Mary
Dias passed away peacefully on the morning of Tuesday, April 1, 2025
after a sudden illness. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother,
and great grandmother. She is joined in heaven by the love of her
life, Al Dias, and her son Butch.
Mary
often talked about how she was the first baby born in Humboldt
County on December 10, 1941 during the Pearl Harbor blackout. She
spent her entire life within just a few blocks of the home where she
was born and she loved the people of Fortuna and the surrounding
beauty until the very end.
Mary
enjoyed word-search puzzles, western movies and a glass of red wine
with her Fortuna friends. She enjoyed working in Humboldt County in
the retail fashion industry for Bistrin’s, McGaraghan’s and later
owned her own clothing boutique in Fortuna, Mary’s Fashion Plus.
After her husband’s retirement, they owned and operated a
commercial cleaning business in Fortuna and Eureka.
Mary’s
life was dedicated to taking care of others, both family and friends.
Her greatest love of all was her family. She is survived by her
daughter, Esther Dias Hahn and her son, Tim Dias. Also, her
grandchildren: Amanda, Amber, Natalie, Rachel, Sadie, Tanner and
Tyson. And Mary’s great grandchildren: Bentley, Cinch, Greyson,
Heyden, Parker and Raelyn.
Funeral
arrangements are being organized through Gobles Fortuna Mortuary.
All friends and family are welcome at a graveside service on Friday,
April 11, 2025 at Fortuna Sunrise Cemetery, 3315 Newburg Rd at 3 p.m.
If
you would like to make a donation, in lieu of flowers, please send to
Fortuna Fire Ladies Auxiliary, 320 S. Fortuna Blvd., Fortuna, CA
95540.
###
The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Mary Dias’ loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.
Arcata’s city council will decide if they will approve new inclusionary zoning measures for future housing developments after passing a motion to introduce an ordinance at last night’s city council meeting.
The idea behind inclusionary zoning is pretty simple: when a new apartment complex is built, some percentage of those units must be priced less than they’re worth on the open market and reserved for low-income tenants. It’s an unfunded mandate; the property managers take a hit on the investment.
If passed, the ordinance requires all new housing developments with 60 or more units to rent 3% of their units to very low income households, 6% to low income households, and another 10% for moderate income households. How much the rent actually costs can change annually, and is determined by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development or the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee.
The planning commission originally recommended that the limit be set at 30 units, but the city council wound up deciding it would be 60 after a compromise was made with Mayor Alex Stillman. Stillman (who is the owner of Stillman Rentals, a local property management company) was against inclusionary zoning, but voted for it after meeting somewhere in the middle with the other city council members. Stillman was worried about the likelihood of developers building more Arcata housing if they were going to be forced to house some people in below market-rate units.
Arcata used to have inclusionary zoning requirements until 2014. Most inclusionary zoning prior to 2012 was subsidized by the city’s Redevelopment Agency, but California dissolved them that year. Several planned projects were killed because they weren’t financially viable without the subsidy. The old requirements were much lower; inclusionary zoning kicked in at five units.
There are concessions for affected developments, such as allowing them to use cheaper appliances and build larger buildings.
Arcata’s city council members hope it’ll be a way to battle gentrification and make resident’s lives a little less expensive without resorting to anything drastic.
“If we’re not going to use a mechanism like inclusionary zoning to put more of an onus on developers, and the ones with money, and the ones who are coming into (or already are) in our community to build housing [to] share in that burden of housing our community members, then we need to find a different mechanism,” councilmember Sarah Schaefer said. “Whether that’s some people up here’s favorite word — ‘rent control’ — or more aggressively pursuing land trusts, or having more publicly owned properties so we can actually have real public housing, especially in a time where there is a great concern that we might see a drying up of federal and state funding for housing. Because that is not a priority of our current administration, and that’s going to go on the developers, and I think that’s why it’s essential to have a mechanism like this in place to make the free market step up.”
College
of the Redwoods is progressing in its efforts to rebrand its
longstanding Corsair mascot, working toward a new symbol that
reflects the college’s values and strengthens its connection to the
region and local communities. Although the Board of Trustees
postponed final approval during its April 1 meeting, the college
remains dedicated to a thoughtful, inclusive, and community-driven
process.
The
Corsair, which has represented CR since its founding, has raised
concerns due to its historical associations with Mediterranean piracy
and the transatlantic slave trade. “While the Corsair has been with
us from the beginning, it lacks any local relevance and carries a
history that no longer reflects who we are as a college,” said CR
President Dr. Keith Flamer. “It is our responsibility to ensure
that our public symbols align with our values and honors the
community we serve.”
In
the fall of 2024, CR formed a Mascot Task Force and invited
suggestions from students, faculty, employees, and some community
members. Submissions were evaluated based on cultural sensitivity,
local significance, and alignment with the college’s mission. Of
the three finalists, the wolf emerged as a leading option, especially
among CR Athletics.
Additionally,
the wolf was submitted as a mascot suggestion by the Wiyot Tribal
Council, whose ancestral lands include the Eureka campus and
surrounding area. It is known in the Wiyot language as Mouralherwaqh,
meaning “wolf’s house.” The potential new mascot — the Redwood
Wolves — would reflect both the ecological presence of wolves in
California and the deep cultural ties to the land on which the
college resides.
“The
CR Board of Trustees is committed to governing on behalf of the
citizens of our District,” said Board President Dr. Colleen
Mullery. “The Board delayed action on renaming CR’s mascot to
provide further opportunities for student, faculty, staff, and
community feedback. I am grateful to Trustee Pedrotti who requested
that this agenda item be pulled during our April 1 meeting to allow
for further deliberation. I also want to thank the task force members
who already have spent time studying this question.”
To
support a thoughtful and inclusive decision, we will continue to
solicit input from employees and students. College of the Redwoods
has launched a public comment portal where community members can
share feedback on the proposed rebranding until May 4 , 2025.
As members of the British Parliament debate proposed legislation that would allow medically assisted death for terminally ill adults in England and Wales, BBC News published an article this week detailing one man’s experience with the process here in California.
The thought-provoking piece — linked here — tells the story of 80-year-old Wayne Hawkins, a former resident of Arcata, who, after suffering from chronic pain, heart failure and “a myriad of other health issues,” decided to pursue medical aid-in-dying, which was legalized in California through the End of Life Options Act of 2016. The law allows terminally ill adults with a life expectancy of six months or less and the mental capacity to make the choice to request medication that will hasten their death.
After Hawkins’ request was approved by two doctors, he invited BBC News to his San Diego home to share his perspective on the controversial aid-in-dying process and observe his final day alongside his family.
“Britain is pretty good with freedoms and this is just another one,” Hawkins told BBC News. “People should be able to choose the time of their death as long as they meet the rules like six months to live or less.”
While proponents of medically assisted death — often dubbed “death with dignity” — view the process as a compassionate option for people facing terminal illness and suffering, opponents argue that it is morally wrong. Dr. Vincent Nguyen, a palliative care specialist interviewed in the BBC’s article, asserted that aid-in-dying laws “lead to ‘silent coercion’ whereby vulnerable people think their only option is to die.”
The article’s author, Medical Editor Fergus Walsh, continues:
This isn’t just a story about one man’s death in California - it’s about what could become a reality here in England and Wales for those who qualify for an assisted death and choose to die this way.
Whether you’re for or against the proposed new Westminster law, the death of a loved one is a deeply personal and emotional time for a family. Each death leaves an imprint, as will Wayne’s.
As has long been forecast, Assemblymember Damon Connolly — former San Rafael city councilmember, Marin County supervisor and deputy California Attorney General — is entering the race to replace state senator Mike McGuire, who will be term-limited out of the office next year.
Connolly launched his campaign this morning, and he comes with some heavy-hitting endorsements, including Chris Rogers, our current assembly representative; Connie Stewart, the former mayor of Arcata and former executive director of the California Center for Rural Policy; and Arcata’s own Wes Chesbro, himself a former member of the state Senate.
Connolly’s campaign launch video, embedded above, contains footage of the assemblymember knocking on constituents’ doors, meeting with fishermen, ordering a big plate of food at Santa Rosa’s Aroma de Cafe and strolling with other people in suits. It also includes the following Shutterstock clips:
Press release for the Damon Connolly for Senate campaign:
Campaign photo.
Today,
Assemblymember Damon Connolly announced his campaign for State Senate
in District 2, the North Coast district that includes Del Norte,
Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Sonoma, and Trinity counties.
“These
are dangerous times. The Trump Administration is going after our
schools, our businesses, our health care, our coastline, our diverse
communities, and our very way of life. We need a State Senator who is
ready to step up and meet this moment,”
said Assemblymember Damon Connolly.
“I’m running for State Senate, because I’m ready on day one to
make sure that the North Coast is heard and respected as important
decisions are made in Sacramento.”
As
a current State Assemblymember and former County Supervisor, City
Council Member, School Board President, and California Deputy
Attorney General, Damon Connolly brings 25 years of experience to the
campaign - touting accomplishments focused on wildfire prevention,
climate action, and affordability and quality of life on the North
Coast.
The
Damon Connolly for State Senate campaign also released a campaign
launch announcement video, which can be watched HERE:
Trusted
North Coast leaders expressed strong support for Damon’s campaign.
“Damon
Connolly is one of the most effective public servants I have ever
worked with,” said
North Coast Assemblymember Chris Rogers.
“He is responsible for major climate change and wildfire prevention
reforms at the State and County levels. Damon is always focused on
the most pressing issues facing the North Coast, and he’ll be a
great Senator.”
“As
a State Senator, I always understood that my primary responsibility
was to ensure that North Coast priorities had a champion in the
Capitol. Damon Connolly will bring that kind of commitment to the
State Senate,” said
former North Coast Senator and Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro.
“At a time when the very future of our democracy is in question,
Damon can be counted on to be a true people’s representative. He
listens, and he accomplishes big things for the communities he
represents. I have every confidence he will represent every corner of
this large and diverse district with experience and dedication.
That’s why Damon is my choice for State Senate.”
“The
North Coast needs a State Senator who deeply understands the unique
challenges we face and has a proven record of getting results. That
candidate is Damon Connolly,” said
Connie Stewart, the former Mayor of Arcata. “Damon’s
entire career has been focused on issues that matter to our
community, from improving rural access to physical and mental
healthcare to defending and supporting public education.”
He
is also earning support from leading voices in wildfire prevention
and protecting public education.
“No
one has done more to protect Northern California from major
wildfires, natural disasters, and other emergencies than Damon
Connolly,” said
John Bagala, the Union President of Marin Professional Firefighters,
IAFF Local 1775.
“At every stage of his career at the City, County, and State level
Damon has worked closely with firefighters and led efforts to keep
our communities safe. He’ll be an exceptional State Senator.”
“Across
Northern California, the Trump Administration is cutting funding for
our schools and universities, making it harder to see a doctor, and
even trying to prevent our state from achieving its climate change
goals. With all the fear and uncertainty we face, Damon Connolly is
the candidate for State Senate I trust to defend our values and
protect our neighbors,” said
Marin Office of Education Board Member Patty Garbarino.
About
Damon Connolly
Damon
Connolly is the Chair of the Assembly Committee on Environmental
Safety and Toxic Materials and serves on the Assembly Judiciary,
Budget, Budget Subcommittee No.4 on Climate Crisis, Natural
Resources, and Agriculture Committees. In just three years in the
State Assembly, Damon has authored 13 bills that became laws,
improving school safety, preventing teen suicides, and expanding
access to open space..
As
a member of the Climate Bond Working Group and working closely with
Senator Mike McGuire, Assemblymember Connolly helped author
Proposition 4, the 2024 Climate Bond, which will make billions of
dollars of investments in wildfire prevention, drought resilience,
sea-level rise adaptation, and home hardening.
Prior
to his 2022 election to the State Assembly, Damon served on the Marin
County Board of Supervisors, as Vice Mayor of the City of San Rafael,
as Board President of the Miller Creek School District, and as
California Deputy Attorney General.
On April 2, 2025 at approximately 12:20 pm Humboldt Bay Fire units
responded to a first-alarm structure fire at the 5700 block of Humboldt
Hill Rd, Spruce Point Trailer Park on Humboldt Hill. Firefighters
arrived to find visible smoke pushing from the roofline of a single-
wide residential trailer. Crews quickly went to work and extinguished
the fire, successfully containing it to the kitchen area. However, smoke
damage was extensive throughout the rest of the residence.
The fire’s cause and origin were investigated by Humboldt Bay Fire
personnel. The source was determined to be a faulty electrical outlet in
the kitchen. The estimated damage to the structure is approximately
$10,000.
Fortunately, there were no injuries reported as a result of the fire. The
occupants of the trailer have been displaced from their home, and
Humboldt Bay Fire is working with the Red Cross and neighbors
within the trailer park to assist the family during this difficult time.
Humboldt Bay Fire would like to remind the community of the
importance of maintaining working smoke detectors in the home.
Smoke Alarms Save Lives.
Regular maintenance and testing can be the difference in providing
early warning in case of a fire. We also want to express our sincere
gratitude to the neighbors who assisted in this incident and to the Red
Cross for their support in helping the displaced family.
A view of the rural Siskiyou County community of Happy Camp on Dec. 13, 2024. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters
###
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.
###
Far from the halls of power in Washington, the forested hamlet of Mount Shasta has long tied its economic fate to a functioning federal government.
Yet even in a county where President Donald Trump’s cuts could hit the region’s economy hard, some are welcoming them. Nearly 60% of voters there supported the president.
The past two months have been a whirlwind for rural towns across California like Mount Shasta, population 3,200, where federal lands abound and outdoor recreation drives the local economy. Probationary federal workers were abruptly fired, then reinstated under court order, as further reductions in force loom. Local organizations scrambled when the federal government froze some grant funds for wildfire preparation, trail maintenance and other work, then some saw the money trickle in again but with no guarantee it’ll continue.
The Sierra Club and other nonprofits are suing the Trump administration to reverse Forest Service firings.
Business owners and officials in forest towns, overwhelmingly dependent on recreation and tourism, are anxious about whether there will be enough federal workers to keep trails open, campgrounds clean and visitors coming.
Some forest towns, like Mammoth Lakes in the eastern Sierra Nevada, are trying to backfill some anticipated federal losses with their own dollars. But that would be a tough undertaking for many others.
“We are a poor, rural county,” said Siskiyou County Supervisor Ed Valenzuela, who represents Mount Shasta. “Federal funding, it’s not like that money is going to be replicated anywhere else.”
Rural California relies on federal funding
He has cause for concern. The namesake mountain towers above the small town, drawing in thousands of visitors to climb and ski. In surrounding Siskiyou County, over 60% of the land is owned and managed by the U.S. Forest Service. As much as 6% of the county workforce is employed by the federal government, according to Census data.
It’s second only to neighboring Lassen County. Both are among the most Trump-supporting counties in the state. In Siskiyou County, nearly 60% voted for the president in November.
Estimates from state labor agencies show other small, forested counties in Northern California and the Sierra Nevada also have high shares of federal employment. By contrast, though federal agencies employ far more people at offices in urban counties, they’re only responsible for 1-2% of the workforces there.
“Things are magnified in a small community,” said Tonya Dowse, executive director of the Siskiyou Economic Development Council, a nonprofit that receives several federal grants to help small businesses, farmers and towns including Mount Shasta. “Small reductions are felt to a greater extent.”
Federal land makes up the majority of many rural counties, which are already dealing with the likely loss of millions of federal dollars that prop up their school systems and public works departments. Rural hospitals are generally more reliant on the massive low-income health program Medicaid. Their populations are older and poorer, making the Social Security Administration and federally funded safety net programs critical.
Federal officials have not been forthcoming about exactly how many workers have been fired and reinstated in recent weeks, and locals say they’re unsure themselves. The Forest Service in February cut at least 3,400 probationary employees nationwide. The Washington Post reported last week that the administration plans new cuts of between 8% to 50% across federal agencies.
A spokesperson for the Forest Service, who would not provide a name, would say only that probationary employees who were fired in February were placed in March under a “phased plan for return-to-duty.” Thomas Stokesberry, a spokesperson for the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, directed a separate request for a breakdown of staffing cuts to the regional Forest Service press office, which did not respond.
In Mount Shasta, everyone seems to know someone who is affected. John Redmond, a bar owner who is also the mayor, said his regulars who work at the local Forest Service district office haven’t been spending as much since they were fired or heard of cuts. Timothy Keating, a longtime mountain guide, said he depends on a fully staffed Forest Service to approve his operating permits.
Down the street, an outdoor goods store manager named Michelle is also worried about economic fallout. She wouldn’t give her last name out of fear of drawing attention to her husband, a federal employee who she said was anxious about losing his job in the next round of reductions in force.
“A lot of federal workers make up our middle class,” she said. “This can really hurt our local tax base and spending levels.”
Trump’s cuts will hit a divided county
Yet others welcome cuts, even if they’ll hit the local economy.
While the town of Mount Shasta is liberal, its streets of Subarus, crystal shops and bed-and-breakfasts welcoming out-of-town mountaineers give way quickly to vast stretches of the county where ranchers and loggers have long clashed with environmentalists and chafed at state and federal regulations.
Longtime resentment over Forest Service management and the decline of the timber industry have split the county.
Many in Mount Shasta cheered when then-President Joe Biden, in his last days in office in January, designated a new national monument on Forest Service lands outside the town, increasing federal protections there. Other Siskiyou County residents, including Supervisor W. Jess Harris, celebrated when Trump indicated last month he may revoke the designation.
Harris acknowledges the county relies on the federal government for both services and jobs — but he said it doesn’t have to be that way. He hopes federal cuts will reduce grants to environmental nonprofits that he says have hampered private industry.
Regulations like those that restrict logging to protect the spotted owl, listed as a threatened species, have “effectively damaged all of our natural resource industries,” he said. “Our area’s just a prime example of what happens when you kill the industry and become reliant on the government jobs.”
Dan Dorsey, chair of the local Republican Party, said he welcomes reducing federal spending and doesn’t believe the cuts will be drastic.
“I think the idea is to sit back and wait and see where the cuts are going to be made, and do we actually need those programs anymore?” he said. “We have too many -ologists all over the place.”
Other local politicians are caught in the middle.
Assemblywoman Heather Hadwick, a Republican from Alturas, represents 11 rural counties across Northern California, including Siskiyou. She said she’s worried about the economic ripple effects of job losses in small towns, and about funding delays in local wildfire mitigation projects, when now is the season to make those preparations.
Assemblymember Heather Hadwick speaks before lawmakers during an Assembly floor session at the state Capitol in Sacramento on Feb. 20, 2025. Photo by Fred Greaves for CalMatters
It’s personal, too. Hadwick’s husband manages a local office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and she’s seen firsthand how “his people are stressed.” But her district, which she said already holds deep distrust of the government, voted for cuts and spending reviews.
“I think it’s going to be uncomfortable for a while and it’s going to hurt, I know some of those programs that I care about deeply are going to be affected,” she said. “My district is very conservative, and I am very conservative … I’m going to trust in my president and trust what he’s doing is best.”
With both federal uncertainty and local polarization, some are hesitant to speak publicly against the cuts. The leader of one nonprofit in Siskiyou County detailed to CalMatters how the group had a Forest Service grant temporarily frozen, delaying the hiring of contractors. But after meeting with the rest of the organization the leader asked to withdraw their comments, stressing the need to remain “apolitical.”
Other forest towns are preparing
In bluer parts of California, some forest towns are trying to mount a small resistance. Council members in Truckee, near Lake Tahoe, last month passed a resolution denouncing possible federal cuts, citing the impact they would have on the region’s ability to prevent wildfires and accommodate tourists visiting the Tahoe National Forest.
Similar resolutions have passed in a handful of local fire protection districts and in the eastern Sierra Nevada town of Mammoth Lakes.
The town, population 7,200, balloons to nearly quadruple its size on the weekends, from skiers in winter to backpackers, climbers and tourists in spring, summer and fall. It needs the visitors: Nearly three-quarters of Mammoth Lakes’ revenue comes from a bed tax on hotels and Airbnbs, Mayor Chris Bubser said.
Bubser said the city has already hired a new staff member to pick up trash and help maintain local campgrounds in case there aren’t enough Forest Service personnel to do so this summer.
And in March, the Mammoth Lakes Town Council agreed to provide $700,000 in bridge funding for a forest-thinning and wildfire resilience project run by a local nonprofit that spans 58,000 acres of mostly national forest land surrounding the town. The project relies on about $17 million in different federal grants, some of which is frozen, she said. But Bubser said she didn’t want the project to get delayed, risking having contractors leave town if they can’t be hired in time.
“How, as a small-town government, are we supposed to plan and execute when the earth is moving beneath us?” she said. “We have to be prepared for any situation. We’re all alone out here.”
