Born: January 9, 1930, in St Joseph Children’s Hospital, Orange, Calif.
Died: January 4, 2025, in her sleep at home in McKinleyville

Nancy was the first child of Lyman and Catherine Farwell of Santa Ana. Her father was a farmer, investor, yachtsman, and businessman in the greater Los Angeles region. Her mother was a happy wife, mother, fellow investor, homemaker, yachtswoman and society matron.

She was born in Orange on January 9, 1930, she entered this world in the same hospital where, decades later, all four of her children would be born.

Nancy’s family raised orange trees on a 20-acre ranch with horses and other livestock in Santa Ana and later in Tustin. Nancy’s passion was riding across the fields and throughout the surrounding groves, and even west 20 miles to the waters and beaches of Balboa and Newport Harbor. The Farwells built a large New Orleans-style home on a Balboa peninsula property in 1936, next to properties her uncles owned and where they had built houses. That kept the Farwell families close, and anytime the cousins could play together by simply jumping the bulkheads separating them. Her entire family were experienced yachtsmen and sailors, cruising and racing the west coast from Canada to Mexico, stopping up and down the coast in all harbors for rest, even into Humboldt Bay, Trinidad Harbor and at Crescent City many times. Her father owned a series of yachts cruising to Catalina Island for weekends throughout the years, participating in several sailing races to Acapulco and the Hawaiian islands. Nancy joined as crew with her husband many times.

Nancy primary and high schooled in Southern California until going to Stephens College in Missouri in 1948-50, earning her AA degree. She started attending USC, until meeting her handsome and gentlemanly naval aviator husband, Robert Whiting Gurley, in autumn 1950. They married in 1951, honeymooning on Oahu in Hawaii, at the Royal Hawaiian. Robert was the only man for her.

Together they raised their four children on a 40-acre orange ranch south of Tustin, until selling in 1969, and moving to a new 80-acre citrus ranch near Indio. They successfully put all four children through college.

In 1978 they sold the desert ranch and moved to a small 3-acre avocado farm near Fallbrook, Calif. As 1988 arrived they sold again and with all the kids out on their own, moved back to Newport Beach to be near family, business interests, and friends. In 1995, since all four children had moved to Northern California, they decided to move north to a riverside dream home in Napa, to be closer and more involved in their six grandchildren’s lives. Napa was their dream retirement community where they built close lasting friendships with dear neighbors and the community. They enjoyed travel to foreign lands, cruising the Napa river in several successive Duffy electric boats, and spending time with their beloved children and grandchildren.

Robert passed away in 2014, and Nancy stayed put with her close neighbors and adored St Mary’s Episcopal church. By 2022, the years were catching up, and it was time to move again, with her youngest son as caregiver, to McKinleyville, to be near her daughters for support and better care.

Nancy has always been active in many organizations serving her communities. From symphony to light opera to service leagues, to various clubs, she helped as she could. She was an avid seamstress.

She was a lifelong churchgoer to any local Episcopal church. She was a staunch Republican until the last 10 years of her life, when she grew appalled at the change in that party and became an independent voter.

She enjoyed traveling with her husband, and houseboating on Trinity/Clair Engle lake, and Shasta Lake with her family.

No memorial is planned at this time. Her and her husband’s ashes will be scattered in a place where they enjoyed some of their favorite memories.

Nancy is survived by her four children, Geof and Barbi Gurley, of Los Osos, Calif; Kay Lenore Gurley and Peter Daggett, of Blue Lake; and Penelope T Gurley, and Robert L Gurley, both of McKinleyville. She is also survived by her six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Her husband, her parents and grandparents, her sister and brother are waiting in heaven to greet her.

Nancy encourages any donations offered can be made to the Episcopal Church, Hospice of Humboldt, Caregiver support organizations, or the Nature Conservancy and Catalina Island Conservancy. She believes in being involved in your local and wider community, supporting causes that help neighbors and our fellow citizens thrive.

Her remains were cremated with the kind assistance of Ayres Family Crematorium, in Eureka.

Her favorite quote is that of Theodore Roosevelt: “…The credit goes to the ‘person’ who is actually in the Arena, Whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood…” She admired those who take risks — even when they fail, at least they tried.

We all love you, Mom and Dad.

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

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Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On Jan. 18, 2025, at around 2:30 p.m., a Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputy on patrol in the area of Myrtle Ave. and Alpha St. in Eureka observed Robert Sears, 58, of Eureka, walking along the street. Sears had a felony warrant for his arrest and was on formal probation for HS 11352(a), selling or transporting drugs.

The deputy confirmed with the Emergency Communications Center that the warrant status was active and contacted Sears. Per his probation terms and incident to arrest, a deputy conducted a search of Sears and located a silver metal container containing 90.82g of methamphetamine, a clear glass pipe with methamphetamine residue, a plastic container containing 8.8g of fentanyl, and a plastic baggie containing 0.08g of fentanyl.

Sears was then transported to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility and booked for the following charges:

• Possession of Methamphetamine—H&S 11377(a)
• Possession of Fentanyl— H&S 11350(a)
• Possession of Drug Paraphernalia— H&S 11364
• Violation of Probation— PC 1203.2

Anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.

Activists gathered at the Arcata Plaza today to protest Trump’s first round of executive orders, remember the second anniversary of the death of an indigenous activist and rail against capitalism in general. 

About 30 protestors showed up at noon. The crowd was both Cal Poly Humboldt students and community members. 

It was a pretty tame event. People made signs and distributed masks. A few speakers made some remarks, but the overall mood was heavy. Attendees lamented Trump’s attacks on birthright citizenship and his promises to deport illegal immigrants. 

Special attention was given to Tortuguita, an ecological activist who was killed by police during the Stop Cop City protests in Atlanta two years ago, as well as the ongoing plight in Gaza.

“What can you do?” one speaker said. “We can show up to events, organize our own, and help people. We can take action…all you need are a couple cars to block the McDonald’s drive-through, and they stop making money. Park at the pumps at Chevron and don’t move. Bring a board game! …You can punch a Nazi. Remember, there is no power like the power of the people.” 

*UPDATE*

The Outpost has heard that the protestors moved to campus, and may have occupied a building. Updates incoming.

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PREVIOUSLY

• Two Humboldt County Residents Charged for Participating in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol Attack

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Thanks to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on his first day back in office, two local residents are off the hook despite pleading guilty to misdemeanor charges related to their participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The two are among the nearly 1,600 people given a full and unconditional legal reprieve by Trump. Their cases were officially dismissed today.

Kristen “Kris” Oliver Cunningham, 54, and Stacey Lynne Urhammer (aka Stacey Loeser), 55, were indicted last October following a long FBI investigation that eventually led to their identification in photos and surveillance video captured inside the Capitol building the day of the riot.

Both Cunningham and Urhammer entered plea deals this past fall — Cunningham in October, shortly before Trump’s re-election, and Urhammer in November, shortly after. They pleaded guilty, separately, to:

• Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building and
• Parading, Demonstrating or Picketing in a Capitol Building.

Per the terms of the virtually identical deals, both Cunningham and Urhammer had two other charges against them dismissed:

• Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds and
• Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds.

Trump’s executive order grants “a full, complete and unconditional pardon” to anyone and everyone convicted of offenses related to the Jan. 6 siege, including far-right extremists, such as Enrique Tarrio of the Proud Boys and Stewart Rhodes of the Oath Keepers militia , who played central roles in the Capitol attack.

At least seven people died in connection to the attack, according to a bipartisan Senate report.

Urhammer was represented by Heather Shaner, a defense attorney whose work representing January 6th rioters received a lot of media attention, including the following documentary short produced by the New Yorker.

Press release from California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office:

Bonta

California Attorney General Rob Bonta today filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s unconstitutional executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship. Under the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, all children born on U.S. soil are automatically granted U.S. citizenship and the rights and privileges that come with it.

In 1898, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed this right in a case brought by Wong Kim Ark, a San Francisco-born, Chinese-American man who had been denied his re-entry rights after a trip abroad. In today’s lawsuit, 18 state attorneys general – led by California, New Jersey, and Massachusetts – argue that President Trump’s unprecedented executive order violates the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution and Section 1401 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and should be immediately blocked from going into effect while litigation proceeds. 

“The President’s executive order attempting to rescind birthright citizenship is blatantly unconstitutional and quite frankly, un-American,” said Attorney General Bonta. “As home of Wong Kim Ark, a San Francisco native who fought – successfully – to have his U.S. citizenship recognized, California condemns the President’s attempts to erase history and ignore 125 years of Supreme Court precedent. We are asking a court to immediately block this order from taking effect and ensure that the rights of American-born children impacted by this order remain in effect while litigation proceeds. The President has overstepped his authority by a mile with this order, and we will hold him accountable.” 

From the beginning of our nation’s history, America followed the common law tradition that those born on U.S. soil are subject to its laws and are citizens by birth. Although the Supreme Court’s notorious decision in Dred Scott denied birthright citizenship to the descendants of enslaved people, the post-Civil War United States adopted the Fourteenth Amendment to protect citizenship for children born in the country. The Fourteenth Amendment’s Citizenship Clause explicitly promises that “[a]ll persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” 

The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed this constitutional right in 1898 when a San Francisco-born, Chinese American man was denied entry back into the United States after visiting relatives in China on the grounds that he was not a citizen. In United States v. Wong Kim Ark, the Supreme Court established that children born in the United States, including those born to immigrants, could not be denied citizenship. 

Within hours of taking office, the President issued an executive order disregarding the U.S. Constitution and this long-established precedent. The order directs federal agencies to prospectively deny the citizenship rights of American-born children whose parents are not lawful residents. The order instructs the Social Security Administration and Department of State, respectively, to cease issuing social security numbers and U.S. passports to these children, and directs all federal agencies to treat these children as ineligible for any privilege, right, or benefit that is reserved by law to individuals who are U.S. citizens.

If allowed to stand, the order would strip tens of thousands of children born each year of their ability to fully and fairly be a part of American society as rightful citizens, with all the benefits and privileges. These children would lose their most basic rights and be forced to live under the threat of deportation. They would lose eligibility for a wide range of federal benefits programs. They would lose their ability obtain a Social Security number and, as they age, to work lawfully. And they would lose their right to vote, serve on juries, and run for certain offices. 

The executive order would also directly harm California and other states, causing them to risk federal funding for vital programs that they administer, such as Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program; these programs are conditioned on the citizenship and immigration status of the children they serve. In addition, states would be required — on little notice and at considerable expense — to immediately begin modifying their operation and administration of benefits programs to account for this change by February 19, when the order goes into effect.

In today’s filings, the attorneys general contend that President Trump’s executive order is a flagrant violation of the Constitution and the Immigration and Nationality Act and would cause irreparable harm to the states and their residents. As such, the attorneys general seek a nationwide preliminary injunction to prevent the denial of the constitutional rights of tens of thousands of babies born each year in the U.S. who otherwise would have been, and should be, citizens, including an estimated 24,500 children born in California annually, and the disruption vitally important public health and other federal benefit programs. 

Attorney General Bonta is joined by the attorneys general of New Jersey, Massachusetts, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin, along with the City of San Francisco. 

A copy of the complaint can be found here. 

After attending President Donald Trump’s second inauguration on Monday, our local congressman, Rep. Jared Huffman, posted the following writeup on his Facebook page (which he lists under the name of his cat, Truman, for algorithmic reasons):

Huffman

Day 1 of Trump 2.0 is off to a predictable start. I attended the inauguration even though I didn’t want to because I wanted to show Republicans that I’m standing my ground and here to do my job. I wanted all of you to know that too. And I just got back from the traditional lunch the new President and VP have with congressional leaders, which is one of my new responsibilities as Ranking Member of the Natural Resources Committee.

None of today’s events were surprising, but it was still surreal to be in such close proximity to all of those tech billionaires, rightwing gadflies and Trump family members. In the spirit of bipartisanship, I’ll say that Carrie Underwood seems genuinely nice, Ted Cruz and I chatted politely about all the Presidents born in 1946 (Bush Jr., Clinton and Trump), and Interior Nominee Doug [Burgum’s] son is a very thoughtful, pleasant and impressive young man who seems to genuinely care about solving the problem of social isolation. People were on their best behavior knowing this was the calm before the storm, which added to the surreal feeling. 

Trump’s speech was at once ominous, weird, and laughably dumb — ranging from dark authoritarian threats he is already acting on (e.g., invoking the 1798 Alien and Sedition Acts to justify using our military to deport people), to things we all know he will never do (taking back the Panama Canal, landing a man on Mars during his presidency), to things that are just bonkers (renaming the Gulf of Mexico). That’s going to be the mix folks — we have to focus on the real and dangerous parts and not chase squirrels.

And get ready for extreme gaslighting to justify unthinkable abuses of executive power. With our border silent, Trump declared an “invasion” to justify mobilizing the military for his mass deportation plan. With our oil and gas production/exports at all-time highs, he declared an energy emergency to justify his extreme “drill baby drill” plans. This is the Reichstag Fire playbook: create a crisis and use it to justify waiving laws, claiming emergency powers, and eventually ending democracy. We’re going to see a lot more of this, and we should know where it leads.

I was also struck by the overt Christian nationalism at every turn — continuous invocations of our country’s Christian roots and heritage, celebrating the totally fake history of George Washington kneeling in prayer at Valley Forge, claiming that God spared Trump from assassination so that he could carry out his MAGA agenda, and that God wanted Trump to win the election, etc. The clear message: God now wants all of US to fall in line and do Trump’s bidding. Between the inauguration and the lunch ceremony, there were at least 8 official prayers from a mix of MAGA evangelicals and rightwing Catholics, and one MAGA rabbi (that is how Christian nationalists’ camouflage their antisemitism, allowing a token Jewish voice in order to claim they are for “Judeo-Christian” values — but notice they never say Abrahamic, since that would bring in Muslims). All of this is standard fare these days, but it still makes me want to burn some sage.

I will need more time to parse and process all of the Executive Orders from our Day-1 Dictator, but all of these orders so far are straight out of Project 2025, just as we warned. Later this week, I’ll lead Democrats into the first hearing of the Natural Resources Committee where we’ll lead the fight against Trump’s “drill baby drill” agenda. And, because we have jurisdiction over the US Geological Survey, we’ll be on point for Trump’s plan to rename the Gulf of Mexico. Things are going to be busy.

I’m ready for all of this. Brace for turbulence. My advice is try to stay focused on things that pose direct threats to our values and our communities. Stay off Twitter, tune out the distractions if you can, and feel free to post cat pictures here anytime. 

Onward.

California sheriffs once again find themselves navigating a difficult political calculus on immigration as President Donald Trump begins his second term.

They can enforce a state sanctuary law that some of them personally oppose, or they can roll out the welcome mat to federal immigration enforcement authorities whom Trump has promised will carry out the largest deportation program in American history.

Some California sheriffs have pledged not to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement authorities, based on their own policies or laws passed by their counties, and will forbid immigration agents from using county personnel, property or databases without a federal warrant.

Others said that while California law prevents direct cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, immigration authorities are free to use their jail websites and fingerprints databases to identify people of interest.

“Several state leaders would prefer we do not have any communication with ICE, however, that is not what (the laws) say,” said Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni. “ICE may access jail bookings through our public website and fingerprint information put into the national database to identify any incarcerated persons of interest to them.”

And one sheriff, Chad Bianco of Riverside County, said he would work around California law, if he could, to ensure more people are deported.

CalMatters attempted to contact all 58 sheriff’s offices in California. Twenty-seven responded by Friday afternoon. Most sheriffs who responded simply said they will follow state law, spelled out in a bill passed during the first Trump administration that limited California law enforcement participation in immigration enforcement.

Before Trump’s inauguration today, immigration raids in the Central Valley earlier this month already had undocumented migrants and their families concerned about massive enforcement sweeps on immigrant-dependent industries like agriculture. Trump and cabinet officials from his first term have pledged “targeted arrests” of undocumented people, and view local law enforcement as “force multipliers” of that effort.

California sheriffs could play an influential role in determining whether someone gets arrested and deported because they manage the state’s local jail system, where people suspected of committing crimes are held while awaiting trial. A bill named after a slain Georgia nursing student that is expected to pass in Congress could enhance sheriffs’ sway over immigration enforcement by prioritizing deportations of undocumented immigrants arrested on suspicion of burglary and shoplifting, regardless of whether they’re convicted.

The majority of sheriffs who responded to a CalMatters inquiry said they were balancing their duties with their need for cooperation from frightened immigrant communities. They worry those communities will shun all law enforcement if they fear deportation based on their immigration status alone.

“You don’t know how many calls I’ve gotten from Hispanics in my area that I’ve known, I’ve grown up with, they’re all worried about family members,” said Mendocino County Sheriff Matt Kendall. “I’ve got in-laws through my children calling me because they’re concerned, but let’s look at the ability to actually enforce this crap.

“Hell, I’ve got 50 deputies and I can barely keep a lid on crime in a county of 90,000. How are these guys coming out here with all of this ‘We’re gonna deport 10 million people’ or something. No, that’s ridiculous. It’s not gonna happen.”

Kendall said he undoubtedly has people in his community who have committed serious crimes and are also undocumented, and wants those people arrested.

“If they want to go out and deport all the criminals, knock yourselves out, but let’s pick and choose what’s important and what is not,”he said.

One consistent theme: Every sheriff who responded to CalMatters said immigration enforcement isn’t their job. But some of them went further, pledging not to honor immigration holds, while others said they will neither “prevent nor hinder” immigration enforcement agents from doing their jobs.

Sanctuary law divided California sheriffs

When Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation making California a sanctuary state in 2017, barring police from inquiring about people’s immigration status and participating in federal immigration enforcement, the reaction from the Trump administration was immediate.

The administration cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in law enforcement grants to sanctuary cities that limited cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The Biden administration restored the grants in 2021.

Several California sheriffs were outspoken critics of the sanctuary law during Trump’s previous presidency. A group of San Joaquin Valley sheriffs traveled with Trump to the border in 2019, where they endorsed his immigration policies.

One of them, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux, said he doesn’t agree with California’s sanctuary law, and said any governor who supports it should be removed from office.

But Boudreaux said he wants to distinguish between targeted enforcement of “felonious” people, which he supports, and massive immigration raids.

“Now, if they come into the area saying, ‘Hey, we’re just going to scoop up as many people as we can that are here illegally,’ we’re not going to do that, because (we) have a community to serve,” Boudreaux said. “If you can separate the difference between that, you should be able to see what I mean.”

Boudreaux pledged to keep working with federal immigration authorities within the parameters of California law.

“(If) I have a federal counterpart that comes into my county asking for assistance, I’m going to give it to them,” Boudreaux said.

Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff and one of Trump’s most outspoken allies in California, took office in 2019. Now, Bianco said he’s ready to work around state law to step up immigration enforcement.

“I will do everything in my power to make sure I keep the residents of Riverside County safe,” Bianco said to KTTV-TV in November. “If that involves working somehow around (California’s sanctuary law) with ICE so we can deport these people victimizing us and our residents, you can be 100% sure I’m going to do that.”

Immigrant advocates watching sheriffs

Eva Bitran, Immigrants’ Rights project coordinator at the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, said her organization would be watching for violations of the state sanctuary law, which would typically involve police calling federal immigration authorities at jails or during arrests.

That’s what happened to Daniel Valenzuela in 2019, when Corona police interrogated him about his immigration status during a traffic stop, then transferred him to U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents. Valenzuela was then deported.

The ACLU sued the city of Corona, which paid Valenzuela a $35,000 settlement.

“Our expectation is that the sheriffs will follow the law,” Bitran said. “We will be watching to ensure they do so.”

In 2020, Los Angeles County banned the warrantless transfer of inmates to immigration enforcement custody. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said his department does not honor immigration detainers unless presented with a federal warrant.

Between 2018 and 2023, the last date for which data was available, there were 4,192 transfers of people from California jails to immigration authorities.

But it’s street enforcement that has people worried in both the Central Valley and downtown Oakland, where the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office is already trying to tamp down rumors of immigration raids.

“We want to assure you that this information is false,” said Alameda County Sheriff’s Sgt. Roberto Morales. “This information has caused panic and anxiety in our communities.

“While we respect criminal warrants issued by a judge, Sheriff’s Office personnel do not comply with administrative immigration warrants. Importantly, we believe that local law enforcement involvement in ICE deportation operations undermines our community policing strategies and depletes local resources.”

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CalMatters reporter Cayla Mihalovich contributed to this story.

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