PREVIOUSLY:

• Eureka Police Request Your Assistance Identifying This Bandana-Wearin’, Bike-Ridin’ Bank Robber

Press release from the Eureka Police Department:

On December 01, 2021, the Eureka Police Department responded to a silent panic alarm at Northern Redwood Federal Credit Union. Officers arrived on scene and learned the bank had just been robbed. The suspect fled the scene on bicycle. EPD Detectives and Evidence Technicians responded to the scene and took over the investigation. Through evidence collection and witness interview the suspect was identified as Timothy Thomas Mock. An arrest warrant was authored and issued for Mock.

During the investigation it was believed that Mock fled the state to avoid arrest. In October of 2024, Detectives learned that Mock was possibly living in Greenbelt, Maryland. An EPD Detective contacted the Greenbelt Police Department and requested their assistance in locating and arresting Mock on his warrant. On November 4, 2024 Mock was located, arrested and booked at the local jail in Greenbelt. Mock is waiting extradition back to California.

The Eureka Police Department would like to thank the Greenbelt Police Department for their assistance with this investigation.

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PREVIOUSLY: ‘Humboldt’ Singer Brett McFarland is Back With a Snappy New Song and Video About How Everything is Going to Hell

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In his latest single, “When the Country’s Gone,” local farmer/songwriter Brett McFarland expresses a deep concern about the state of the world and the future being left for the next generation. He touches on Humboldt’s long history of boom-and-bust economies and its enduring impact on the people who live here. 

The album, “Humboldt,” is part of a social impact project McFarland is working on to “raise awareness around environmental issues and inspire change,” according to a press release announcing the release of his new single. In the music video’s description on YouTube, McFarland highlights the Ancient Forest Alliance, an environmental organization dedicated to protecting old-growth forests, the Betty Kwan Chinn Homeless Foundation and Klamath River restoration efforts.

As good-intentioned as he may be, some of the lyrics in McFarland’s new song are a bit misleading, as noted by a few folks in our comment section.

As you know, dear reader, it is in our journalistic nature to poke holes in nice things in the enduring search for truth and clarity. To that end, we’re deploying LoCO’s False-O-Meter ™ to assess the validity of some of McFarland’s lyrics. We’ll rank ‘em on a scale from “As if!” to “Yeah! Checks out!” Let’s play!

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The music video opens with McFarland walking down one of the docks at the Woodley Island Marina, carrying his young daughter in his arms as he delivers the song’s opening line: “Well I love my child I’m a true believer but I wonder what kinda world we’re gonna leave her.” The camera pans down to an orange-capped syringe and a condom sitting atop a tangle of seaweed at the water’s surface. 

LoCO False-O-Meter rating: “Seems Sus”

Sure, littered drug paraphernalia can be spotted along Eureka’s streets – this unfortunate trend has been discussed ad nauseum at city council meetings and even inspired a local rap song, “Orange Cap City” by Hiway – but this sighting seems a little, uh, staged? I get it, the needle and condom floating in our beautiful Humboldt Bay are meant to highlight the degraded state of society and its impact on the environment but it’s a bit much, no? Alas, subtlety is a dying art.

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As the drum beat slowly ramps up, there are flashes of floating plastic water bottles, trash on the beach, an aerial view of a landfill, a strip mine, a redwood tree stump, a dried-up lake bed, wildfires, oil refineries, a wind turbine, the “Eye of Providence” on the $1 bill, clear cut forests, tent cities, a torn American flag, and then the screen goes black. 

“I used to think I knew but now I ain’t too clear how we’re ever gonna make it out of here,” McFarland sings as an aging fisherman unties his boat from the dock and heads out to Humboldt Bay. He is soon joined by McFarland and another guy ripping the harmonica at the back of the boat as the song takes off. “I don’t know what’s right or wrong but I’m gonna cry when the country’s gone.”

As the boat passes Schmidbauer Lumber, McFarland calls out Humboldt’s long history of boom-and-bust economies tied to resource extraction. “Well, the city man came with a big swingin’ dick singin’, ‘We make the problems only we can fix’,” he sings over a clip of a faceless businessman looking out over skyscrapers.“Yeah, they dug all the gold and they cut all the trees and now they’re coming back for the ocean breeze.”

LoCO False-O-Meter rating: “You’re Not Wrong, But…”

For nearly 200 years, boom-and-bust industries (gold, timber, fishing, weed) have dominated Humboldt’s economy. Those industries came with a lot of perks, but I think it’s safe to assume that the proverbial “city man” didn’t have the best interest of Humboldt – or our environment – at heart when he “came in  with a big swingin’ dick.” No argument there.

However, there’s an important distinction between the extractive industries of yore and the burgeoning offshore wind industry. For one, wind is a renewable resource that is naturally replenished and cannot be depleted. That said, there are still a lot of questions regarding the potential environmental impacts associated with floating offshore wind turbines, which are actively being explored by scientists and wind developers around the world. (You can check out LoCO’s offshore wind coverage at this link.)

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McFarland continues: “Yeah, the biggest fish farm on the whole West Coast cooking GMO salmon while the fishermen sell their boats!”

LoCO False-O-Meter rating: “As if!”

The fish farm McFarland is referring to here is the land-based fish farm that Norway-based seafood company Nordic Aquafarms plans to build on the Samoa Peninsula. When the fish farm was first dreamed up, Nordic planned to raise Atlantic salmon at the facility. However, in April 2023, the company changed its plans and opted for yellowtail kingfish instead. Nordic has also committed to avoiding all GMOs and antibiotics in its fish feed.

It seems unlikely that Nordic’s project would be the “biggest fish farm on the whole West Coast” but it was difficult to find a definite answer. According to the Outpost’s previous reporting, the facility’s five buildings would span roughly 766,000 square feet across the 30-acre site. Compare that to Kent SeaTech, which sits on 160 acres – 6,969,600 square feet – near Palm Springs. However, Kent SeaTech doesn’t list the square footage for its facilities, so we couldn’t make a direct comparison. Also, it’s not clear if McFarland’s use of “West Coast” means West Coast states or coastal communities. I know, we’re being nitpicky but this is for your own good!

And to be clear, our “As If!” rating does not apply to the bit about fishermen having to sell their boats. There is no doubt that the local fishing community has struggled in recent years due to ever-increasing environmental regulations and declining revenues associated with shorter commercial fishing seasons, which are often delayed or canceled by low abundance, price negotiations, and/or the presence of domoic acid in shellfish. 

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In his last verse, McFarland decries the state of the U.S. economy. “You and me are the GDP, buying debt in the land of the free,” he sings. “They say if you ain’t growin’ then you’re gonna die, but it’s a pyramid scheme and a hell of a lie. All around the country folks are getting priced out and mom and pop are rentin’ ‘cuz they can’t afford to buy a house!”

LoCO False-O-Meter rating: “Yeah! Checks Out!”

There are a lot of economic factors that play into the national housing market that I am not at all qualified to speak to, but I think it’s widely acknowledged that the average American cannot afford to buy a house due to exorbitant prices, rising interest rates and limited availability.

Still, I think it’s important to note that the U.S. economy is actually in pretty good shape. People are struggling economically but inflation is down and economic growth is solid, according to a recent assessment from Nerd Wallet.

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McFarland closes the song by repeating, “I don’t know what’s right or wrong but I’m gonna cry when the country’s gone.” The music video ends with aerial footage of a neighborhood decimated by fire and fades to a black screen with white text: “Find meaningful ways to make a difference.”

McFarland and friends are already working on a music video for his next song, “Klamath,” which tells the story of the decades-long, indigenous-led effort to undam the Klamath River. Want to be a part of the music video? Show up to the Arcata Playhouse at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9, but be sure to RSVP by sending an email to the contact page at McFarland’s website – linked here.

When President-elect Donald Trump moves into the White House in January, he will become a key figure in California’s homelessness crisis, holding the federal purse strings and setting policy at the national level..

So what will this change of power mean for the state as it tries to move its nearly 186,000 homeless residents — the most in the nation — indoors?

Housing and homeless services experts in California worry the Trump administration will cut federal funding in those areas, while also doing away with policies deemed too “progressive.”

But surprisingly, based on what he’s said so far about one of the key issues regarding homelessness, Trump’s agenda isn’t much different from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s. Trump pledged to tackle the encampments that have made cities “unlivable” by working with states to ban urban camping and arrest those who don’t comply — something many cities in California started doing before Election Day, as Newsom encouraged them to clear camps.

“The homeless have no right to turn every park and sidewalk into a place for them to squat and do drugs,” Trump said in a campaign video posted online in April, 2023. The video appears to be the last time he revealed specific homelessness policy intentions.

“There is nothing compassionate about letting these individuals live in filth and squalor rather than getting them the help that they need,” Trump said.

Newsom, who in most other arenas is one of Trump’s biggest foes, has said nearly the exact same thing.

“There is no compassion in allowing people to suffer the indignity of living in a camp for years and years,” Newsom said in September before signing a package of housing bills. In July, Newsom ordered state agencies to ramp up encampment sweeps, and he threatened to withhold state funding from cities that fail to do the same.

More than two-dozen California cities and counties already have introduced or passed new ordinances cracking down on camps (or updated existing ones to make them more punitive), after the Supreme Court gave them the green light to do so in June.

Trump also said he would move unhoused people to tent cities staffed with doctors and social workers.

That plan alarmed Alex Visotzky, senior California policy fellow for the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

“We need to remember that involuntary carceral approaches don’t work and just delay our efforts to end homelessness,” he said.

If Trump pushes these policies at the national level, especially if he offers federal funding for sweeps and tent cities, it could spur California cities to further crack down, Visotzky said.

“The homeless have no right to turn every park and sidewalk into a place for them to squat and do drugs.”
— President-elect Donald Trump in a campaign video, 2023

As the Trump administration gets to work replacing the heads of federal agencies such as the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, there’s a good chance policies California has come to rely on will get tossed out along the way, said Sharon Rapport, director of California state policy for the Corporation for Supportive Housing. The new guard likely will scrap at least some policies viewed as the gold standard in California, such as “housing first,” which says unhoused people, even those struggling with an addiction or their mental health, should be offered housing with no strings attached, and then services to help them recover.

It’s also a good bet California would see large cuts to funding for federal housing and homelessness programs — including the voucher program that subsidizes rents for hundreds of thousands of Californians, Rapport said.

That’s worrying for organizations such as Abode, which provides housing and other services for homeless Californians in seven counties.

“Federal funding is the brunt of what we receive either directly or through other entities, so it could be really impactful if there’s a huge reduction,” said CEO Vivian Wan. “It’s just going to hurt all of our communities.”

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

Short version? 31,417 ballots were counted on Election Day. Today, there are 33,981 ballots left to count.

Press release from the Humboldt County Elections Office:

The Humboldt County Office of Elections will continue to post the results of the November 5, 2024 General Election every Friday by 5 p.m. leading up to the certification of the election prior to Tuesday, Dec. 3.

The Elections Office has approximately 33,981 unprocessed ballots as of today, Thursday, Nov. 7.

Unprocessed Ballots

• Provisional: 2,004
• Vote-By-Mail: 31,943
• Ballots from Voting Locations: 34

All valid vote-by-mail ballots will be counted regardless of the outcome or closeness of any race if they are postmarked by Tuesday, Nov. 5 and arrive by Tuesday, Nov. 12.

For more information on the results of the election, please visit the Elections Results webpage or call 707-445-7481.

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Rob Arkley’s Security National spent more than $1.6 million on a failed effort to preserve some of Eureka’s downtown parking spaces via citizen initiative, and while it looks like voters will wind up rejecting Measure F by a margin of more than two-to-one, the semi-local tycoon isn’t giving up.

On Election Day, before any results had even been tallied, the Arkley-affiliated group Citizens for a Better Eureka filed the opening brief of an appeal in a case concerning the parking lot at the corner of Fifth and D streets — half a block from Security National’s Eureka headquarters.

Citizens for a Better Eureka sued the city in May of 2023 — in one of five lawsuits it would eventually file — alleging that the city failed to comply with provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) when it designated that parking lot as surplus, freeing it up for affordable housing development.

The following July, the city awarded the development project to Dishgamu Humboldt Community Land Trust, a component unit of the Wiyot Tribe, which aims to build a 41-unit mixed-income apartment complex on the parcel, along with a 52-unit project at the intersection of 6th and L streets.

In March, the Wiyot Tribe asked the court to dismiss the suit, arguing that it is “an indispensable party” in the case, but as a federally recognized Indian Tribe it also has sovereign immunity and thus cannot be “joined” or included in the suit. 

Humboldt County Superior Court Judge John T. Feeney evidently agreed with that argument, summarily dismissing the case without explanation.

In the opening brief of his appeal (which was first reported by John Chiv), Citizens for a Better Eureka attorney Bradley B. Johnson argues that Judge Feeney made a mistake in granting the Tribe’s motion. Johnson doesn’t dispute the tribe’s sovereign immunity claims, but he says that’s not the issue.

“[T]his case is not a lawsuit against the Tribe,” his argument says (underlining his). Instead, he says, the case is about whether Eureka followed CEQA when it surplussed the land, which happened before the project was even awarded to the Tribe’s development arm.

“The question presented in the case at hand – whether [the City of Eureka] complied with CEQA when it decided to reduce or remove parking from the parking lot at 5th and D Streets and declare the lot surplus – is one that can be fully resolved in the Tribe’s absence,” Johnson’s argument says. 

In asking Judge Feeney to toss the lawsuit last year, the Wiyot Tribe’s attorneys argued that the Tribe’s plans for the Fifth and D lot are inextricably linked to the outcome of this lawsuit, which makes the Tribe an indispensable party. 

“There’s no way this case can be reconfigured to limit the impact to the Wiyot Tribe because the removal of parking that took place at the April 2023 city council meeting is a necessary first step in the Tribe’s development,” attorney Siena Kalina argued.

The Wiyot Tribe did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the appeal. [UPDATE, 4:19 p.m.: Shortly after this post was published, Wiyot Tribal Administrator Michelle Vassel told the Outpost via email, “We received their brief on Election night. The Tribe is aware of the appeal and will respond accordingly. “]

Eureka’s city attorney, Autumn Luna, declined to comment. The city’s response brief is due by Dec. 5. 

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DOCUMENT: Opening Brief

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PREVIOUSLY

• New Group — ‘Citizens for a Better Eureka’ — Says It Will Sue Eureka Over Downtown Housing Development
• Eureka City Council Approves Surplus Designation for Vacant Lots by the Boardwalk Despite Lawsuit Threats, Paving the Way for Affordable Housing and Mixed-Use Development Along the Waterfront
• Here is the Housing Development/Parking Lot Lawsuit Served on the City of Eureka Today
• Arkley-Affiliated Group ‘Citizens for a Better Eureka’ Files Second Lawsuit Against the City Over Development Plans
• Wiyot Tribe Makes Its Case, Convinces Eureka Council to Reject Staff Pick and Award Affordable Housing Development Projects to Tribal Land Trust Agency
• Arkley-Affiliated ‘Citizens for a Better Eureka’ Files Two More Lawsuits Against the City, Aiming to Block Linc Housing Developments
• Local Transportation-Focused Nonprofit Intervenes in ‘Citizens for a Better Eureka’ Lawsuit That Aims to Prevent Housing Developments
• ‘I Will Not Stand For It’: Attorney General Bonta Decries ‘Cynical’ Lawsuits From Citizens for a Better Eureka
• ‘Citizens for a Better Eureka’ Drops Motions for Preliminary Injunction But Will Continue CEQA Lawsuits Against the City
• Wiyot Tribe Urges Judge to Toss ‘Citizens for a Better Eureka’ Lawsuit Over Removal of Parking Spaces
• Judge Grants Wiyot Tribe’s Motion to Dismiss Lawsuit Filed By ‘Citizens for a Better Eureka’ Over the City’s Housing Development Plans

Press release from Humboldt County Superior Court:

The Humboldt County civil grand jury is seeking additional Alternates for the fiscal year of 2024/2025 (July1 - June 30). Alternates may be called upon to complete the term if/when a Grand Juror finds it necessary to resign during their term, usually because of unforeseen circumstances. Although the term has already begun and the members are empaneled, we encourage interested persons to apply and be considered to serve as alternates, if and when vacancies occur during the term of service.

The Humboldt Superior Court empanels 19 citizens to act as an independent body of the judicial system each year. The Court encourages applications from citizens representing a broad cross-section of the Humboldt County community.

The primary work of the civil grand jury is to investigate and review citizen complaints concerning the operations of city and county government as well as other tax supported and non-profit agencies and districts.

Based on these reviews, the grand jury publishes its findings and reports recommending constructive actions to improve the quality and effectiveness of our local government. The civil grand jury does not consider criminal indictments.

Eligibility requirements for grand jury service:

• Citizen of the United States;
• 18 years of age or older;
• Resident of Humboldt County for at least one year before selection;
• In possession of natural faculties, of ordinary intelligence, of sound judgment and fair character;
• Sufficient knowledge of the English language;
• Not currently serving as a trial juror in any court in this state;
• Have not been discharged as a grand juror in any court of this state within one year;
• Have not been convicted of malfeasance in office or other high crime;
• Not serving as an elected public officer.

For more information about the application process, please visit the Court’s web site at this link or, contact Administration at (707)269-1204 for any questions you may have.

You may also download, complete, and email a Civil Grand Jury Questionnaire to GrandJuryApps@humboldtcourt.ca.gov, or we can email you an application. Thank you for your interest in serving your local community!

Last month the Lost Coast Outpost was overwhelmed by the emotional response locals felt upon watching local farmer/songwriter Brett McFarland’s music video for his song “Humboldt.” Since its release, the clip has racked up over 50,000 views on YouTube, no small feat when you consider the population of the place the song was written as a love letter to. In sheer numbers, Humboldt loved “Humboldt.”

Well, McFarland is not resting on his “Humboldt” success. This week he’s back with a new slickly produced video for his song “When the Country’s Gone,” which features lyrics bemoaning worsening economic conditions in rural areas despite continued extraction of natural resources.

If you’d like to sing along, LoCO would like to help you with that: 

“When the Country’s Gone”

Well, I love my child, I’m a true believer, but I wonder what kind of world we’re going to leave her 

I used to think I knew but now I ain’t too clear how we’re ever going to make it out of here 

I don’t know what’s right or wrong but I’m going to cry when the country’s gone 

Well, the city man came with a big swingin’ dick singin’, “We make the problems only we can fix!”

Yeah, they dug all the gold and they cut all the trees and now they’re coming back for the ocean breeze 

Yeah, the biggest fish farm on the whole West Coast cooking GMO Salmon while the fishermen sell their boats!

I don’t know what’s right or wrong but I’m going to cry when the country’s gone 

You and me are the GDP, buying debt in the land of the free 

They say if you ain’t growin’ then you’re gonna die, but it’s a pyramid scheme and a hell of a lie

All around the country folks are getting priced out and mom and pop are rentin’ ‘cuz they can’t afford to buy a house! 

I don’t know what’s right or wrong but I’m going to cry when the country’s gone 

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And in case you thought the McFarland media blitz was about to slow down, guess again. LoCO has received word from the McFarland camp that they are planning to shoot their next video for Brett’s song “Klamath,” which will tell the story of the indigenous-led efforts to remove the Klamath dams. And, oh, by the way, if you’d like to be a part of that video shoot, you can be! Would-be participants are invited to come to the Arcata Playhouse on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. to be part of a live audience for the clip. If you’re interested, RSVP by sending an email or Instagram message.