SACRAMENTO – As families prepare to celebrate the holidays, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) reminds everyone to prioritize safety on the road. To keep travelers safe throughout the busy holiday season, the CHP is initiating the first of two statewide Maximum Enforcement Periods (MEP) this month to reduce traffic incidents by targeting unsafe driving behaviors and assisting motorists.
The CHP’s Christmas MEP begins at 6:01 p.m. on Tuesday, December 24, and continues until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, December 25. During this period, the CHP will increase patrols throughout the state to deter dangerous driving behaviors, including impaired driving, speeding, distracted driving and seat belt violations. The CHP also encourages the public to report unsafe drivers by calling 9-1-1.
“This time of year is about celebrating with family and friends, but it’s also a time when traffic incidents increase due to poor driving decisions,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. “Each of us has a role in making California’s roads safer. Let’s work together to keep this holiday season free of tragedy.” Last year, during the 78-hour Christmas MEP, 20 people lost their lives in crashes within CHP jurisdiction. In addition, CHP officers made over 900 arrests for driving under the influence.
Let’s make safety our top priority on the road! Buckle up, drive responsibly, and if you’re celebrating, always plan for a sober ride. Your thoughtful choices can help prevent crashes and keep California’s roads safe for everyone. Celebrate wisely and drive with care!
The mission of the CHP is to provide the highest level of Safety, Service, and Security.
Press release from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife:
Click to enlarge.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) will open the commercial Dungeness crab fishery from the Sonoma/Mendocino county line to the U.S./Mexico border beginning Jan. 5, 2025, at 12:01 a.m. with pre-soak to begin on Jan. 2, 2025, at 8:01 a.m. This area (Fishing Zones 3, 4, 5 and 6) will be subject to a 50 percent trap reduction. The trap reduction is expected to reduce entanglement risk for humpback whales by decreasing the amount of gear and vertical lines in the water.
The Dungeness crab season in the Northern Management Area (Zones 1 and 2, California Oregon Border to the Sonoma/Mendocino county line) will be further delayed pursuant to Fish and Game Code Section 8276.2 due to the inability to conduct industry-sponsored meat quality testing. The season will automatically open on Jan. 15, 2025, at 12:01 a.m. under a 25 percent trap reduction in both Fishing Zones. A pre-soak period will begin on Jan. 12, 2025, at 8:01 a.m. The crab quality delay triggers the fair start provision under Fish and Game Code 8279.1. Under fair start a vessel is prohibited from taking, possessing onboard, or landing crab in an area previously delayed for a period of 30 days from the date of the opening if that vessel previously participated in other commercial Dungeness crab fishing areas (including those in Oregon and Washington) during the same season.
While Dungeness crab has historically been available in time for the holidays, the presence of whales in the fishing areas and entanglements in fishing gear have delayed the season opening in the last several years. Last season, the northern fishing zones opened on Jan. 5, while the central zones were delayed until January 18. Despite the shortened seasons, the California Dungeness crab fishery remains one of the State’s most lucrative, averaging close to $45 million per year over the last five years, consistent with historical averages.
“Making the decision on when to open the Dungeness crab fishery is never an easy one. It requires careful consideration of the need to protect endangered species while sustaining the livelihood of California’s fishing communities,” said CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham. “My action today strikes a balance between the needs of the fishery and the needs of California’s marine species. Reducing the number of traps in the water is a successful management measure we have utilized before. Applying this protective and precautionary measure to the Northern Management Area allows the fishery to open as early as possible and will minimize the risk of entanglements statewide.”
Managing the fishery to also protect whales and sea turtles has become a collaborative effort between commercial and recreational fishermen, environmental groups, scientists, and agency partners. This year’s fishery opener builds off over five years of efforts that entailed close to 150 meetings of the Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group, more than 50 risk assessments, and aerial surveys covering more than 20,000 miles of California’s coast. The state has invested over $6 million to address entanglement risk through CDFW and the California Ocean Protection Council. These funds enabled the purchase and outfitting of electronic monitoring units for the fleet, line to support gear marking programs, the development and application of new tools to evaluate risk, and the expansion of alternative gear testing.
Lisa Damrosch, Executive Director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, said, “It is always a good thing when California’s commercial fishing fleet can get to work, delivering healthy, sustainable seafood to our communities. Delays are difficult, and fisheries management is becoming increasingly complex. Commercial fishing representatives remain committed to being productive partners in finding workable, long-term solutions, and we very much appreciate CDFW’s hard work and commitment to collaborating with the industry to set an opening date that balances harvest opportunities with the need to reduce risks to marine mammals.”
Any commercial Dungeness crab vessel fishing in or transiting Fishing Zones, regardless of fishing location, is subject to the 25 or 50 percent reduction based on the area transited. Additionally, vessels must have at least 25 or 50 percent of valid buoy tags for the current fishing season onboard and available for inspection by CDFW at all times. Commercial Dungeness crab vessels operating in all Fishing Zones must understand and comply with the restrictions detailed in the Director’s Declaration, which includes additional information about this gear reduction.
CDFW is also lifting the temporary recreational crab trap restriction, beginning Jan. 2, 2025, at 8:01 a.m., from the Sonoma/Mendocino county line to Lopez Point, Monterey County (Fishing Zones 3 and 4). A Fleet Advisory remains in effect for both the commercial and recreational fishery for all Fishing Zones.
CDFW encourages both the commercial and recreational crab fisheries to implement best fishing practices, as described in the Best Practices Guide and avoid setting any fishing gear in areas where whales or sea turtles are present. In addition, the commercial fishery is encouraged to remain vigilant for lost or abandoned gear throughout the fishing season. Permitted commercial Dungeness crab vessels are allowed to retrieve up to six derelict commercial Dungeness crab traps per fishing trip pursuant to Section 132.2, Title 14, California Code of Regulations. Derelict fishing gear may also be reported through CalTIP.
CDFW anticipates the next risk assessment will take place in mid-January 2025. For more information related to the risk assessment process, please visit CDFW’s Whale Safe Fisheries page.
A view down 2nd Avenue in Happy Camp on Dec. 13, 2024. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters
People living in the northernmost reaches of California refer to their community as the “Redwood Curtain,” a nod to the region’s abundance of redwoods and natural beauty — but also its remoteness.
With a combined population of less than half a million people scattered across Del Norte, Siskiyou, Modoc, Humboldt, Trinity, Shasta and Lassen counties, the area faces relatively lower wages, extremist politics and brain drain, and fewer educational opportunities compared to other parts of the state.
Most of the seven northernmost counties have seen decreasing or stagnant population trends in recent years, U.S. Census Bureau data show, along with the outmigration of working-age young people.
But workforce development boards, local officials and employers are looking to shift that narrative, using one-on-one mentoring, paid training in growing industries, and inclusive recruitment practices to help young Californians find — and keep — jobs in the region they grew up in.
“Young people in our counties are looking at either leaving the area, or not. That’s the first choice they make,” said Heather Chavez, director of workforce programs at the NorTEC Workforce Development Board. “It’s unpopular if you’re not leaving high school to go to a four-year college. There’s definitely a stigma around that — it’s students, it’s teachers, it’s parents, it’s employers, it’s everyone.”
Within that landscape, part of Chavez’s mission is to find “great, great, great jobs” for young people who can’t afford to leave their hometowns, or who find themselves without a high school or higher education degree.
Funded largely by the federal Department of Labor, NorTEC, which stands for the Northern Rural Training and Employment Consortium, aims to improve education, employment and upward mobility across 11 northern counties.
NorTEC provides one-on-one intensive mentoring — plus financial support for bus passes, interview and work clothes, or supplies required by a training program — to those between 16 and 24 who aren’t in school. Last year, 267 people were enrolled in the program; twelve months later, 77% were still employed in industries ranging from food service, hospitality, tourism, seasonal forestry or recreation-related jobs, manufacturing and food processing and health care, Chavez said.
A counselor helps those who are seeking new job opportunities at the Humboldt County Library in Garberville on Feb. 8, 2023. Photo by Martin do Nascimento, CalMatters
The region’s data is mixed when it comes to population dropoff among young people. Between 2017 and 2022, northwestern Del Norte County lost up to 1.2% of its population in every age bracket between 15 and 59, while Humboldt, Lassen, Siskiyou and Trinity also saw losses among young workers, according to state Employment Development Department data. Shasta County, however — home to the roughly 93,000-person city of Redding and Shasta-Trinity National Forest — made gains among those between 15 and 44.
California overall has seen a declining population in the last few years, a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, low birth rates and relatively low levels of immigration, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.
In the far north, these trends are expected to increase the demand for health care, even as those jobs remain difficult to fill, according to Randall Weaver, a labor market researcher at the state employment department. In Modoc, for instance, about 30% of the county’s 8,500 residents are over the age of 65.
Five of the region’s top 10 employers were health care-related in the past year, Weaver said, while the industry also accounted for about 50% of the top 10 occupations with the most online advertisements. But lower wages and stereotypes of rural living — along with fewer resources for cutting-edge medical infrastructure — make it tough to compete with “larger institutions with deeper pockets” in the Bay Area or Los Angeles.
“There’s clearly demand,” Weaver said. “The question is whether some of the limitations have a dampening effect on the market, and keep the positions from getting filled.”
Employers want to grow the hiring pool by finding and nurturing local talent. Earlier this year, Lassen Community College in Susanville launched a registered nursing program, which the program director described as “strategically designed to meet the escalating demand” for nurses locally and across California. Meanwhile, the Alliance for Workforce Development, one of three services providers contracted by NoRTEC in the region, is helping to grow three in-house training programs with Lassen and Modoc health providers, which provide free, paid training for entry-level health care roles such as certified medical or nursing assistantships.
St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka on Aug. 21, 2019. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters
The idea is not only to receive an education locally, but to “get jobs here, locally, that pay well,” said Kim Keith, the alliance’s director of youth programs. This autumn, a cohort of about a dozen students attended a $17 hourly certified nursing assistant training program, performing their clinical hours in-house at the Lassen Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
Of course, not all of California’s far north is dealing with the same challenges. Coastal Humboldt, which has a relatively larger labor force and a four-year university, has attracted major recent investments in two offshore wind farms, along with a yellowtail kingfish farm, that officials hope will spawn permanent jobs.
But the county — which has the highest poverty rate of about 18% compared to the other six — is still “scraping and clawing” to recruit people into certain industries, including lawyers, engineers and law enforcement, said Zachary O’Hanen, the county’s director of human resources.
To combat that, O’Hanen’s team has spearheaded efforts to embrace “belongingness” and inclusivity in its recruitment tactics for the public sector, looking to attract the best talent in a county that is rapidly diversifying. The approach has shown anecdotal success in terms of a jump in applications to county positions and recent diverse hires, O’Hanen said.
And while the “Redwood Curtain” stereotypes may persist, the region has a way of pulling people back in: After moving away to Oregon, O’Hanen returned to Humboldt, craving access to nature, the snow, the coast, and the slower pace of life.
“You leave, because you want to see the world, and then you go, ‘Well, maybe the grass wasn’t greener,’” O’Hanen said.
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CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.
Sandi Kay Bean Branson went home to be with her savior Jesus Christ on
December 14, 2024. She went in peace at her favorite time of the year, Christmas, surrounded
by her children and grandchildren. What a celebration for her up there where she will be met by
many loved ones who are there already, including dad, Aunt Tammi, and many others.
Sandi was born in Eureka on July 2, 1941 to Leonard and Alice Scott.
She spent almost her entire life in Eureka, graduating from Eureka High in 1959, and afterwards
leaving for a short time to attend Life Bible College in Los Angeles. She went on to work as a
secretary for close to thirty years, first at Arcata Christian School, and then at McMurray and
Sons Roofing. At Arcata Christian she truly made an impact on the families and staff and is still
treasured by many who were associated with the school during her time there. She maintained
many of those relationships throughout her entire life and was a foundational part of the school’s
beginning years. The same can be said of her time at McMurray and Sons, where her grace and
warmth brought an element of positivity and joy to any that she encountered. Her daughters and
granddaughters followed in her secretarial footsteps. The experience her daughters had of
having their mom be the school secretary and her granddaughters had at an early age of getting
to go to work with grandma were no doubt formative, setting an example that paved the way
toward their own future careers.
She was married to our dad, William Albert (Bill) Bean, over the course of about 35
years until he went to heaven, in 2014. They had three children, nine grandchildren, and nine
great-grandchildren. Together they had a household full of laughter, singing and love, a haven
for her children and later grandchildren, who would often wait in excited anticipation for their turn
to spend the night at Grandma and Grandpa’s. We are happy that he was there waiting for her
arrival in heaven and that they are reunited. She married Darrell Branson in October 2015. They
were married until her death. She loved both our dad and Darrell very much.
Sandi had a talent and a love for singing that she passed on to her children,
grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She shared her talent throughout her life in various
ways, from church choirs, being a part of a singing trio and singing quartet, to singing to her
children and grandchildren and teaching them her favorite hymns. She also enjoyed crossword
puzzles, cross stitching, and painting, hobbies that she shared and passed down to her
grandchildren.
She loved all her friends greatly but especially her BFF Barbara (McMurray) Wallis.
She was lovingly known as “Aunt Sandi” to quite a few, and whether those were blood relations
or not, Sandi loved them as if they were her own. If you were blessed to call her a friend, know
that you were genuinely loved, cared about and prayed over. She was the most loving,
generous, forgiving, kind person you could ever meet. Even those who entered her life as
adversaries soon became her friends, as she truly shone the light of Christ, His grace and love
reflected in how she lived her life. She cared most to leave one legacy, and that was her love for
Jesus and she wanted everyone to know Him, too. Her desire is for us all to be reunited in
heaven, rejoicing alongside her and our dad. Our mom wanted us to say to all who knew her,
her prayer was that she left a witness of who Jesus was in her life. Her faith was the utmost toher. She loved passing it on! We will miss her so much and will be looking forward to being
reunited with her again.
She is preceded in death by her first husband William Albert Bean, her parents Leonard
and Alice, and her siblings Dick Scott, Doris Lawyer, and Ron Scott.
She is survived by Darrell Branson, her children Kelli (Mark)Wight, Shelli (Randy)Davis, and
Troy (Rosa) Bean. Her grandchildren Krissi (Cody) Schuetzle, Matthew Wight, Hunter Wight,
Zachary (Hannah) Davis, Kayla (Joe) Davis, Jordan (Richelle) Davis, Noah (Rachael) Davis,
Adara Bean, Billy (Maricela) Bean. Her legacy great grandchildren Jericho Allen, Zephaniah
Allen, Randee Davis, Jordyn Davis, Eden Davis, Courtland Davis, Rhys Davis Joelle Davis, and
Coco Bean. Her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren were her absolute treasures.
Also she leaves behind many nieces and nephews and their families. Mike, Linda Kent
Lawyer, Judy and Darby, Susie (Kent) Seely, Chris (Rick) Bailey Kim Scott and family. Mark and
Christopher Scott and families. She is also survived by two sisters in law, Sugar (Art) Tober,
Edna(Loren) Steele.
We would like to thank Hospice of Humboldt, Rosa, and all who came in to help us as her
time here on earth came to an end. A memorial will be held at Coastline church in Bayside
(Indianola off ramp) on Friday , December 27 @ 2:00pm. Any who would like to come and honor
her life are welcome to attend. There will be an opportunity there to share any special memories
that you had with our mother.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways
acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Sandi Branson’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.
John Edward Livingston passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, in Eureka, on
December 14, 2024.
John was born in Eureka on November 28, 1937 to Edward and Dorothy Livingston.
Except for a stint in the military, John lived his whole life in Eureka. It was here that he took an
early interest in all things mechanical. He honed his skills as a mechanic by working on friends’
and relatives’ cars, trucks, and boats. He was known to help most anyone with car problems. In
high school, John enjoyed taking auto shop classes from his favorite teacher, Charlie Dryer. John
remembered that Charlie sometimes let him drive the Cat, while working on the Albee Stadium
field and also doing some grading at the mouth of Elk River. John and his friends also had their
own car club at Eureka High. Two years after high school, John found his dream job. He was
hired as a heavy duty diesel mechanic at Callison Truck Lines. There he made many lifelong
friends as well as being mentored by some of the best mechanics around.
In 1962, John was drafted into the army and headed off to basic training at Fort Bragg,
North Carolina. After basic, John was sent to New Mexico to train and work on missile fuselages
as an atomic weapons specialist. After three years, John was honorably discharged as a SPC-4.
He returned to Humboldt County just in time to help deal with the devastation of the 1965
flood. John also returned to his old job at Callisons. He renewed friendships with his
coworkers, especially one named Sparky. After a few years, Callisons was bought by Nielson
Freight Lines and John worked there until it closed its doors in the 1980s. Then John started his
own business, J & S Repair. Besides walk in clients, John had several truck maintenance
accounts, one being with the Humboldt Fire District. But John soon tired of self-employment
and found a job with Eureka City Schools as a mechanic for their buses and other vehicles. He
was well liked by all the drivers and staff and soon found himself in charge of the bus garage for
the several years until his retirement.
In 1965, John married Mary Frances Kutil. They had one son, Frank D Livingston. Mary
and John divorced after a few years, but remained friends until Mary’s death earlier this year.
In 1978, John married Sherry St. Clair. They had one son, John E. Livingston, Jr. John
also became the father of Sherry’s two boys, Clyde and Eugene, and he treated the two as his
own.
Growing up in Humboldt County, John enjoyed many outdoor activities, especially
hunting. Duck hunting was one passion. Before he was old enough to drive, he and some
friends would catch an early morning city bus wearing their hunting clothes and carrying their
shotguns. The friendly bus driver would drop them off at a Eureka wharf so they could rent a
skiff and row out in the bay to hunt. Deer hunting was John’s other passion. He would hunt
with his best friend, Alvin “Bud” Tompkins and Bud’s father, Herman and a favorite uncle, John
MacMillen. Often, Herman would drop the boys off on South Fork Mt. near Horse Ridge
Lookout. They would stay a week, camping, hunting, and riding motorcycles.In retirement, John and Bud took John’s sons and grandsons deer hunting at a hunting
camp near Deer Lick Springs. John also took the boys duck hunting on Humboldt Bay. He even
helped his sons build a floating duck blind out of an old wooden boat. John loved hunting brant
and was a gifted brant caller. Fellow hunters thought he was the best caller they had ever
heard.
John helped his best friend, Bud, build an ocean going fishing boat. Bud built the boat,
but John made it run. The carpenter and the mechanic made quite a pair. They named the boat
the O’Nansea and enjoyed many hours of fishing and crabbing. Son Frank takes the O’Nansea
out fishing to this day.
In later life, John became a true San Francisco Giants fan. He would watch most every
game with his beloved dog, Heidi. John loved all animals and had numerous pets (too many to
count) over the years. Heidi will miss John more than we will ever know.
John was preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Dorothy Livingston, special
uncle, John MacMillen, loving wife, Sherry Livingston, and several other dear friends and
relatives.
John is survived by brother Bill Livingston (Pat), son Frank Livingston (Michelle),Son John
Livingston Jr. (Adrienne), son Eugene Livingston (Rachel), son Clyde Livingston, nephew Chris
Livingston and sons Jared and Benjamin, grandchildren Bradley Livingston, Hunter Toland, and
Rachael Livingston, and numerous friends, family, and coworkers, and most important, his
beloved dog Heidi.
Funeral Services are being arranged through Sanders Funeral Home. Visitation at
Sanders will be Friday, December 27 from 11 AM to 12 Noon. The funeral will be at Sanders on
December 27 at 12:00 Noon. A veteran’s internment will follow at Sunset Cemetery.
Pall Bearers will be Dan Wheeler, Frank Kutil, Bradley Livingston, John Livingston Jr, Don
MacMillen, Mike Griffin, Hunter Toland.
The family would like to thank the staff at Provident St. Joseph Hospital for the special
care they gave John these past few weeks.
In lieu of flowers, please make memorial contributions to Sequoia Humane Society, 6073
Loma Ave, Eureka CA 95503 or to any local non-profit.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of John Livingston’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.
In loving
memory of Willetta Lourine Clark Tindall October
29, 1929
– November 21,
2024
Willetta passed away on Nov.
21, 2024 at the age of 95. She
was born to the late William Leroy Clark and Ella Marie Felton Clark
on October 29,
1929 in Corvallis, Oregon. She was preceded in death by her brother
William Felton Clark of Tacoma, Washington, and her husband Warren E.
Tindall of Bayside.
Willetta attended Fair Play Grammar
School and Corvallis High School in Corvallis, Oregon. She worked in
a local soda fountain before marrying her late husband, Warren E.
Tindall. They were married on August 31, 1947 in Corvallis. They
enjoyed 77 years of marriage. She is survived by her children,
Janice Marie Tindall Murphy of Ryderwood, Wash.,
Dyanna Christine Tindall Gazzera of Redding, and Debra Kathleen
Tindall Jones of Bayside, along
with eight grandchildren and
nine
great-grandchildren.
Although Willetta described herself
as a loving wife, mother and homemaker she was also an active
volunteer in her community. She volunteered at the Sunny Brae
Congregational Church typing and printing newsletters and program
guides, and at
Jacoby Creek Elementary School library in the 1970s
and at the Congregational Church in Eureka in the 1980s.
Her many hobbies included photography, painting, needle work,
knitting, gardening, caring for the wildlife in her backyard
sanctuary along the banks of Jacoby Creek in Bayside. Her pet
cockatiels and parakeets
were her special delight. She had numerous pen pal friends from all
over the world and shared her art cards and letters with many who
will cherish her memory.
The petals of her life fell one by
one, each a gift of her heart till there were none. Her favorite
hymns were: Morning Has Broken, God Be With You Till We Meet Again,
In the Garden, It Is Well With My Soul, For the Beauty of the Earth,
I need Thee Every Hour and We Gather Together. She was a member of
the Congregational Church in Sunny Brae and Eureka, California.
“Remember
me when flowers bloom early in the spring. Remember
me on sunny days in the fun that summer brings. Remember
me in autumn as you walk through leaves of gold. Remember
me in winter when all is icy cold.
Sanders Funeral Home is handling the
arrangements and she will be buried next to her husband at Ocean View
Cemetery.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Willetta Tindall’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.
The majority shareholders of Redwood Meat Co. did not violate the terms of a temporary restraining order when they sold their controlling interest in the company to notorious Arcata rancher Raymond F. Christie earlier this year, Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Timothy Canning ruled in a decision entered earlier this week.
Redwood Meat, a family-operated institution in Humboldt County and the region’s only USDA-certified slaughterhouse, has been shut down for more than six months, with former majority owners Ryan Nylander and his uncle, John “Punk” Nylander, citing an unsustainable increase in operations costs.
The company’s operations have since come under intense scrutiny as three of John Nylander’s children — Stephanie Nylander, Rachel Nylander Flores, and Russel Nylander — filed a lawsuit as minority shareholders, accusing John (their father) and Ryan (their cousin) of grossly mismanaging the family company through fraud, embezzlement, tax evasion and document shredding.
That case remains pending. Canning’s ruling pertains to the terms of a temporary restraining order — issued on July 31 and modified the following month — that prohibits Ryan and John Nylander from selling or transferring any Redwood Meat Co. assets or taking any actions that require shareholder approval.
In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs are seeking to prevent their father and cousin from disposing of any company assets without the consent of Redwood Meat Co.’s board or shareholders and keep them from destroying any more records while ensuring that board and shareholder meetings are properly held as necessary.
In August, the plaintiffs’ attorney, Cyndy Day-Wilson, argued that John and Ryan Nylander violated the terms of that restraining order by selling their shares to Christie, who was once convicted on 26 misdemeanor counts of dumping cattle carcasses within 150 feet of state waters and later faced felony animal cruelty charges based on cattle found starving or in otherwise poor condition at his ranch on the Arcata Bottoms. (The latter case was settled out of court.)
But Judge Canning ruled that John and Ryan were free to sell their shares to Christie because the stocks were their own personal property, not that of the company. And since the minority shareholders were offered the same price for their own shares, the plaintiffs have no grounds to cry foul or seek injunctive relief negating the sale, his ruling states.
But that doesn’t mean that the larger case can’t move forward.
“Because John and Ryan are no longer shareholders in Redwood Meat, the Court denies the request for preliminary injunctive relief as to them,” Canning’s ruling says, before adding, “Of course, they may still be subject to a claim for monetary damages, whether to the minority shareholders or derivatively to Redwood Meat.”
Judge Canning did enter a new preliminary injunction, though both parties have already agreed to its terms — namely, that Redwood Meat Co. is prohibited from:
Selling any real or personal property that is the property of Redwood Meat Co., Inc., outside the ordinary course of business without shareholder approval at a properly noticed meeting;
Destroying any records of Redwood Meat Co., Inc.:
Taking any corporate action that requires shareholder approval under the Company’s bylaws, or under the Corporations Code, without prior shareholder approval at a properly noticed shareholder meeting; and
Taking any action that is in violation of Redwood Meat Co., Inc.’s bylaws or the California Corporations Code.
