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In response to the recent lapse in funding for federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, the Eureka City Council on Tuesday approved $30,000 in funding to support local food assistance programs. The funds will be equally split — $15,000 apiece — between Food for People and St. Vincent de Paul’s dining facility in Eureka.

Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting, Eureka City Manager Miles Slattery explained that the proposal came about “out of concern for SNAP benefits going away” during the government shutdown, which ended Nov. 12. “SNAP benefits were reinstated … but [there] are other issues pending that could be coming to people who provide food for our community,” he said.

While SNAP, known as CalFresh in California, is not presently at risk, the recent lapse in federal funding showed just how quickly local resources can become overwhelmed “when the food security safety net breaks down,” said Ashliegh Diehl, treasurer for Food for People.

Diehl | Screenshot

“In the days following the announcements of delayed SNAP benefits, Food for People saw an immediate 40 percent increase in people seeking our assistance,” Diehl said while commenting on the council’s proclamation for Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. “Many of them were scared, not knowing how they’d feed their family. While that emergency has passed, looking ahead, we anticipate an additional strain.”

Policy changes enacted through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will “significantly change” how SNAP benefits are administered and who is eligible, Diehl said. 

“These shifts will place new burdens on states and communities, and ultimately reduce access for many people who currently rely on food assistance here in Humboldt,” she continued. “Thousands of residents could be affected, which will increase pressure on local food banks and other community organizations. When the larger safety net wavers, the impact is immediate at our local level.”

Staff had initially suggested that Foor for People and St. Vincent de Paul’s split the $15,000 in participatory budget funds, but Councilmember Leslie Castellano asked if it would be possible to up the city’s contribution by another five or ten thousand dollars. Slattery said he was fairly confident that increasing allocation wouldn’t threaten the city’s budget.

During public comment, St. Vincent de Paul Redwoods Region Board President Bob Santilli echoed previous comments about the challenging future ahead, underscoring that the nonprofit sector is often resilient on “precarious” funding streams that “can dry up overnight.”

Santilli | Screenshot

“We’ve pretty much seen a decline in funding over, I’d say, the last eight years or so, primarily in the grant funding world,” Santilli said. “We’re looking at non-traditional funding measures down the road, and we’ll see what happens, but it’s very much a blessing that yourselves are considering this measure for us, and it’s just further evidence of the long-standing support of the city, and we’re grateful for that.”

Councilmember Castellano made a motion to up the contribution to $15,000 for each organization, which was seconded by Councilmember G. Mario Fernandez. The motion passed in a 5-0 vote.

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Other notable bits from Tuesday’s meeting:

• Eureka Police Chief Brian Stephens presented the council with a mutual aid agreement for Humboldt County law enforcement that will guide the local response during a major incident or emergency. The agreement — linked here — includes all governmental law enforcement agencies in the county, as well as two tribal agencies. The agreement has already been reviewed by the city’s Independent Police Auditor and the Citizens’ Oversight of Police Practices (COPP) Board. The council agreed to receive and file the report, but did not take additional action on the item.
• The council also received a report on the city’s Façade Improvement Rebate and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) Grant Program. The program aims to reduce crime and “promote better health and wellness within the community” by improving the exterior of buildings and businesses around town. Eureka’s Economic Development Manager Swan Asbury said the city has had 90-plus site visits where several staffers talk to property owners about maintenance issues and potential improvements, but only 37 people have submitted grant proposals thus far. “I think that it is rare that [our city is] willing to do this, and that’s where the value is,” Asbury said. The council agreed to receive and file the report.
• The council also passed an ordinance designating fire hazard severity zones in the city, which is based on historical fire behavior, fire weather potential and fuel loading. The updated map — linked here — identifies most of Eureka as a “no hazard” zone, with the outskirts of the city designated as a “moderate fire hazard severity zone.
• The council also passed a proclamation acknowledging Nov. 20 as the Transgender Day of Remembrance.

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This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

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New federal regulations could leave California with 61,000 fewer truck drivers as the Trump administration bans certain immigrants from operating large vehicles. With fewer truck drivers on the road, consumers may see higher shipping costs, too.

Following an executive order from President Donald Trump in April, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy began cracking down on truck drivers by creating new regulations that prevent refugees, asylum seekers, and those with Deferred Action for Child Arrivals, or DACA, from holding commercial trucking licenses. The administration is also increasing enforcement to penalize those who have limited English proficiency.

California is the main target of both actions, sparking a feud between Duffy and Gov. Gavin Newsom.

“Licenses to operate a massive, 80,000-pound truck are being issued to dangerous foreign drivers — often times (sic) illegally. This is a direct threat to the safety of every family on the road,“ Duffy wrote in a statement in September. “California’s reckless disregard is frankly disgusting and an affront to the millions of Americans who expect us to keep them safe.”

Newsom has been unsparing in his responses. “Sounds like the federal Secretary of Transportation needs a lesson on his own road rules,” wrote his press office in October on the social media platform X. “Once again, the Sean ‘Road Rules’ Duffy fails to share the truth — spreading easily disproven falsehoods in a sad and desperate attempt to please his ‘dear leader,’” the office said in November, responding to more allegations by Duffy.

Until recently, the federal government allowed states to issue trucking licenses to non-citizen immigrants, including refugees, asylum seekers, and those with DACA. Of the more than 720,000 trucking licenses that are active in California, about 8%, or roughly 61,000, belong to this class of immigrants.

Now, under the new federal regulations released in September, nearly all of the 61,000 immigrants will lose their licenses in the coming months or years — for some, as soon as January.

Losing thousands of license-holders could disrupt California’s transportation economy, said Rebecca Higgins, vice president of policy for the Eno Center on Transportation, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. These cuts may lead to a sudden drop in the number of drivers in the state, potentially increasing shipping costs, she said.

In addition to the new regulations, the U.S. Transportation Department has repeatedly claimed that it conducted a “nationwide audit” of trucking policies and that at least five other states — Texas, South Dakota, Washington, Pennsylvania, and Colorado — have a history of violating federal law by giving licenses to ineligible immigrants. But the transportation department only publicly released an audit of California’s Department of Motor Vehicles and has refused to respond to CalMatters’ requests for data on any other state.

Duffy has threatened to withhold $160 million in federal highway safety funds from California because of alleged violations found in the audit. That money, representing about 4% of these federal funds, is supposed to arrive next fall. Duffy doesn’t have the legal right to withhold the remaining 96%.

Separately, the transportation department said it will no longer award any money to California from a different federal grant, totaling about $40 million, because it alleges that California isn’t enforcing English-language proficiency guidelines for truck drivers.

‘Insufficient evidence’ to support new regulations

Over the last decade, the demand for truckers has grown as companies like Amazon increasingly offer home shipping for any product imaginable. The trucking industry has expanded along with it, though companies have long struggled to retain workers willing to work the long hours with low pay that many entry-level positions offer.

With more trucks on the roads compared to 10 years ago, truck drivers are involved in a higher percentage of crashes and traffic-related fatalities. Duffy said the new regulations for immigrant drivers are an effort to save lives. But in publishing the new regulations on immigrant truck drivers, Duffy’s transportation department acknowledged that there’s “insufficient evidence” to prove that certain kinds of immigrants drive more dangerously than other drivers. Instead, the department justified the regulations by citing a number of high-profile crashes involving truck drivers who allegedly lack legal status, including a fiery crash on the I-10 in Ontario in October.

The driver, Jashanpreet Singh, is in jail, where he’s charged with vehicular manslaughter and reckless driving leading to the death of three people and injuries of two more. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security claims he lacks legal status and said it plans to detain him even if the charges are dropped.

In a Nov. 13 letter, the transportation department claims that if California had complied with the new regulations then “the crash may have been avoided.” But Higgins said the federal focus on a few crashes involving immigrants is glossing over the “root cause” of most traffic accidents, such as speeding and driving under the influence.

Thousands of licenses rescinded

Following the federal audit of California’s DMV, the state has already rescinded 17,000 licenses from immigrant truck drivers, giving each of them 60 days to stop driving and find a new job. Duffy said California was “caught red-handed” violating federal law on trucking licenses while Newom’s press office said that was a “lie.”

The reality is more nuanced. The federal audit found that California had issued some trucking licenses with expiration dates that extend past the dates that the driver could prove their legal right to remain in the U.S. The California DMV said that federal law never prohibited this practice until September, when the transportation department changed the rules. California rescinded these 17,000 licenses to abide by the new regulations and never violated the law, the DMV said.

After it rescinded those licenses, California asked the federal government to drop its threat to withhold $160 million in highway safety funds, but the transportation department refused.

All told, the money at risk represents a small fraction of the total federal dollars that go to California’s highways, so small that most Californians are unlikely to notice the change on the road, said Higgins. “The general public doesn’t notice a 3% or 2% reduction in highway funding, and they don’t notice a 1% reduction in trucks on the road.”

Still, she said many truck drivers and trucking companies could be hit hard.

Because of the transportation department’s new rules, California has already denied over 300 applications for truck licenses from refugees, asylum seekers, and those with DACA status, said Toni Tinoco, the assistant deputy secretary for communications at the state’s transportation agency. Driving schools say that some students have decided not to apply at all, knowing that their applications won’t be accepted.

Even after rescinding 17,000 licenses, California still has about 44,000 immigrant truck drivers whose licenses are still valid. But it’s likely that they won’t be able to renew their licenses as long as the federal regulations remain in effect. The only exceptions are those who have certain work visas known as the H-2a, H-2b or E-2, which are relatively rare for truck drivers.

A lawsuit by two national unions representing truck drivers appealed the new federal regulations and a judge agreed last week to temporarily pause their implementation, saying the federal government didn’t give states enough prior notice before changing its rules.

But the U.S. Transportation Department said the ruling doesn’t apply to any state under disciplinary actions, such as California. Tinoco said California will continue denying immigrants their licenses.

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

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In February 2024, a Los Angeles County jury awarded $2.34 million to an 84-year-old nursing home resident named Betsy Jentz, finding that the facility had violated her rights on 132 occasions, at times leading to serious injuries.

Six months later, an Alameda County jury found another facility had violated the rights of 71-year-old James Doherty, Sr. more than 1,400 times. That included seven instances in which staff failed to transport him, causing him to miss chemotherapy treatments, court documents said. Doherty died following the development of a large pressure sore. His family was awarded $7.6 million.

In February, a jury in Shasta County is scheduled to hear a case against a nursing home accused of negligence in the 2020 COVID-19 deaths of 24 patients.

And next spring, trial is scheduled to begin in the case of a 79-year-old dementia patient, referred to as Cheryl Doe, who was allegedly raped twice in another Alameda County facility; a second case against the same facility alleges that excessive sedation of 64-year-old Alando Williams led to his death.

All of these facilities have one thing in common: state records list Shlomo Rechnitz as an owner. [NOTE: In Humboldt County, this includes Eureka Rehabilitation and Wellness, Granada Rehabilitation and Wellness, Seaview Rehabilitation and Wellness and Fortuna Rebhabilitation and Wellness.]

Court documents show Rechnitz and his companies have denied all allegations in all of the cases. Mark Johnson, an attorney representing Rechnitz’ facilities and one of his main companies, Brius LLC, said in an email that facilities cannot comment on active litigation.

“It is accurate that nursing homes are the target of abusive lawsuits that accomplish nothing but depleting resources for patient care,” he said.

Johnson sought to distance his clients from the cases, saying that Rechnitz and his wife, Tamar, “are passive owners of the facilities” and have “absolutely no role in operations or management.” Johnson said “the licensees” contract with a company to manage the facilities, adding that “each facility has all the necessary resources for patients and staff.”

Rechnitz has been on the state’s radar for years. In 2014, then-Attorney General Kamala Harris attempted to prevent him from purchasing new homes. In 2018, the State Auditor’s Office found his companies had significantly higher rates of federal deficiencies and complaints than the rest of the state’s care facilities.

A jury in August held the nursing home Alameda Healthcare & Wellness Center responsible for the death of James Doherty, 71, an Air Force veteran. The jury awarded his family $7.6 million. Photo via Lanzone Morgan, LLP

In 2021, a CalMatters investigation documented that the state Department of Public Health allowed Rechnitz and his companies to operate 18 nursing homes while delaying a decision on granting licenses to them. The state had kept the license applications in a “pending” status for seven years after he acquired the homes. Rechnitz and his companies were allowed to continue operating five additional homes even after the state denied licenses to them.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law meant to address the issue, but state regulators in 2023 granted Rechnitz’ companies the licenses to operate the homes just before the measure took effect.

Now elder care advocates say he is Exhibit A in how regulators at the Department of Public Health are failing some of California’s most vulnerable citizens. They say the state could push for greater accountability, including withholding licenses from owners they deem to be bad actors.

Wendy York, a Sacramento attorney specializing in nursing home abuse, said that watching elderly and disabled residents repeatedly suffer the same types of injuries in these facilities “feels like a broken record. It feels like Groundhog Day.”

York brought the lawsuit in 2021 alleging that one of Rechnitz’ companies’ facilities, Windsor Redding Care Center, was responsible for the COVID-related deaths of some 24 elderly and dependent residents. Johnson, the attorney for Rechnitz’ facilities, previously said the company “vehemently” disagrees with the allegations in the case, which is headed to trial early next year.

There are “government agencies who are responsible for their oversight,” York said, but “at the end of the day, it feels like we’re the ones who are doing the enforcement.”

Johnson called it “crucial to note that California is one of the only states in the country to provide zero liability protection for healthcare providers during the unprecedented pandemic.”

“This is particularly noteworthy since nursing homes were the front line in trying to protect our frail and elderly,” he said.

At least one of the cases against Rechnitz’ facilities includes allegations about his own conduct. A man suing Rechnitz and his companies over a relative’s injuries wrote in a sworn declaration filed in court that Rechnitz attempted to intimidate and bribe him with Lakers tickets during an unexpected phone call on the eve of his scheduled testimony in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Johnson, the attorney representing Rechnitz’ facilities, called allegations about threats “completely false and defamatory.” A judge ruled the conversation could not be introduced as evidence.

Alameda Healthcare & Wellness Center, a Shlomo Rechnitz-owned nursing home, in Alameda on Oct. 25, 2025. Photo by Florence Middleton for CalMatters

In another case, Rechnitz and his wife Tamar in discovery disclosed their net worth: $786 million.

Tony Chicotel, a senior staff attorney for California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, said that dollar figure hasn’t been divulged publicly before.

“At least in some of these chains, the money that was meant to go for patient care is being stripped away and sent up top to the ownership,” he said.

Johnson, the attorney for Rechnitz’ facilities, did not comment on the disclosure of the family’s wealth when CalMatters asked him.

‘Heightened monitoring’ for two years

The Department of Public Health has for years refused CalMatters’ requests for an interview about licensing issues related to Rechnitz’ companies’ homes. They again declined requests for an interview for this story. They did not provide a reason.

Instead, spokesman Mark Smith, said in an emailed statement that the department “remains committed to transparency and accountability for all providers, and to the health and safety of all nursing home residents in California.” In response to CalMatters’ questions about facilities in which Rechnitz is listed as an owner, Smith noted that the department had “negotiated for and obtained heightened monitoring authority and additional enforcement powers, beyond those applicable to other skilled nursing facilities, for a period of two years at 24 of this provider’s locations.”

That period has ended.

“This does not mean our department will avoid holding this provider or their facilities accountable,” he said. “We will continue to monitor these locations as appropriate, enforce and cite for regulatory violations if needed, and take further corrective action if necessary.”

A CalMatters analysis of data from both the state health department and the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services found 78 California facilities in which Shlomo Rechnitz or his wife, Tamar, were listed as having an ownership stake. 

On average the facilities fared poorly on several key quality metrics compared to the state overall.

• In the past three years, the 78 nursing homes received an average of 12.4 citations for facility-reported incidents, compared with 6.1 for all nursing homes statewide.
• A higher proportion of these facilities has received a federal fine in the last three years than the state’s overall rate. Two-thirds of the facilities received at least one federal fine in the last three years, compared to half of all facilities across the state.
• The facilities have been fined an average of $47,897 during the last three years, compared to an average of $29,573 for all California facilities.
• The facilities had comparably low federal quality ratings: Almost 58% of these facilities had recent ratings of one or two stars (out of five), compared with slightly over 37% of facilities statewide.

Johnson, the attorney for Rechnitz’ facilities, noted in his email that a large percentage of these facilities are located in Los Angeles County, which he said issues deficiencies at a higher rate than any county in California, many of which are overturned on appeal.

He also said that “Mr. Rechnitz’ facilities self-report at a significantly higher rate than other comparable facilities,” which, in turn, could lead them to have a higher number of deficiencies.

Kamala Harris’ intervention

Back in 2014, Rechnitz bid on 18 Country Villa nursing homes in federal bankruptcy court. Then Attorney General Harris was so concerned with his track record that she filed an emergency motion to prevent him from purchasing or managing the homes, describing him as “a serial violator of rules within the skilled nursing industry.” At the time, Rechnitz’ attorney characterized the remarks as “defamatory” and “outrageous.”

The purchase went through.

Rechnitz then submitted change-of-ownership applications seeking licenses to run those homes. Rather than approving or denying them, CalMatters found that the state Department of Public Health simply left his applications in “pending” status for years. Despite that, his companies were allowed to continue operating the homes.

In 2015, he applied for licenses for five Windsor nursing homes. The next year, the department denied the change of ownership applications, but again allowed Rechnitz’ companies to operate them.

In her scathing 2018 report, the state auditor Elaine Howle criticized the California Department of Public Health, saying weak oversight and licensing lapses increased risk to nursing home residents.

In an effort to address these issues, the Legislature passed a law in 2022 to close a loophole that had allowed nursing home operators to run facilities without first receiving licenses. The law required the Department of Public Health to look at an applicant’s track record over several years before granting a license.

But before that law took effect the following year, the Department of Public Health suddenly granted Rechnitz and his companies many of the licenses it had previously left pending or outright denied. The group includes nursing homes that were the focus of recent lawsuits, such as Country Villa Wilshire, the Los Angeles-area facility where a jury awarded $2.34 million after a woman allegedly fell repeatedly due to understaffing; Windsor Redding, where the 24 patients died during a COVID outbreak; and Windsor Healthcare Center of Oakland, where complaints filed in Alameda County Superior Court allege a woman was sexually assaulted twice and a man died after being given too much medication.

Ed Dudensing, a Sacramento-based attorney who specializes in elder abuse in nursing homes, is bringing the case in Alameda County Superior Court alleging that neglect and poor staffing allowed a fellow patient to rape 79-year-old Cheryl Doe on multiple occasions while she stayed at Windsor Healthcare Center of Oakland. He is also representing the family of 64-year-old Alando Williams in the lawsuit against the same facility alleging overmedication and wrongful death.

Dudensing has three other active cases against facilities affiliated with Rechnitz and his web of companies alleging neglect, abuse and wrongful death.

In one of them, 78-year-old Barbara Pendley allegedly died after suffering severe dehydration at North Point Healthcare & Wellness Centre in Fresno.

North Point was another facility that the state opted to grant Rechnitz and his companies the license for under the 2023 settlement agreement.

Rechnitz and his companies have filed legal responses denying allegations in all of these cases, several of which are scheduled to go to trial in the coming year.

“We’ve just got to keep fighting,” Dudensing said.

“There was a time when there was a lot of scrutiny and that’s obviously well-documented,” he said. “But he managed to slip through.”

Cassie Dunham, the previous deputy director of the Center for Health Care Quality for the California Department of Public Health, last year became chief executive and president of the California Association of Health Facilities, the industry’s lobbying group. Through a spokesperson, Dunham declined an interview for this story citing her involvement with the development of departmental policy during the time that the state granted Rechnitz the licenses.

Corey Egel, a spokesman for the industry group and himself a former spokesman for the Department of Public Health, said in a statement that the association “supports strong, transparent oversight but believes the system would benefit from clearer timelines, more consistent application of standards, and more efficient resolution of pending cases — so that regulatory goals and resident care priorities can both be met.”

Patient lawsuit at newly licensed nursing home

Among the facilities that Rechnitz’companies received a state license to run in 2023 was Country Villa Wilshire, an 81-bed Los Angeles nursing home.

According to a lawsuit against the facility, 84-year-old Betsy Jentz landed there in November 2020 after she fell and fractured her ribs and hip. Prior to her injuries, the complaint stated that Jentz had been in excellent health; her attorneys said she had run 27 marathons.

But during the next year, according to a plaintiff’s brief, Jentz fell at least 10 times. On some of these occasions, she hit her head, suffered a fractured and dislocated shoulder and a fractured pelvis. The complaint also described malnutrition and severe pressure ulcers. It attributed those injuries to neglect. In court filings, Rechnitz and his companies have denied all responsibility.

A Los Angeles jury in February 2024 ordered a Los Angeles nursing home to pay Betsy Jentz $2.3 million, finding the facility had violated her rights and contributed to serious injuries. Photo via Lanzone Morgan, LLP

On the evening of Jan. 28, 2024, Jentz’ great nephew Derek Skylar Aud was preparing to testify in court the next morning. Then, according to court documents, he received an unexpected phone call.

The man on the other end of the line introduced himself as Shlomo Rechnitz, Aud later wrote in a declaration filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Over the course of more than an hour, Rechnitz allegedly told Aud that “things would get very nasty” for him and Jentz if Aud testified, the declaration said. Rechnitz allegedly said he would prolong the case for years and bring to light damaging information his private investigators had collected about Jentz.

He also said his private investigators had learned that Jentz loved basketball, and said she could receive courtside Lakers tickets “right next to LeBron James” if she agreed to a side deal, Aud told the court.

“Mr. Rechnitz then said ‘listen, I get it, we really fucked up and I’m accepting full responsibility, but I want the remedy or accountability to be on my terms and cut all these outrageous attorney’s fees out of the picture,’” Aud said in the declaration. “He also said ‘we fucked up and I accept responsibility, we were severely understaffed.’”

Rechnitz did not directly respond to these allegations in court, and the judge ultimately did not allow the jury to consider the phone call to Aud in making its decision.

Attorneys from Lanzone Morgan, a Long Beach law firm that specializes in nursing home abuse, represented Jentz and Aud in their case against Country Villa Wilshire. They said that the judge accepted defense attorneys’ argument that the call constituted “confidential settlement discussions” and did not allow the jury to hear testimony about it. Gittler & Berg and Ekpebe Law Group, the law firms that represented Rechnitz and his companies in the case, did not respond to CalMatters’ requests for comment. The jury’s $2.34 million verdict is now being appealed.

Lanzone Morgan also brought the case against Alameda Healthcare & Wellness that ended in the $7.6 million judgment in August. The case is in a post-trial phase in which the judge is determining how to apportion the liability among defendants.

Rockport Healthcare Services, the administrative services company for many of the homes, is also named in some of the lawsuits, including the one against Alameda Healthcare & Wellness. Rockport is owned by Steven Stroll, who has also served as Rechnitz’ accountant. Rockport has filed responses in court denying responsibility for the allegations.

Elizabeth Kim, an attorney with Lanzone Morgan, said she wants to see the Department of Public Health stop issuing licenses to Rechnitz and “other bad actors.”

“It’s shocking to me that he’s able to get licenses after he pretty much runs many of his facilities into the ground,” she said. She referred to an Aug. 22 trial in which Rechnitz acknowledged owning a private plane and having recently sold a home in Los Angeles for $23 million.

Her client, Aud, whose great aunt Jentz died in January 2025 a few months after the jury made its decision, wrote in his declaration to the court:

“I continue to feel uneasy about the calls and threats and I carry the fear of retaliation with me daily…I do live in fear that Mr. Rechnitz is now even more furious and that he will make good on his threats.”

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CalMatters Data Reporter Erica Yee contributed to this story.

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About the data

Besides court records, the data on Rechnitz-owned facilities in this story is based on state and federal databases. See full methodology and download the data.

Like the slimy mushrooms a few feet away from its base, it sprouted up seemingly overnight; two concrete crescents rising from the ground, arcing away from one another before one stops, leaving the one to loom a foot over the other. They do not touch. 

Located in the grassy median between H and G streets in Arcata near Sunset Avenue, the sculpture is the product of Eureka-based artist John King. It was funded by the city through Playhouse Arts as part of the city’s Call for Artists, which funded $60,000 of public arts around Arcata. 

King conceived the piece as a gateway or a “portal,” inspired by wildlife corridors over highways. Situated right at the tip of Northtown Arcata, it was a prescient choice. It sat in his yard for four months before he installed it on Nov. 9, and while it idled it got some use from his dogs — and a black bear that snuck into his yard and ambled through it. (Perhaps he was drawn to the etchings of whales and little amphibians that found homes amidst the tiles that adorn the sculpture.)

King has done a few similar concrete pieces like this one since 1994 (check out his pleasantly janky website for more). Before learning how to shape and mold concrete while working in construction, he sculpted with huge redwood slabs that had to stay indoors lest moisture ruin the wood. 

Anyone that sees a connection between the mysteriously-risen sculpture and the civilization-creating monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey isn’t far off. King told the Outpost that watching the film decades ago had given him an interest in monoliths.

He’s bullish about the potential positives of his sculpture; maybe people will see it and think about animals affected by encroaching human activities like building roads or hunting, he said. Aging has made him think more about humanity’s relationship with the natural world, though even at the age of 72 he said he still thinks and feels like a teenager.

“I’m hoping people walk through it,” King said. “It could change your life. You never know… Maybe I can go through the portal into the future. Somebody was suggesting that, and I go, ‘No, I’ve walked through it a bunch of times. I’m still the same. I’m still wrinkly.’”

“Art is what you make it,” King said. “Everybody sees their own stuff, and you’ve got your own idea. It’s free interpretation for anybody to figure whatever they want out of it. I’m on board with what everybody thinks they see. It doesn’t have to be a portal. Maybe it looks like crap.”

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PREVIOUSLY

• Fortuna Looks to Ban Nitrous Oxide Sales at Monday’s City Council Meeting

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The Fortuna City Council this week moved ahead with an ordinance that would make it illegal to sell, distribute or otherwise provide nitrous oxide in city limits, though there are carve-outs for food and medical uses.

Technically, the ordinance hasn’t been passed yet; it will have to be brought back for a second reading at another meeting before the approval is official. But the 4-1 vote, with Councilmember Abe Stevens dissenting on political philosophy grounds, appears unlikely to change when the matter comes back.

Approval of the ordinance will make Fortuna the latest in a string of local jurisdictions to enact bans on nitrous oxide, which has gained popularity as a party drug often sold in little canisters called “whippits.” The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors passed one back in June, prohibiting sales in the county’s unincorporated areas, and similar ordinances soon followed in the cities of Arcata, Rio Dell, Ferndale and Eureka (though the latter won’t take effect until January 1).

Introducing the matter to the council, City Manager Amy Nilsen reiterated some of the public health concerns about misuse. When inhaled, nitrous commonly induces short-lived euphoria, dissociation and hallucinations, though public health officials warn of severe health risks including nerve damage, cognitive impairments, psychosis and, in extreme cases, death.

Stevens, who was appointed to the council in March, explained his libertarian reservations about the measure.

“I’m generally kind of opposed to unnecessary rules and regulations when they’re not needed, and I think I tend to just kind of feel that, you know, people … should be free to make their own choices, you know, consenting adults in privacy of their own home.”

Regarding concerns over youth use of the drug, Stevens said that’s already illegal, and he voiced voiced concerns about unintended consequences on local businesses such as coffee shops, which may use nitrous in whipped cream dispensers, and auto part shops, which sell nitrous-powered auto performance kits.

Stevens also suggested that youth use may not be as bad as county public health officials made it out to be. He he’d consulted Fortuna Union High School District Superintendent Clint Duey.

“He wasn’t sure he would characterize it as a big concern,” Stevens said. “He said he was more concerned about, you know, vape pens, THC and nicotine.”

Fortuna Police Chief Matthew Eberhardt pushed back on that perspective, saying nitrous misuse is definitely a community concern. 

“I’ve been here a very long time,” he said. “I’ve seen the canisters out in the community. We’ve dealt with individuals that are under the influence of it, and we’re seeing the trend — from little whippits that are very small in size to now very colorful, large canisters that are clearly marketed for youth,” he said.

The ordinance would close some legal loopholes and give the police department tools to address misuse in the community, the chief said.

“I mean, I’ll be very direct and speak not just as the chief of police but as a parent with a 17-year-old and a 21-year-old,” Eberhardt said. “I don’t want them walking in there and accessing this stuff. I don’t want that in our community. I don’t want their safety at risk, and I don’t want somebody else to go in there and buy it and get behind the wheel of a car and hurt somebody.”

Addressing Stevens directly, he continued, “Yes, I understand your viewpoint that people can … do what they want in their home. [But] we’re not going to kick people’s houses’ doors down over this. We’re looking to address the places that sell it.”

Humboldt County Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell, who has strongly advocated for nitrous bans locally, did so again via phone on Monday, describing nitrous oxide misuse as “a huge problem” in both the county and the state and pleading with the council to advance a ban.

Stevens remained unconvinced. If the justification is improving public health, he said, “I think the same logic would apply to tobacco and alcohol … or fast food. Are we going to start putting regulations on sugary drinks?”

Mayor Mike Johnson shot back, “We don’t have that in front of us.”

Stevens urged his colleagues to at least consider the implications on food use, and the council obliged, unanimously passing an amendment to exclude wholesale distributors such as Sysco from the ban, thereby allowing coffee shops to continue using nitrous-charged whipped cream dispensers.

This was followed by the role call vote, with Stevens dissenting.

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Earlier in the meeting, the council unanimously approved a hiring freeze for positions financed by the city’s general fund, with exceptions for police officers and sergeants and part-time staffers in the city’s Parks and Recreation department.

Nilsen explained that the freeze is necessary to offset wage increases for police officers and sergeants, which were implemented to address recruitment and retention challenges. The pay for Fortuna police officers has fallen below that of departments in neighboring jurisdictions.

“Currently, the police department has three officer vacancies, one officer on long-term leave, and the remaining staff working significant overtime, up to 77 hours in a pay period,” Nilsen said.

The approved pay bump is expected to cost the city about $575,000 over two years.

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Looking to expand access to affordable food, the City of Eureka is taking a page from New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s playbook and exploring the possibility of setting up a municipal-owned grocery store.

At last night’s Eureka City Council meeting, City Manager Miles Slattery said the idea for a city-run grocery store came up during a recent strategic visioning meeting with the mayor and council as a means to address local food insecurity.

Slattery | Screenshot

“The main location that was discussed was in Henderson Center at the old Rite Aid,” Slattery said. “Staff reached out to the property owner, Ms. Slack, [who] has had the same idea as [the] council of having a grocery store there. Unfortunately, Food Mart used to be there, [which] was bought by Safeway, and when Safeway sold that property, they put a deed restriction on it that … would [prevent] any commercial facility that had more than 30 percent grocery in it.”

The property owner will be held to the deed restriction for another 28 years, but they’re working with their attorney to find a way out of the agreement, Slattery said, noting that previous efforts to lift the deed restriction have failed.

“We also discussed whether or not they’d be interested in selling the property, and they were not,” he added.

Proponents of government-run grocery stores, including Mayor-elect Mamdani, claim municipal ownership would guarantee cheaper prices for consumers by saving on rent and property taxes. Opponents, on the other hand, say it would be virtually impossible for a municipality — even one as big as New York City — to compete with affordable supermarkets like Walmart that have taken over global supply chains.

Before closing out last night’s meeting, he noted that there’s a market in the works next to Ramone’s in Old Town, in the storefront previously occupied by Adams Commercial General Contracting. 

“We haven’t received any development plans or anything yet, but there [have] been people in the community discussing that that is potentially going to happen,” he said, adding that staff will keep looking into both topics and concentrate on communities seeing a food deficit.

“We’re going to be adding a lot of density into Eureka in the next several years, and folks are going to need affordable food, hopefully within walking distance,” said Councilmember Kati Moulton.

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Check back a little later for more coverage of last night’s Eureka City Council meeting!

You know about Toys for Tots, right? They’re the super-cool program of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve devoted to getting Christmas gifts to kids who might not otherwise get any.

Here in Humboldt, we’ve got the Redwood branch of the Toys for Tots program, and they’ve been doing this great work for kids in Humboldt, Del Norte and Trinity counties for many years now. They are great.

Problem: Right now, they’re in need of more volunteers to help collect and organize donations in advance of the Christmas season. If you’re the kind of person who cares about the mission and might find some meaning in this truly beautiful, joyous work, they would love to hear from you. Plus, you get to meet and hang out with some like-minded people. 

Here’s where you can sign up.

And here’s Redwood Toys for Tots’ call to action:

Toys for Tots, a 78-year National charitable Program run by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, provides emotional support and hope to children in need during Christmastime. The toys, books, and other gifts collected and distributed during the holiday season by Marines and volunteers offer these children recognition, confidence, and a positive memory for a lifetime. We believe it is such experiences that help children in need become responsible citizens and caring members of their community.

Quick Facts:

• Our local chapter serves Humboldt, Trinity, and Del Norte Counties
• Last year we served 10,000 kids
• Our chapter is 100% volunteer run which means that 100% of monetary donations goes to local kids. This also means we really need help! :)
• Volunteer shifts needed: 10AM-4PM SAT/SUN through Dec 14 weather permitting at either Costco or Target
• What you’ll do? Hold up a Toys for Tots sign and collect monetary donations from people driving by and any toy donations as well. Free lunch, Christmas music, spread joy!

This is our biggest call right now but we also need volunteers at our warehouse to sort toys by age group, organize, move boxes, and drive a forklift if experienced.

Another challenge we face is making sure parents sign up to receive toys through our website! This way we know how many kids of each age group to prepare for at each distribution location. Many parents show up the day of which leaves us driving all over the county to make sure we have the appropriate toys in each location.

To sign up to volunteer, receive a gift, or donate go to redwoodtoysfortots.org.