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UPDATE, 11:58 a.m.:

Shortly after this post was published, Bonta’s office issued the following press release, which includes links to the complaint and preliminary injunction:

SACRAMENTO — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced a lawsuit against Providence St. Joseph Hospital (Providence) in Eureka, California. In the lawsuit, filed in Humboldt County Superior Court, the Attorney General alleges Providence violated multiple California laws due to its refusal to provide emergency abortion care to people experiencing obstetric emergencies.

One particular patient, Anna Nusslock, had her water break when she was 15 weeks pregnant with twins on February 23, 2024. Despite the immediate threat to her life and health, and despite the fact her pregnancy was no longer viable, Providence refused to treat her. She had to travel to a small critical access hospital called Mad River, 12 miles away, where she was actively hemorrhaging by the time she was on the operating table. In addition to filing the complaint, the Attorney General is moving immediately for a preliminary injunction to ensure that patients like Anna will receive timely emergency healthcare services at Providence, including abortion care.  

“California is the beacon of hope for so many Americans across this country trying to access abortion services since the Dobbs decision. It is damning that here in California, where abortion care is a constitutional right, we have a hospital implementing a policy that’s reminiscent of heartbeat laws in extremist red states,” said Attorney General Bonta.

“With today’s lawsuit, I want to make this clear for all Californians: abortion care is healthcare. You have the right to access timely and safe abortion services. At the California Department of Justice, we will use the full force of this office to hold accountable those who, like Providence, are breaking the law.” 

In February 2024, Anna Nusslock was fifteen weeks pregnant with twins when she visited Providence in pain and severely bleeding after her water prematurely broke. At Providence, the doctor diagnosed Nusslock with Previable Premature Pre-labor Rupture of Membranes (Previable PPROM) and confirmed her twins would not survive. Her diagnosis also meant that without abortion care, she was at increased risk of permanent harm or death from infection and hemorrhage.

Nevertheless, Providence informed her that hospital policy prohibited them from providing this emergency care as long as one of her twins had a “detectable heartbeat.” Only once there was an immediate risk to Nusslock’s life—which is to say, a more immediate risk than she already faced—would the hospital give her the treatment she needed. 
Instead of providing Nusslock emergency medical abortion care required by state law, Providence discharged her with instructions to drive to a small community hospital nearly 12 miles away. On the way out the door, Providence handed Nusslock a bucket and towels “in case something happens in the car.”  

Providence’s policy bars doctors from providing life-saving or stabilizing emergency treatment when doing so would terminate a pregnancy, even when the pregnancy is not viable. Not only does this violate California law, this policy discriminates against pregnant patients as the hospital chooses the decision for them. 

Today’s complaint alleges Providence violated California’s Emergency Services Law (the state level analogue to the federal EMTALA statute), the Unruh Civil Rights Act, and the Unfair Competition Law.

Additionally, the Attorney General moved for a preliminary injunction, seeking a court order to guarantee that patients receive prompt emergency medical care including abortion care. This is especially critical because the hospital—Mad River Community Hospital—where Anna eventually received her abortion will be closing its labor and delivery (L&D) unit this October. In a month, Providence will be left as the only hospital with an L&D unit in all of Humboldt County. The next person in Anna’s situation will face an agonizing choice of risking a multi-hour drive to another hospital or waiting until they are close enough to death for Providence to intervene.   

This lawsuit enforces the crucial right to emergency abortion care under California state law, while the scope of federal protections for such care under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) remain uncertain. 

Under EMTALA, every hospital in the United States that operates an emergency department and participates in Medicare is required to provide stabilizing treatment to all patients with an emergency medical condition.  When the U.S. Supreme Court upended decades of legal precedent establishing a constitutional right to an abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, EMTALA should have provided a critical backstop, guaranteeing that no matter what state a pregnant patient was in, they would receive the emergency care, including abortion care, they needed. But this past summer in Idaho v. U.S., the U.S. Supreme Court declined to confirm that EMTALA requires hospitals to provide necessary abortion care to pregnant patients experiencing access medical emergencies irrespective of any conflicting state law.  With EMTALA in limbo, states like California have to rely on their own state laws to protect pregnant patients.   ​ 

California Attorney General Bonta remains committed to ensuring that California continues to be a safe haven for those seeking essential reproductive healthcare including abortion care. For more on his actions, and for key resources to assist you in obtaining reproductive healthcare, visit https://oag.ca.gov/reprorights.

If you are looking for information specific to abortions, the California Abortion Access website provides a safe space to find resources and guidance. The privacy of those who visit this website is protected, and their information is not saved or tracked.

California law requires hospitals to provide emergency abortion care. Click here to learn more.  

If you were denied an abortion you needed in a medical emergency, or if you were denied any other emergency medical care, you can contact abortion.access@doj.ca.gov. 

A copy of today’s filed complaint and preliminary injunction can be found here and here. 

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Original post:

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California Attorney General Rob Bonta today filed a lawsuit against Providence-St. Joseph Health Northern California, alleging that Eureka’s St. Joseph Hospital denied emergency abortion care to a woman who arrived in pain and severely bleeding after her water broke just 15 weeks into pregnancy.

Eureka chiropractor Anna Nusslock was pregnant with twins when she arrived at the hospital this past February. 

From the New York Times:

Doctors said one of the twins she was carrying would not survive and the other had almost no chance, according to medical records. They said that if the pregnancy was not terminated, she could face infection, hemorrhaging and threats to her future fertility.

But Providence, a not-for-profit Catholic health care system, has a policy that “bars doctors from providing life-saving or stabilizing emergency treatment when doing so would terminate a pregnancy, even when the pregnancy is not viable,” Bonta’s office told the San Francisco Chronicle in a statement. “Not only does this violate California law, this policy discriminates against pregnant patients as the hospital chooses the decision for them.” 

Nusslock was discharged and eventually received an abortion at Mad River Community Hospital. When St. Joseph sent her away she was provided with “a bucket and towels ‘in case something happens in the car,’”  Bonta’s office said.

Mad River Community Hospital’s birthing center is scheduled to close at the end of this week, leaving St. Joseph Hospital as the only childbirth center in Humboldt County.

The state’s suit against Providence alleges that St. Joseph violated California’s Emergency Services Law, the Unruh Civil Rights Act and the Unfair Competition Law.

Bonta announced the lawsuit in a press conference this morning.

NOW: CA Attorney General @AGRobBonta @RobBonta announces a lawsuit against Providence St. Joseph Hospital (Providence) in Eureka. In the lawsuit, Bonta alleges the hospital violated multiple California laws due to its refusal to provide abortion care to people experiencing… pic.twitter.com/dnGEBqpJ3u

— Eytan Wallace (@EytanWallace) September 30, 2024

This story is breaking. We will update when we have more information.

Many Humboldt Verizon users are experiencing connection issues this morning due to a large outage that seems to be impacting vast swaths of the country. Fear not. Verizon sees you, boo.

“We are aware of an issue impacting service for some customers,” Verizon announced through its social media channels about an hour ago. “Our engineers are engaged and we are working quickly to identify and solve the issue.”

For whatever reason, it seems like not all Verizon users are affected by the service disruption. If you’d like to compare notes, plenty of folks are currently commiserating on the LoCO Facebook page. Hang tight, crew.

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From the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in a missing persons case from 1991.

On July 31, 1991, Andrea Jerri White (also known as “Chic”) traveled from the Hoopa area to Eureka to complete errands. When she did not return home that day, her family reported her missing to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.  

Early in the investigation, detectives were able to locate a witness who gave White a ride from Guintoli Ln., Arcata, to the Blue Lake exit on Highway 299, from which point she had reportedly planned to hitch hike the rest of the way home. This witness was the last known person to have seen White, and there have been no other leads located to indicate her method of travel from Eureka to Arcata. White was never seen again and has made no contact with family.

White was 22 years old at the time of her disappearance. She is a Native American female, 5 feet tall, weighs about 110-115 pounds with brown shoulder-length hair and brown eyes. She was possibly wearing Levis pants, a sleeveless white shirt and a black leather jacket, and carrying a black duffel bag with white trim.  

The Sheriff’s Office conducted several searches along Highway 299 from Blue Lake to Willow Creek.  ATVs, ground searchers and a helicopter were utilized. White left behind several small children at the time of her disappearance.

The Sheriff’s Office believes White’s disappearance is a homicide and asks anyone with information to contact Investigator Mike Fridley at 707-441-3024. 

Gov. Gavin Newsom has until midnight tonight to act on the fewer than 40 bills remaining on his desk. As of Sunday, the proportion of bills that Newsom has vetoed since the Legislature adjourned Aug. 31 is about 19% (or 181 of nearly 960 measures). 

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

Despite the dire forecast for education funding, some California schools may soon find themselves doing something counter-intuitive: returning money to the government.

The deadline for committing federal COVID-19 relief money is Sept. 30, and schools that haven’t planned to spend their money by then or received an extension must send it back to the U.S. Department of Education.

“It’s not a hard fiscal cliff, but it’s a big deal because it’s the last time districts can make decisions about how to spend this money,” said Bella DiMarco, a policy analyst for FutureEd, an education think tank at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. “Some districts have been planning for this from Day One, but others are going to be scrambling at the last minute.”

Dozens of California school districts still hadn’t spent the majority of their Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Act money as of Aug. 28, according to a database compiled by Georgetown’s Edunomics Laboratory. In some cases, districts risked leaving millions of dollars on the table.

Overall, California schools hadn’t yet spent $1.8 billion of the $13.5 billion they were allotted when the final – and largest – of the pandemic relief grants rolled out in 2021.

School districts contacted by CalMatters said they intend to spend the money before the deadline, or had already committed it to vendors — such as organizations providing after-school programs — but there was a lag in the paperwork.

The pandemic relief funds were an unprecedented windfall for schools, intended to help them reopen safely for in-person instruction and help students who fell behind during remote learning. In all, the federal government gave $190 billion to schools through several waves of COVID relief grants.

By mid-September, most of California’s largest districts — including Los Angeles Unified, San Diego Unified, San Francisco Unified and Elk Grove Unified — had spent close to all their funds. A few, such as Fresno Unified, had unspent millions but did not respond to requests for an explanation.

Long Beach Unified, with 64,000 students, still had not spent $66 million — roughly 30% — of its $212 million allotment. The district plans to spend it all by the deadline on needs including playground equipment ($11 million) and classroom modernization ($14 million), said spokesperson Elvia Cano.

“While we have carefully paced our spending to maximize impact, we remain on track to allocate the remaining resources before the deadline,” Cano said.

Students during class at Lake Marie Elementary School in Whittier on Nov. 17, 2022. Photo by Lauren Justice for CalMatters

The end of pandemic relief grants comes at a precarious time for schools. While Gov. Gavin Newsom largely spared K-12 schools from cuts in his budget, the future could be grim as enrollment continues to decline, absenteeism remains high and the economy remains uncertain. Los Angeles Unified, for example, has seen its enrollment drop by 20% over the past decade, while absenteeism was higher than 30% last year. Because California funds its schools based on the number of students who show up every day, those empty seats mean the district receives millions less from the state.

School districts relied on their pandemic relief grants to pay for one-time investments they might not have been able to afford otherwise, like new heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems. They also spent the money on tutoring, after-school programs and mental health services to help students catch up academically and regain social-emotional skills. And some districts used the money to hire permanent staff or raise teacher salaries, which puts them in a vulnerable position as grant funding expires.

“Even if you’re a district that didn’t get a lot of (pandemic relief) money, you might have some tough budget decisions ahead,” said Julien Lafortune, a researcher at the Public Policy Institute of California who studies school funding.

School districts have known for almost four years that the money would be ending, and should not be blindsided by the cut-off, said Rebecca Thiess, who manages fiscal research at the Pew Charitable Trusts. They should have evaluated their spending to see what worked, what didn’t, and how they’d fund programs going forward.

“Schools received a lot of funding, which provided an opportunity for a lot of new programs and investments,” she said. “But they should have approached this opportunity mindfully so they’re not in a difficult position when the money runs out.”

Pandemic relief money wasn’t quite no-strings-attached, which is one reason for some districts’ slow spending, said Tatia Davenport, chief executive of the California Association of School Business Officials. The guidelines and reporting requirements were complicated, which was a big strain on districts with small administrative staffs, she said. Those districts also struggled to launch new programs because staff were already overburdened.

Davenport’s group is advising districts with surplus relief money to look back over recent expenses and see if anything can be paid for with pandemic grant money.

Ocean View School District, a TK-8 district in Huntington Beach in Orange County, used some of its relief money to lower class sizes. At first, the plan was to have fewer people in each classroom so students could return safely — and sooner — for in-person instruction. The lower student-to-teacher ratio was also intended to help boost student mental health and teacher morale.

The idea proved so popular that the district kept the smaller class sizes even after the threat of COVID-19 waned.

“Who doesn’t like smaller class sizes? Teachers loved it, students loved it, families loved it,” said Julianne Hoefer, interim superintendent. “It allowed us to build connections with students, nurture relationships, help students make up for learning gaps.”

The district also used relief grants to start a five-week summer program that included academic tutoring as well as games, field trips and other fun activities to boost student engagement. Students also got two meals a day.

First: District School Nurse Sofia Felix checks student Audrey Hernandez’s vitals in the nurse’s office at Sheridan Elementary School. Last: A ninth-grade class goes over their lesson in the student outdoor learning pavilion at Orange Cove High School in Orange Cove on Sept. 23, 2024. Photos by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

The program was “immensely popular” with families, more than half of whom are low income.

But with pandemic grants ending, the district now has to find a way to continue paying for the initiatives. It recently laid off 16 staff members, its first layoffs in recent memory.

“We have to figure out how to keep these programs,” Hoefer said. “So far, one-time money keeps showing up but we’d like to find a permanent funding stream.”

In Kings Canyon Unified, southeast of Fresno, the district has avoided layoffs because it spent most of its relief money on infrastructure improvements. The district hired a slew of temporary employees — counselors, health aides and teachers — but was able to find permanent funding to keep most of them on staff.

“We knew we had to be really smart about how we use this money, because we’ll never see this kind of funding again,” said Jose Guzman, assistant superintendent. “Our priority was to make kids safe, but also to make these investments sustainable.”

Using its pandemic grant money, the district built nine health centers, with nurses, separate entrances and bathrooms for sick students. The centers helped keep students and staff safe during the pandemic and beyond.

Among the district’s most popular projects were outdoor classrooms, dubbed “learning pavilions,” at five school campuses. Initially the pavilions were for COVID-19 safety, but students and teachers liked them so much they’re still used regularly. Not only do they reduce exposure to communicable diseases, Guzman said, but they boost mental health, as well.

“Our goal was to make our kids safe and happy, and this is what we did,” Guzman said. “Our community truly appreciates that.”

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

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Esther Solorio Rodriguez, a beloved matriarch, who left us peacefully on September 24, 2024. Born October 23, 1939 in La Piedad, Michoacán, Mexico, Esther was a woman of immense strength and kindness. She was the cherished wife of Juan Rodriguez, her partner in life and love, and together they built a family that spans generations.

Esther and Juan were blessed with six children, three of whom she brought into the world on a ranch in Mexico. During those early years, she often rode a horse to town with her children to buy necessities. In the 1960s, seeking new opportunities, Esther and Juan made the brave journey from Mexico to California, where she spent over 20 years working in the fisheries of Humboldt County. Her dedication and hard work were a testament to her unwavering spirit. Later the family grew with 14 grandchildren and two great-granddaughters, who carry forward her legacy of love and resilience.

In addition to her work in the fisheries, Esther held various jobs throughout her life, including working in different restaurants, housekeeping,caregiving and traveling to Stockton to work the fields with her family. Her resilience and work ethic were evident in everything she did, always striving to provide for her family.

Esther and Juan pursued their dream by opening a small Mexican restaurant, Acapulco, in Arcata. There, she delighted the community with her amazing cooking, sharing the rich flavors of her heritage and bringing people together through her culinary talents.

Esther was not only an incredible cook but also a loving wife, sister, mother, and grandmother. One of her most cherished traditions was teaching her grandchildren how to make her delicious tortillas. Her warmth, wisdom, and support touched the lives of all who knew her. She had an innate ability to make everyone feel special, and her home was always welcoming, filled with laughter, love and delicious food.

Esther is preceded in death by her parents Octavio and Concepcion Solorio; husband Juan Rodriguez; grandson Jesse Rodriguez. She is survived by her children Ramon Rodriguez, Concepcion (Ron) Hernandez, Gustavo (Guadalupe) Rodriguez, Johnny (Sara) Rodriguez, Joaquin (Sheri) Rodriguez, Jose (Lea) Rodriguez; grandchildren Erica (Juan) Mendez, Monica Hernandez, Veronica Rodriguez, Anthony Rodriguez, Hunter Ocker, Ariana Rodriguez, Destiny Rodriguez, Natalie Rodriguez,Alex Rodriguez, Cecilia Rodriguez, Preslee Rodriguez, Cruz Rodriguez; great granddaughters Sophia Mendez and Jasmine Mendez.

She will be deeply missed by her family and friends, but her spirit will live on in the hearts of those she loved. Esther leaves behind a legacy of love, hard work, perseverance and devotion that will forever inspire her family and all who had the privilege of knowing her.

A rosary will be held October 11 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Goble’s Mortuary in Fortuna

Mass will be held October 12 at 11 a.m. at Sacred Heart in Eureka followed by burial at Sunset Memorial Cemetery in Eureka.

Reception to follow 1 p.m. at the Lost Coast Brewery Event room — 1600 Sunset Drive, Eureka

Rest in peace, dear Esther. You will always be in our hearts.

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

Jonah is a short story in the Bible consisting of four small chapters. If you’ve heard about this story, I’m sure you’ve known it to be about a guy and a whale, even inspiring Geppetto’s experience of Monstro, the enormous whale in Pinocchio’s story. It is often relegated to cartoonishly drawn nursery room walls in old Church buildings or into a beloved VeggieTale’s movie. But, as with most ancient stories, I believe this one has a lot to teach us beyond the familiar illustrations of a guy and a whale.

The story of Jonah starts with a prophet being called by God to go to Nineveh. While this might seem like no big deal, Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria and was known for skinning their enemy alive, flaying them in front of their sobbing families. They were known for making their enemy’s loved ones carry the decapitated heads of husbands and fathers on a pole, parading them around the destroyed city. More than likely, Jonah had literal friends or family members who’d been violently oppressed or murdered by the Assyrian army. This was not some simple ask.

God tells Jonah to preach against the great city of Nineveh. Most of us might assume the language of “against” would be a warning of terror with fire and brimstone raining destructively down on these evil peoples, but Jonah understands God’s heart better than most of us and assumes this message is one of undeserved compassionate mercy.

Jonah’s like, nope, and flees in the opposite direction on a boat.

A massive storm comes up and everyone on the boat thinks they’re going to die because someone must have done something wrong to make the gods this angry. After they discover it’s Jonah, Jonah jumps overboard. As he’s sinking under, he’s swallowed by a big fish. The story tells us he’s in this big fish for three days and prays to God, who has mercy on him, and the fish spits Jonah out on land. Jonah journeys toward Nineveh, where he says five words about God’s mercy. Everyone repents, and even the animals repent, and the people wear sackcloth. Jonah becomes furious with God’s mercy for these people, so he sits under a tree and asks to die.

And the story ends with God asking Jonah a question: “Should I not be concerned about these humans and animals?”

That’s it.

Four small chapters that we might easily assume is about a whale. This big fish is only mentioned twice in the first chapter, and yet it’s often the focal point in our imaginations. The whale is not even the point of the story! Unfortunately, I’ve found some church people make it the point of the story, creating some litmus test whether you believe in miracles or not. Like, if you don’t believe Jonah was swallowed by this whale, then you probably don’t believe Jesus was raised from the dead. The whole story, then, becomes about a whale. We do this a lot, don’t we? We tend to place our attention and focus on the parts of our life or the parts of our story that are not the point?

There are parts to our stories that feel insurmountable. Things we’ve been through that feel impossible, like being swallowed by a whale. I know you’ve been through some shit and you’ve survived or are surviving terrible things. But that’s not the whole story.

What if I focused all my attention on not being able to get pregnant and the deep sadness that infertility has caused? When we found out we would never have biological children, I was devastated. Infertility didn’t fit my plan for my life and it began to unravel any expectation for my future where I was angry and frustrated at God.

Infertility is forever part of my story, and while that’s sad, it’s not my whole story and it is certainly not what my story is about.

I am more than “Bethany and infertility,” just as this biblical story is more than Jonah and a whale. I think there’s a bigger story happening in our lives. When we get caught up on that one thing, we can miss the good stuff. Sometimes we don’t know what to do with such a compassionate God. We look towards the seemingly impossible parts of our lives and make them into the story. We take the big things—the things that aren’t meant to be overlooked but certainly not meant to be obsessed over—and we make them into a whale that is difficult to see past.

What whales in your story have you been focused on that have made it hard to see past? Infidelity? Divorce? Illness? Childhood trauma? Poverty? Bullying?

Friends, the whale is not the whole point of this story. The whale in your life that you’ve given so much attention to is not the whole point of your story. It’s in your story, but it’s not your full story. You are more than that whale. Your marriage is more than that whale. Your life and ministry and family and future are more than that whale.

And this story is so much more than Jonah and a whale.

It’s about a God who pursues Jonah, who pursues our enemies, who pursues you and me. It’s about a God who still chooses to work within the situations and contexts we find ourselves in or the ones we’ve made for ourselves. It’s about a God who never gives up and will always have a final word of compassion and grace in every person’s life.

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Bethany Cseh is a pastor at Arcata United Methodist Church and Catalyst Church. Follow her on Instagram.