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The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors today took a couple of small steps toward increased flexibility in multi-family housing development.

With Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo absent, the board passed a pair of ordinances that will implement and expand upon a state law that took effect last year. That law, called the Middle-Class Housing Act of 2022, allows housing to be built in zones where office, parking or retail are permitted.

There are certain restrictions on those allowances. For example, any new housing projects must be located within an “urban cluster,” and here in Humboldt they’ll have to be built at a density between 15 and 30 units per acre. No single-family houses and no huge apartment complexes, in other words.

Potential locations for this new housing development include Fields Landing, Cutten, Scotia and the long stretch between McKinleyville and Fortuna.

There were some differences of opinion among the board members as they discussed potential tweaks to the Commercial Residential Ordinance, which the Planning Commission passed along with a recommendation for approval from the supes. 

Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson argued that multi-family housing shouldn’t be put in commercial zones right next to industrial zones, and he said the ordinance should specify that new housing development must occur only in areas with existing services, such as public water and sewer and access to public transportation. 

“I’m not agreeing with everything you’re saying,” Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell interjected. Regarding his call for housing to be located in existing service areas she said, “For the very unincorporated areas, especially in my district where housing could be appropriate there, I’m not feeling his language change.”

In particular, Bushnell asked about the potential for development in the Cooks Valley region, and Planning and Building Director John Ford said Wilson’s suggestion would indeed exclude that area.

Wilson said that’s justified. 

“Housing is very needed,” he said, “but we can create a pretty substantial service burden, from a local government perspective, if we’re putting multi-family housing in areas that are quite isolated.”

The two wound up compromising by having the ordinance say that multi-family development in areas without services may be allowed, but they’ll require a special permit.

Another point of disagreement arose in a discussion about parking requirements. Wilson suggested eliminating parking requirements for all housing that’s within half a mile of a bus stop. First District Supervisor Rex Bohn pushed back on that idea.

“I mean, I know we’re trying to get everybody out of their cars and everything else, but I’m pretty sure we all drove here this morning,” he said. “So I just think [allowing development with] no parking is an issue.”

Ford said that the Planning Commission also struggled with this topic but decided that parking requirements should not be required for affordable housing projects or those served by public transit.

Bohn also made the argument that excessive red tape is preventing housing from being developed. 

“We’re not building a lot of stuff,” he said. “Everybody wants to get a piece of their pie, and it just seems like — .” He stopped himself. “I’m going through the same rant that I always do,” he lamented.

Wilson said today’s decisions should actually help resolve that complaint.

“In general, this ordinance increases entitlements and decreases restrictions for building housing,” he pointed out.

The board voted unanimously to pass the Commercial Residential Ordinance after excising parking requirements for developments within half a mile from a bus stop and specifying that any developments that aren’t in an “urban cluster” must first get a special permit.

Considerably less debate accompanied passage of the Zoning Updates Ordinance — tweaks to existing regulations “that individually are quite small,” Ford said, adding, “Cumulatively, they’re not significant.”

The changes involved such matters as fence heights the and definition of the terms “family” and “mini-storage.” 

Bohn objected to an element of this ordinance that will prohibit mini-storage units in certain zones in an effort to keep them on the periphery of mixed-use commercial and residential areas. As such, he wound up voting “no,” but the motion still passed with a vote of 3-1.

Press release from the Calfire Humboldt-Del Norte Unit:

What:

Professionally controlled prescribed burn planned for the consumption of invasive European Beachgrass involving approximately 14-50 acres, as conditions allow.

When:

The prescribed burn is planned for Wednesday, October 2nd, 2024.

Where:

Ocean Ranch southwest of Table Bluff. Four miles northwest Loleta.

Why:

This burn is part of a multiyear prescribed fire study for invasive plant management and hazardous fuels reduction. The treatment will help to enhance the health of the native plant communities, aid in the control of non-native plant species, protect and enhance habitat for multiple dune species, and aid in the reduction of hazardous fire fuels.

Who:

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), CAL FIRE. During these prescribed fire operations, residents may see an increase in fire suppression resource traffic, smoke will be visible and traffic control may be in place. Please be cautious for your safety as well as those working on prescribed burns.

Learn more how you can prepare for wildfire by visiting: www.ReadyForWildfire.org.

For more information, please contact the CAL FIRE Humboldt – Del Norte Unit Public Information Officer line at: (707) 726-1285.

Eureka High School release: 

Dear Eureka City Schools Families and Staff,

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

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

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

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,
Gary Strorts
Superintendent, Eureka City Schools

-GO HERE TO ENTER AND VOTE-

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

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

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

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

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

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

# # #

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

From the Office of Assemblymember Jim Wood:

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

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

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

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

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

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

PREVIOUSLY:

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

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

Photo: Erin Kelly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Erin Kelly lives on H Street.

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

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

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

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

Why are nonprofits missing millions of dollars?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

California’s role in the problem

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

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

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

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

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

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

‘I need my money when it’s due’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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