In Memory of Mattie L. Culver
August 1938 – July 2024

It is with great sadness that we share with you the passing of Mattie Culver, beloved sister, mother, grandmother, greatgrandmother(Grandma Gee Gee), mother-in-law and nurse. Mattie was an amazing woman, who provided love, encouragement and support. She lived her life with integrity, style, grace and determination. Mattie has three children: Daniel, Kathy and Karen; six grandchildren, Michael, Matt, Ricki, Rhonda, Alisha and Jake; and nine great-grandchildren. She loved all her family and was an active part of their lives.

Mattie worked as a meter-maid for Eureka PD, then after obtaining her nursing degree she worked as a home health nurse, public health nurse, public health nursing supervisor, a nurse practitioner in Dr. Burleson’s office, then as temporary nursing director and supervisor in Public Health nursing. She then worked seven years in the California Children’s Services Program.

Mattie loved learning about other cultures and lived and worked as a public health nurse in Tok, Alaska. She also loved fishing and while there landed a 135-pound halibut. She also joined the Peace Corp and spent two years working in Malawi, Africa. Mattie made friends wherever she lived and worked. Mattie was a positive role model and mentor for many public health hurses.

Mattie was the matriarch of the family, bringing us all together for barbecues, fishing, fun on the beach, Thanksgivings and the family reunion. Family and friends were always welcome at her home. Mattie became a master gardener and many people have admired the landscaping she did on her property at the corner of Hodgson and W streets.

Mattie was a lifelong learner. Mattie was an artist, painting a landscape on the wall in Karen’s room when they lived on “L” street, in Eureka. Mattie also enjoyed going to the casino and “winning big” and seeing her friends there. Mattie enjoyed the book club, kayaking and having breakfast with the kayak club. She enjoyed making pottery. She enjoyed having her hands in the dirt in h er vegetable garden and enjoyed her many flowers.

We will miss Mattie’s kindness and love and she will remain forever with us in our hearts and actions. There will not be any funeral services per Mattie’s request. If you wish please make a donation to hospice, palliative care, the Eureka Breast Health Program or volunteer at an event that promotes the health of our community.

Andrew Lamb, 40, passed away on June 13, 2024, in Arcata. Raised in Sacramento, Andrew moved to Arcata in 2002 to attend HSU and spent the next 22 years enjoying life in Humboldt.

Andrew adored his beloved friends and their growing families. His impeccable memory and brilliant sense of humor were complemented by an infectious laugh that always brought joy to everyone around him.

As an audiophile, Andrew had a profound passion for listening to southern rock, jam bands, and bluegrass. His sound system and vinyl collection were some of his most cherished belongings and you could often find Andrew and his lovable companion, Burgess, enjoying their favorite albums.

Andrew is survived by his loving parents, Beverly and Ronald Lamb. His presence will be profoundly missed by all who knew and loved him.

A Celebration of Life is being planned in Sacramento in the fall and will be announced at a later date. Andrew’s life will be celebrated in a manner befitting his joyful spirit and deep love for music.

Press release from TRIB Research: 

“If you can’t beat ‘em, eat ‘em”

The Eel River pikeminnow fishing derby is back. The derby is being put on by a collaboration of groups working to restore native fishes in the Eel River, in part by eradicating invasive Sacramento Pikeminnow. We need your help to remove more pikeminnow this summer! From now through August 31st, anyone with a fishing license (or if under 16 years of age, no license is necessary) can go and catch pikeminnow on the Eel for a chance to win up to $400 in cash prizes and do your part to remove these non-native piscivorous (fish-eating) predators.

Pikeminnow were introduced to the Eel River via Pillsbury Reservoir in the late 1970’s. Since then, they have spread to all the forks of the Eel and are remarkably prolific. They make seasonal migrations within freshwater, based on water temperature, prey availability and spawning preferences. In 2018, The Wiyot Tribe and Stillwater Sciences began a focused effort to monitor the pikeminnow population in the South Fork Eel, develop a better understanding of their prey through diet analysis, and test suppression methods. Since then, the collaboration has grown to include CalTrout, UC Berkeley, the Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Fish and Wildlife and TRIB Research, all working together to determine best practices for pikeminnow removal. A recent method has been to install a channel-spanning weir to limit pikeminnow migration into the upper South Fork Eel. On top of the other factors negatively affecting the Eel River such as historic overfishing and logging practices, habitat loss, and impacts from climate change, pikeminnow now have a significant effect on native Pacific Lamprey, coho salmon, Chinook salmon, steelhead and Sacramento Suckers.

The waters open to fishing for the derby are from the mouth of the Van Duzen to the South Fork confluence on the mainstem Eel, and from the mouth of the South Fork to the Humboldt County line (near Piercy) on the South Fork Eel. All current fishing regulations for the Eel River apply for the derby (including no bait, barbless artificial lures only). The prize categories are for most pikeminnow (greater than 6 inches or greater than 12 inches) caught during the contest, biggest fish caught and a drawing for anyone who enters a fish. 

We recommend eating your pikeminnow in the form of fried fish cakes, fish balls in noodle soup, fish tacos or smoking them. Don’t believe the common misconception that pikeminnow are inedible. They are delicious, they just need extra care to deal with the y-bones.

For more details on how to enter the derby visit https://tribresearch.org/pikeminnow/

Press release from the Arcata Fire District:

On Monday, July 29 at 3:24 A.M., the Arcata Fire District was alerted to a residential structure fire on the 3000 block of Alliance Road.

The first of Arcata Fire’s engines arrived on scene to find a manufactured home on McCallum Circle fully involved with heavy fire showing out of the two front-facing windows.

Dispatch had noted a possible victim trapped inside the building, however the single resident arrived home while fireground actions were taking place. The two remaining Arcata Fire engines arrived to finish the extinguishment of the building, and no occupants were found inside.

Firefighters encountered many obstacles in the home due to an accumulation of possessions which made entry to the residence challenging.

The cause of the fire is suspected to be a space heater that was left on and unattended. Arcata Fire would like to extend our gratitude to mutual aid partners Blue Lake Fire, Humboldt Bay Fire and Westhaven Fire who all assisted with overhaul.

Arcata Fire would like to remind residents not to leave space heaters on and unattended.

Press release from the Northern California Community Blood Bank follows. Here’s their website, with all sorts of donation information and how-to’s.

The Northern California Community Blood Bank is urgently asking for blood donations from the community, especially from individuals with type O positive blood. The blood bank is currently experiencing a critical shortage of type O positive blood. This shortage is putting local lives at risk, and the Blood Bank needs the community’s help to address this problem.

The Northern California Community Blood Bank provides blood to hospitals and medical facilities throughout the region. Without a sufficient supply of type O positive blood, patients who require transfusions may not receive the care they need. This is why it is so important for individuals with type O positive blood to come forward and donate blood.

If you have type O positive blood and are able to donate, please consider doing so as soon as possible. The blood bank is asking for type O positive donors to visit our Welcome Center or one of our many mobile drives and encourage their friends and family with type O positive blood to do the same. The process of donating blood is safe and straightforward, and your type O positive donation can make a significant difference in someone’s life.

Thank you for considering donating type O positive blood to the Northern California Community Blood Bank. Your generosity can help save lives and make a difference in our community.

Over the years, licensed therapist Sarah Soroken has heard from her patients again and again about what a miserable experience it can be to find a mental health provider who actually takes their insurance. But one patient stands out.

Soroken said she was working at Kaiser’s Vallejo Medical Center in 2022 when a college-aged woman was admitted to the hospital’s emergency room after she attempted suicide.The patient, Soroken said, gave up and tried to take her own life after she called a list of 50 mental-health providers who were listed as taking Kaiser’s insurance plan, but none would see her, or they didn’t actually take her insurance.

“This patient now has the traumas of a suicide attempt and having been harmed by our health care system to add to their treatment needs,” Soroken told the Senate Health Committee earlier this month.

Soroken, who no longer works for Kaiser, testified in support of Assemblymember Chris Holden’s Assembly Bill 236. The legislation from the Pasadena Democrat would give state regulators authority to fine insurers if their lists of in-network doctors, hospitals, mental health workers, labs and imaging centers aren’t up-to-date and accurate.

The bill tackling what are disparagingly called “ghost networks” has so far passed the Assembly and the Senate Health Committees with only Republicans in opposition, and despite the lobbying powerhouses representing California doctors and insurers fighting the bill every step of the way. Doctors and insurers blame each other for problems in the directories, but they argue the bill is unnecessary, burdensome on them and that laws on the books already address the problem.

Combined, the groups have given at least $4.7 million to California legislators since 2015, according to the Digital Democracy database.

State health agency cites huge costs

Along with opposition from influential lobbyists for doctors and insurers, the measure also received a lukewarm response from the state agency that would enforce the bill if it becomes law.

As the Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom sought to address a $30 billion budget deficit this year, the Department of Managed Health Care estimated that the bill would cost $12 million to bring on “additional staff.” According to the bill’s analysis, the new employees are needed to develop regulations, forms and to monitor “provider directory accuracy.”

The estimate of $12 million is the equivalent of 80 employees each making $150,000 a year – figures that could alarm Newsom’s budget team and the lawmakers who dole out cash to state agencies on the Senate Appropriations Committee, where the bill will be considered in the coming weeks.

The department didn’t respond to CalMatters’ request to explain its estimate. In a one-paragraph emailed statement, Kevin Durawa, a department spokesperson, said the estimate may be out of date since the bill was recently amended.

“The department is reviewing the amendments to the bill and how they may impact the fiscal estimate,” Durawa said.

Ken Cooley, a former Democratic Assembly member from Sacramento County who sat on the Assembly Insurance Committee, said he wouldn’t be surprised that the department analyzed the bill “with a vengeance” to possibly overestimate the costs.“If they don’t like it, if they think it’s the wrong priority, whatever it is, they would be remiss if they didn’t try to lay out every argument,” he said.

But Cooley said solving the problem of inaccurate provider lists is worth fighting for.

“I’m not familiar with the specific bill, but I certainly understand what it means to be a consumer of health care,” he said. “And having accurate lists is actually pretty damn vital to the wellbeing of people.”

Why ‘ghost networks’ are a problem

Holden, the bill’s author, didn’t respond to multiple interview requests. He told the Senate Health Committee that a law on the books since 2015 requires insurers to maintain accurate directories of providers in their networks, but they haven’t been doing it, leading to “rampant directory inaccuracies.”

His office told legislators that recent studies found that some smaller health plans have inaccuracy rates as high as 80%, and some major plans have inaccurate information for 20% to 38% of providers.

Holden’s bill would require an insurer’s provider directory to be at least 60% accurate by this time next year and 95% accurate by July 1, 2028. The insurers would face fines up to $10,000 for every 1,000 enrolled customers each year if they didn’t hit the benchmarks. Kaiser, for instance, says it provides care to 9.4 million Californians.

The bill also says patients who mistakenly use an out-of-network doctor due to inaccurate information from provider lists cannot be charged out-of-network rates.

Doctors and insurers oppose the bill

At the Senate Health Committee earlier this month, the insurers weren’t thrilled with the proposal. They blamed doctors for the inaccuracies in their provider lists.

“The accuracy of each individual provider directory is reliant upon practitioners and medical groups maintaining accurate records,” Jedd Hampton, a lobbyist for the California Association of Health Plans, told the committee.

A bill pending in the California Legislature would require that insurers provide their customers accurate lists of health-care providers for doctor referrals in their networks, including hospitals. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

The California Medical Association, representing the state’s physicians, argues that insurers – not doctors – are the ones responsible for maintaining their directories and ensuring they’re up-to-date. Doctors fear that if insurers are fined, the costs could be passed to them. They’re also concerned about losing out-of-network payments due to inaccurate lists provided by insurers.

The group’s lobbyist, Brandon Marchy, said those requirements would absolve health plans “of their requirement to maintain accurate directories … by paying not what an out-of-network rate would be.”

Soroken, the therapist who saw the suicidal Kaiser patient, said that Californians pay their insurers and health care providers well. They deserve to have accurate, up-to-date lists of those who’ll take their insurance, she said, especially when they’re at their most vulnerable.

“We would be negligent if we didn’t do everything in our power to ensure patients get the health care they need … and are legally entitled to,” she said.

Kaiser hasn’t taken position on the bill, and a spokesperson declined to address Soroken’s testimony about her suicidal patient.

The Oakland-based health care giant is already under scrutiny because of patient complaints about delays in obtaining mental health care. Last year, it agreed to pay a $200 million settlement to resolve a state investigation into its behavioral health system. In 2022, about 2,000 of its mental health workers went on strike over high caseloads and what they described as unreasonable working conditions.

“We at Kaiser Permanente are working hard to ensure that we are meeting the mental health care needs of our members and our communities,” Kaiser spokesperson Kerri Leedy said in an email. “Over the past several years, we have increased our staffing and facilities to help meet the growing need.”

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

Earlier this month, Gov. Gavin Newsom touted the success of California’ transitional kindergarten expansion, saying enrollment in the $2.7 billion program had doubled over the past two years. His comments echoed those of State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, who called the numbers “exciting.”

They both pointed to new data showing that enrollment in the free program for 4-year-olds had gone from 75,000 two years ago to 151,000 last year — a significant recovery after steep declines during the pandemic.

But while the overall numbers are up, the percentage of eligible 4-year-olds enrolled in TK actually fell. As the TK age cut-off widens, the number of eligible children has more than doubled — but the percentage of students who are enrolled dropped between 4 to 7 percentage points between the 2021-22 and 2023-24 school years, depending on how the number of eligible children is calculated.

CalMatters used two approaches to estimate the percent of eligible TK students enrolled: using kindergarten enrollment the same year as a proxy and using general population projections from the Department of Finance. Both approaches show the same trend.

Department of Education spokesperson Elizabeth Sanders said the department uses a method from the Finance Department to calculate the percentage of eligible students in TK but did not provide specifics.

“The trends we see in the percentages of eligible students whose families are enrolling in TK mirror the trends described by (CalMatters’) data set,” she said. “As we expand the number of students and families eligible, we expect the percentage of families who choose to participate to hover around 70% and to increase following full implementation.”

Sanders pointed to the growing number of children attending TK as a hopeful sign for the program, which is intended to boost academic achievement and social skills and prepare students for the rigors of elementary school.

“The fact that we have doubled the number of individual students participating in the program during these implementation years makes us very proud,” Sanders said.

TK advocates said the increased numbers alone are worth celebrating, and they expect the percentage to inch upward over time.

“This is great, this is what we want to see. It shows that schools are building back trust,” said Patricia Lozano, executive director of Early Edge California, which advocates for early childhood education. “TK is a great option for families, but it’s good for kids, too. Kids need to be around other kids.”

Transitional kindergarten was never meant to be an exclusive early childhood service for families; it’s intended to be one option among several the state offers, Lozano said. So any increase in participation is reason for hope.

Transitional kindergarten for all 4-year-olds

The state created transitional kindergarten in 2010, but it was limited mostly to larger districts and was open only to children whose birthdays fell between September and December. In 2021, Newsom expanded it so all 4-year-olds could eventually participate. Rolling out gradually, the eligibility window widens by a few months every year. In 2025-26, all 4-year-olds will be eligible and all districts except charters will be required to offer it.

Research has shown that TK and preschool have many benefits for children, including higher rates of graduation and employment, less criminal activity later in life and overall better health, while parents benefit economically from an extra year of free care for their children.

Transitional kindergarten is meant to be like preschool, a low-key environment where children spend most of their day playing and learning social skills. Typically, children learn to take turns and make friends, express themselves and regulate their emotions, count to 10 and recognize simple words, and learn fine motor skills such as holding a pencil. Unlike preschool, TK teachers are required to have credentials and, by 2025-26, extra units in early childhood education.

Michelle Galindo, a parent in Chula Vista Unified south of San Diego, said she was hesitant at first to send her son Roberto to TK. She’d heard reports of crying children and inexperienced teachers, and 4-year-olds seemed too young for school.

But she happened to know the teacher and trusted her. Her son thrived in the program, gaining independence, making friends and learning.

“He’s so much more confident. He asks a lot of questions, is more responsible,” Galindo said. “When he got to kindergarten last year, he actually thought it was too easy. The teacher said he was a full year ahead. I’m really glad we sent him to TK.”

Wealthier districts slow to open transitional kindergarten

There are a few theories explaining the stagnant percentage of TK enrollment. One is that not all districts are offering it yet. Districts known as “basic aid” districts have been slow to open TK programs, and some aren’t offering it at all. Basic aid districts are typically wealthy districts that opt out of state funding because they collect more money through local property taxes. Because of that, they can’t get state funding to operate TK classes.

Marin County is home to several basic aid districts that have lagged in opening TK programs. Larkspur-Corte Madera School District isn’t offering TK at all, saying it can’t afford to without state help. Ross Elementary doesn’t offer TK, either. The result is that Marin has one of the lowest TK enrollment rates in California, even though the county has pockets of low-income families who would benefit from the free service.

“Everyone thinks TK is a good idea, but for basic aid districts, it’s an unfunded mandate,” said Marin County Superintendent of Schools John A. Carroll. “It’s taken a while, but we’re getting there. Most have now gotten on board.”

San Francisco Unified also has one of the state’s lowest TK enrollments, with more than four times as many kindergartners as TK students. Statewide, there were 2.4 kindergartners for every TK student last year. San Francisco’s low numbers are partly due to the extensive preschool program the district already offers. They’re also due in part to a steady decline in the number of children living in San Francisco, as parents leave for less expensive locales, said district spokeswoman Laura Dudnick.

Facilities have also been an obstacle for school districts. Districts must find space for new TK classrooms, which in fast-growing parts of the state has been difficult. Proposition 2, a $10 billion bond on the November ballot, would provide funding for schools to build and expand TK classrooms.

Preschool vs. transitional kindergarten

Another hurdle to TK enrollment is preschool. In addition to private preschools and federally funded Head Start programs, California offers free preschool to low-income families. Some parents said they prefer to keep their children in preschool because it’s convenient or they like the program.

Roslyn Broadnax, a parent in South Los Angeles, said she distrusts the state’s push for TK, fearing that TK will siphon resources from state-funded preschools, which in many cases are long-established, trusted parts of communities.

“The existing preschool system has served low-income kids, kids of color very well,” said Broadnax, who works for Cadre-LA, a nonprofit that advocates for parents in South Los Angeles. “If there’s little difference between preschool and TK, why should a parent move their child to TK? It doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

A new report from UC Berkeley found that the TK expansion has had a damaging effect on state preschools and Head Start, as parents move their children out of those programs. Although the overall number of 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in early childhood education programs has increased slightly, Head Start centers in California have lost 43,000 preschoolers, while state preschools have lost 9,000 4-year-olds since the TK expansion. The result has been shuttered classrooms, a scarcity of teachers and uncertain futures in what researchers called “pre-K deserts.”

“The real question is, are more families accessing pre-kindergarten overall? We can’t find evidence that they are,” said Bruce Fuller, an education professor at UC Berkeley and an author of the study. “To say that the TK enrollment has doubled relative to a year in which many preschool classrooms were closed (due to COVID) is disingenuous.”

Another hitch is that during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when most preschools closed, California guaranteed funding for them through 2025. Now, the state is paying for half-empty preschools across California and preschools have no incentive to recruit more families, according to the report.

The whole early education system in California is overly complex and confusing for parents, Fuller and his team said. They recommend a streamlined, consolidated system that delivers high-quality, play-based programs that are distributed equitably throughout the state.

Not enough qualified teachers

Staffing has been a challenge since the beginning of TK. While most school districts have been able to hire enough credentialed teachers, they’ve struggled to hire classroom assistants and teachers who have the extra credits in early childhood education that will be required by 2025-26. Schools reported a 12% vacancy rate for TK teaching assistants at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year, according to a recent report by the Learning Policy Institute.

Ericka Hill, a parent in Los Angeles, said her son was in a mixed kindergarten-TK classroom, with a substitute teacher for half the year. The substitute had little experience in early childhood education and gave the children worksheets to take home every night.

“I don’t think a 4-year-old should be sitting down at a desk. It needs to be age appropriate,” Hill said. “He was resistant to doing the work. It was difficult for all of us.”

San Diego, Los Angeles, Sonoma, Orange and Ventura counties have some of the highest rates of TK enrollment, thanks in part to extensive outreach to parents. Bus advertisements, billboards, online ads, and flyers at day care centers and preschools all helped bring in new families.

Garden Grove Unified, a mostly low-income district in northern Orange County, expanded its TK program so quickly, in fact, that it incurred hefty fines from the state for allegedly enrolling students who didn’t yet qualify and not meeting student-teacher ratios that the state set later. The district is fighting the penalties, but meanwhile nearly every child who’s eligible for TK is enrolled.

“We knew that our families would want to enroll as soon as possible,” said district spokesperson Abby Broyles. “We launched a marketing campaign to get the word out. … Our families have been thrilled with the high-quality TK they’ve received.”

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