessed with daughter Laurel.

In 1982 the marriage ended and Fred began devoting his energy to Common Ground daycare, an independent childcare center he opened with close friend and business partner Kent Schaefer. Common Ground became a small community hub and a place for Matthew, Laurel and their peers to grow up in.

In 1984 Fred met the love of his life, Dorie Lopes, who had come to California from Rhode Island. They were married in 1987. Along with Dorie’s son Troy, the couple had two additional sons: Samuel in 1989, and John in 1993.

Fred worked various jobs to support his family, doing seasonal work, working graveyard shifts, and constantly trying his hand at new trades. He lent his powerful voice and diligent guitar playing to the choir at St. Bernard’s church.

In the late 90s he discovered a passion for bicycling, completing Ferndale’s 50-mile Tour of the Unknown Coast in his 50th year. He went on to complete the 100-mile Tour and other various distance rides, often accompanied by his wife and close friends. The new millenium also saw Fred working as a CNA at Pacific Nursing Home, until his retirement at the age of 63. He fixed up a home for him and Dorie to live in and spent the rest of his life joyfully maintaining their little corner of the world.

All through his life Fred found a great deal of fulfillment in caring for others. Whether it was childcare, elder care, cooking, cleaning, singing, gardening, or simply listening; he truly loved to see others happy and well. He was an avid reader, moviegoer and video gamer, and loved to talk about the things he had read, seen, and accomplished. He spent the last days of his life surrounded by friends and family. He will be remembered for his creativity, his earnest silliness, and his strong yet gentle voice.

Fred is survived by his wife Dorie, daughter Laurel Ahboltin and grandchildren Kaeli Mae Jewell, Charlie Jewell, Elijah Squier, Olivia Squier, Penelope Squier, stepsons Matt Huber and Troy Harmon, and sons Sam and John.

“Our gift is to serve; We make beauty out of nothing.”

April Michele (Jarboe) Waterman, born April 10, 1966, died in Eureka March 2, 2025, after a courageous battle with cancer. She was surrounded by her loved ones, who will carry her with them as they live their best lives.

April’s children were the light of her life, she was deeply involved in their school and sporting events and activities, talked with them every day processing and celebrating lived experiences. April was committed to lemonade stands and sun bathing in the front yard, 1960s and 1970s music; snack shack mom at the ball field; loved times spent camping; and family gatherings.

April’s daughters adored her. To quote them “even though we will never have enough words or the perfect words to describe how much we love our mom, she had the most sacrificial, generous, and loving heart. She will always be a part of us and we will carry her love with us everywhere we go. We love her so much.” “She was a great mom, our best friend, and the light of our whole lives. She was the center of our universe, our sun. She was the best mom.”

Throughout her lifetime April made her mark, entered by her parents’ in a baby contest and winning ‘one of the cutest babies’ in Eureka, participating as one of the early Eureka Rhododendron Parade Princesses. April went to elementary schools in Eureka and Eugene, and went to North Eugene High School graduating in 1984. April attended Napa Valley Junior College and graduated from Humboldt State University in 1998.

She learned to swim on a bet with Grandma Verna and her sister, Tami, in the American River, played softball, partaking in her high school play Bye, Bye Birdie, the Debate Team, choir, and Junior Achievement. April worked all her life, she had a sharp eye for photography and worked in various photography businesses, printing businesses, as a waitress, in a bakery, as a school aide, barista at Starbucks, office manager at her dad’s business, school administrative secretary at Winship Junior High, and in the administrative offices of the Mattole Charter School and Northern United Charter Schools.

April is survived by her husband, Mark Waterman; daughters, Maya and Kara Waterman; her father and step-mother, Chet & Karen Jarboe; mother, Cathy Haley; siblings, Tami Jarboe and JoAnna Rafiner-Jarboe; nieces and nephews Josie & Jack Lauteren, Sidney and Jesse-James Rafiner-Jarboe; mother-in-law, Toni Borges; and aunts and uncles, John, Jay, Cathy, David, Cindy, and Sue; and many beloved cousins. Special gratitude to cousin Cara Heddinger and close friend Lynne Pabalate.

April was preceded in death by her brother, Chester Charles Samuel Jarboe; beloved dog Posey; grandma Florita Waterman; father-in-law Wayne Waterman; grandparents Chuck & Verna Jarboe, Rosemary Eby & Sam Hardy, Ada & Burr Fancher, David Lofts; and uncles Charles (Tam) Jarboe, Sam Hardy and Scott Lofts.

April’s family is grateful for the care and support April received from the Asante Heimann Cancer Center in Medford, Oregon, and Hospice of Humboldt Ida Emmerson Hospice House, and everyone who supported April and her family with resources, prayers and wishes. The family is having a Celebration of Life on May 30, 2025, 1 p.m., at the Wharfinger Building in Eureka. The celebration is a pot-luck gathering — favorite salads, side dishes and desserts are appreciated. Donations in April’s memory can go to Hospice of Humboldt.

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

Deborah Flo Freeman passed away peacefully on March 11, 2025, in Eureka, succumbing to Progressive Supranuclear Palsy.

Flo was born Deborah Lee Speake at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana. She grew up the eldest of five on the Northside of Indianapolis, where she attended School 70 and graduated from North Central High. After graduation, she hitchhiked to California with her dog Gracie, having many adventures along the way. There, she fell in love with the Pacific Northwest and came to call it home. She was part of the D Street commune in San Francisco and then moved to Humboldt County. She also fell in love and married Michael Freeman, giving birth to daughter Amanda two years later while they lived on Elk River.

Flo built a reputation as a hard-working and talented chef at several successful venues in California and Indiana, including Bergie’s in the Jacoby Storehouse in Arcata, and The Provincial Kitchen, Café Patachou, and Cath, Inc., in Indianapolis. She was the Executive Chef at Deer Creek Music Center for several years, where she loved cooking for the hundreds of music stars and their crews brought to town by Sunshine Promotions.

She returned to Humboldt County in 2005 and again in 2019 for the last time. It was her heart’s home and walking with her friends and dogs in its beautiful places filled many a happy day. As her abilities lessened these past few years she enjoyed time on the Madaket cruising Humboldt Bay and heading to Trinidad Pier to relish the ocean.

Laughter flowed freely when talking with Flo. Cooking delicious meals for those she gathered was her natural state. Music around a campfire was another favorite, during which she would sing harmonies with her pretty voice. She remembered what made people happy and was always giving little gifts to those in her orbit. She loved the earth and continued to study it her whole life, completing the Master Gardener program in 2017, and serving as a docent for Friends of the Dunes and the River Center on the San Joaquin River beginning in her 60s.

Flo was a creative and positive force in the lives of all who knew her. Flo is still, and will always be, a beloved Mother, Sister, and Friend to those who survive her. She counted herself lucky to have friendships spanning six decades and close siblings. She is survived by daughter Amanda, as well as siblings Vicky Miller, Farroll “Chip” Speake, and Matthew Speake, and several nieces and nephew. She is preceded in death by her parents Farroll “Bud” Speake and Velma Lee Luse (Moon), and her brother Mark Speake.

A memorial party will be held at the River Lodge at 5pm on June 14. Contact Amanda if you would like to make one of Flo’s recipes to bring to the feast. Donations to Hospice of Humboldt and CurePSP.org are welcome in lieu of flowers. The family sends heartfelt thanks to her caregivers and friends for their invaluable assistance over the years.

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PREVIOUSLY: Eureka City Council Tables Decision on Controversial Ordinance That Would Increase Penalties Against Unhoused Residents

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Weeks after the Eureka City Council’s grueling seven-and-a-half-hour discussion over a proposed ordinance to increase penalties for people living in unauthorized homeless encampments, tensions remain high.

While discussing future agenda items near the end of last night’s city council meeting, Councilmember Scott Bauer said he has experienced “many restless nights thinking about what transpired” at the Mar. 28 meeting and apologized for not doing more to stand up for staff who were subjected to “acrimonious testimony” and “tremendous disrespect” from members of the public. 

Scott Bauer.

“I can’t let it go,” Bauer said. “Frankly, I thought our community was better than that. I sincerely apologize to all staff involved in [the] meeting, [who] dedicated so much time to crafting this ordinance. You simply followed a council request to develop this law and present it to us, and you should not have been treated so poorly. … What I do find completely baffling is the lack of trust expressed during public comment in our staff [who] have dedicated [their] heart and soul to working with our homeless population.”

Many of the speakers who spoke during the three-and-a-half-hour public comment period at last month’s meeting opposed the ordinance and criticized the city for “criminalizing people simply for existing.”

The draft ordinance — linked here — would increase penalties for “unlawful camping, sitting, and lying in public spaces” from an infraction to a misdemeanor, and would allow the city to redirect offenders to community-based rehabilitative services instead of jail through a municipal program called Law Enforcement Alternative Diversion (LEAD).

Bauer acknowledged concerns about the criminalization of homelessness but emphasized that the proposed ordinance would “be used as a tool, not a bludgeon” to help law enforcement get people off the street and into housing. 

“I, for one, believe EPD is a wholly necessary part of the social fabric of our city and sleep better knowing our women and men in blue are out there doing their best to care for and protect our citizens,” he continued. “This council has been nothing but supportive of CSET [Community Safety Engagement Team], Uplift, CARE [Crisis Alternative Response Eureka] and a myriad of programs that have the sole mission of getting community members off the streets. … I believe Eureka and its public servants are doing more for its homeless population than most — if not all — cities in this great state.”

At the end of his five-minute statement, which you can watch in the video below, Bauer urged his fellow council members to avoid “kick[ing] the can, once again, down a long and apparently endless road,” and asked that the council revisit the ordinance next month.

“If we do not take action, we are sentencing our most vulnerable to a life in the willows, wetlands and green spaces of our community,” he said. “Do we really think this is in the best interest of our city and [our] citizens?”

Councilmember Kati Moulton defended the council’s decision to table the item, noting that it was 1:30 a.m. and “emotions were running really high” after the lengthy public comment period.

“I thought it would be more useful for us to have a delicate and nuanced conversation with a fresh head at the next meeting,” Moulton said. “But at this point, I would say that the ordinance is either useful and we should … adjust it and pass it, or we should take an entirely different path, but having this kind of hanging out there, I agree, is not helping anything.”

Mayor Kim Bergel asked if the rest of the council was in favor of the proposal, and was met with two thumbs up from Bauer and Moulton, and two thumbs down from Councilmembers Leslie Castellano and Renee Contreras-DeLoach. (Councilmember G. Mario Fernandez was absent.) 

Castellano acknowledged Bauer’s frustration with the way that staff were treated, but felt it would be “disingenuous to the community” to bring the ordinance back prematurely.

“I do feel like we set upon some things that we told the community we’re going to be working on,” she said. “I do think distrust of government in general is, from my experience, at an all-time high, and I don’t think that trust is going to be built by bringing [the ordinance] back so soon.”

Tasked with breaking the tie, Mayor Bergel took a few moments to collect her thoughts before explaining her stance. She described how EPD has changed its policing tactics over the years, adopting a more compassionate approach.

Mayor Kim Bergel.

“I’ve watched staff go from slashing tents, stealing people’s property, talking smack about people, all those things. I’ve watched our [police] department change over the last 10 years, and I’ve watched our city grow in compassion over the last 10 years,” she said. “I was very disappointed about the meeting … and I had people call me on the phone, very upset that … it would be put off to some [date] far, far away. 

Bergel agreed that the ordinance should be brought back to the council sooner rather than later. “I would like to see some resolution with it,” she said. “If it fails, it fails, but I think that the discussion … needs to happen.”

With three thumbs up secured, staff agreed to add the ordinance discussion to the council’s May 20 agenda. 

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Other notable bits from last night’s meeting:

• The council received an update from Uplift Eureka on staff’s efforts to increase homeless outreach and services. Special Programs Manager Jeff Davis said the Uplift Eureka Community Resource Center, located in the Municipal Auditorium at 1111 E Street, has had nearly 400 people visit the resource center since it opened to the public in January. Uplift continues to house people through its Homeless, Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) programs, Davis said, adding that the city has housed over 200 people through its Rapid Rehousing Program. “Every day we’re working towards better outcomes and better goals,” he said.
• The council also received an annual report from the Humboldt Waste Management Authority (HWMA). This summer, the authority is going to launch a study to assess the feasibility of creating a local organic waste collection site. City Manager Miles Slattery noted that the city’s compostable materials are sent down to Mendocino County, which kind of defeats the purpose of collecting organic waste to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Staff also revealed the city’s new poet laureates: Sarai Bordeaux and Oivia Jaqueline Gibson. Both poets read a poem to the council, one of which moved Mayor Bergel to tears.

PG&E, our overlords underground, have apparently taken to the skies as well — but don’t fret, they’re not interested in what the top of your house looks like.

PG&E have expanded their use of photo-taking drones to inspect power poles all over the state. In 2024 they conducted over 5,000 flights in Humboldt County alone. Naturally, a lot of people called them with privacy concerns, so to clear the air PG&E staged a demo flight for local media today.

“We don’t take photos of your kids,” PG&E spokesperson Megan McFarland said. “We’re not looking at your home or your backyard. We’re just looking at our assets [mostly poles, wires, and transformers].”

There are about 100 drone crews made up of one or two people around California. The operators take anywhere from 20-60 photos quality enough to see the threads on the wires and send them to a desk crew. They inspect the “assets” for wear and tear and decide if the equipment needs any work. Lower-risk areas are surveyed no less than every five years, higher-risk areas every year. 

PG&E are switching to using more drones because they’re cheaper and quicker than sending people up the poles to check out the lines. 

Spring is PG&E’s busy season for inspections because it’s right before wildfires start, so expect to see quite a few drones hovering around. Drone pilot Vinh Nguyen said there should always be a pilot watching the drone.

“It’s OK to ask questions,” said PG&E employee Billy Brown. “Just make sure you wait until the drone is on the ground.”