Yesterday, we’re told, ground officially broke on the project to build a fancy “Welcome to Eureka” sign at the south end of town, by the Herrick Avenue overpass.
Time marches slowly in government-land, as we all know. As indicated by the link above, the final design for the project was finalized almost a year ago, and they’ve been talking about putting something like this up for at least a decade.
But Swan Asbury, the city’s economic development manager, tells the Outpost that the project has now commenced and should proceed pretty quickly, weather permitting.
Below: Some work-in-progress pictures from inside Allpoints, the company building the monument.
Janitors, nurses, teachers and labor organizers rally at the state Capitol in Sacramento to launch UnRig California on March 11, 2026. The initiative is a multiyear campaign aimed at reforming the state’s economy and tax code. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr
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This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.
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Progressive California Democrats, who have long fought and failed to raise taxes on the rich, are renewing their push this year in light of a specific threat: The seismic federal cuts to Medi-Cal, the state’s health care program for the poor.
President Donald Trump’s H.R.1, signed into law last July, is estimated to strip tens of billions a year in state Medi-Cal funding and cause 2 million low-income residents to lose coverage. It has prompted progressive lawmakers and health care advocates to call for higher taxes on corporations or billionaires to keep those at risk of losing benefits on the program.
“We know that you are not responsible for these awful cuts, but now the responsibility does lie in your hands,” Judy Mark, executive director of Disability Voices United, an advocacy group for people with disabilities and their families, told state lawmakers at a January rally. “You have the power to increase our revenue so that we don’t have to make such devastating cuts.”
Progressive lawmakers have introduced at least two proposals to tax corporations, including one that would direct funds toward Medi-Cal. Separately, health care advocates are backing a controversial ballot measure to tax billionaire wealth to replace lost federal dollars.
There’s one glaring problem: Any solution to backfill the Medi-Cal funding could add to the state’s already gigantic structural budget deficit, not reduce it.
The deficit could reach $30 billion in future years — so large that the state is already struggling just to sustain the reduced level of care under H.R.1, let alone paying the federal government’s share.
Backfilling the Medi-Cal cuts would make the gap larger, said Keely Martin Bosler, former state finance director with more than two decades of experience in state fiscal policy. To “maintain the same insured level of coverage, those costs are on top of the deficits that exist, and so that would be significant.”
California, in its fourth consecutive year projecting a deficit, will likely see bigger shortfalls in future years as spending continues to outpace revenue. Even if the state spends nothing to backfill federal cuts, the deficit could reach $22 billion in fiscal year 2027-28, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s January budget proposal.
Democratic lawmakers, who already cut certain Medi-Cal benefits and froze new undocumented adult enrollment last year to close a $12 billion budget hole, acknowledge that the state should now combine sustainable revenue increases with ongoing program cuts to address the sizable deficit as recommended by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office.
Yet it’s likely that no meaningful revenue increases will materialize this year.
Newsom, in his last year as governor, has opposed any wealth tax over concerns that it would drive high-income earners out of California and dampen the tax base. Passing any tax increases would also require a two-thirds vote in each legislative chamber, a high bar even with a Democratic supermajority.
“I don’t think anything is going to happen this year,” said Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee Chair Jerry McNerney, a Stockton Democrat. “So why look at options that are doomed to fail in the first place?”
A $44 billion problem
The state is constitutionally required to direct roughly 50 cents of each dollar in excess general fund revenue toward K-14 education and reserves. That means the state would need roughly $44 billion in new revenue annually to close a $22 billion budget hole.
Existing legislative proposals don’t come close to raising that much.
Progressive Democrats are consolidating behind a pair of tax proposals, including one that would close the “water’s edge” loophole, which allows multinational corporations that opt in to only pay taxes on income made within borders of California. That allows companies to establish subsidiaries offshore to avoid paying taxes on their profits, said bill author Assemblymember Damon Connolly, a San Rafael Democrat.
Connolly told CalMatters his bill would raise $3 to $4 billion annually. But the revenue could swing, and corporations could still find new ways to reduce their California taxes, according to an LAO evaluation of different tax options.
Acknowledging that the amount wouldn’t close the entire structural deficit, Connolly said it’s “a step in the right direction.”
“It’s only one part of the equation. It’s certainly the time to look at potential revenue solutions but also obviously roll up our sleeves and take a hard look at the budget,” Connolly said. He did not specify which areas he’d consider cutting, saying only that protecting health care is where state lawmakers should “draw the line.”
Another bill by Assembly Health Committee Chair Mia Bonta, an Oakland Democrat, would require businesses whose workers rely on Medi-Cal and food stamps to contribute to a fund to “prevent loss of or to restore” health care coverage under H.R.1. There are no details yet on how much the charge would be.
And there’s the 2026 California Billionaire Tax Act proposed by the SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, which would apply a 5%, one-time tax on billionaires’ wealth and use most of the revenue to backfill federal health care cuts. The initiative would establish a special fund that would exempt the revenue from constitutionally required deposits into education and savings.
Supporters estimate it would generate $100 billion over five years. SEIU-UHW spokesperson Suzanne Jimenez told CalMatters that it would allow the state to temporarily continue providing Medi-Cal coverage at the same level while giving state leaders time to figure out how best to sustain it.
But even if voters approve the tax measure, critics say the funds could get locked up in court from lawsuits by billionaire taxpayers or by education groups, who might argue it skirts the state’s constitutional requirements to benefit schools. And it’s unclear how the state would sustain the funding after the money runs out: An LAO analysis estimates that the measure could drive away billionaires and reduce income tax revenue the state could collect in future years.
“The first step is to pass the billionaire tax so that we have five years to work on that plan. And then, right after Election Day, we will be ready to work with the next governor to figure out a long-term solution,” Jimenez said.
Taxing the rich frenzy faces an uphill battle
While they might do little to address the state’s structural deficit, proposals to tax the rich shrewdly tap into the public anxiety with “rather extraordinary disparity in the distribution of income and wealth,” said Kirk Stark, a professor of tax law and policy at UCLA.
“I think that targeting the rich is understandable, but I don’t think that it’s really the kind of policy that can be expected to durably address very long-term structural fiscal imbalance,” he said.
More than 60% of California’s likely voters support higher taxes on the state’s wealthiest to help with the state’s budget deficit, according to a February survey by the Public Policy Institute of California.
The sentiment especially speaks to progressives, who have made fighting income inequality a core belief. But even the popular idea faces an uphill climb: Some Democrats contend that raising taxes on the state’s highest earners risks driving them away, especially since the state heavily relies on their income tax.
Janitors, nurses, teachers and labor organizers rally at the state Capitol in Sacramento to launch UnRig California on March 11, 2026. The initiative is a multiyear campaign aimed at reforming the state’s economy and tax code. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters
“The wealthiest Californians are also the most mobile Californians,” said former Assembly Budget Chair Phil Ting, a San Francisco Democrat. “They could easily decide to go domicile in some other parts of the country.”
It also could deter businesses and billionaires from moving to California. “Does it signal that California is not a friendly, accommodating jurisdiction for people who want to amass billions upon billions of dollars of wealth?” Stark said.
Other ideas to address the state’s budget needs more systemically could pose even bigger political risks, especially as the state’s revenue is booming thanks to an AI-driven economy.
Stark said the state should examine its three primary revenue sources: income tax, sales tax and property tax. Since taxing income could dampen the incentive to work, and sales tax could discourage consumption, the state’s property tax — capped at 1% of the property value by Proposition 13 in 1978 — “jumps out as a tax reform that needs to happen in California,” he said.
“Not something that’s going to be just a one-time hit on the elite, but a fundamental, structural reconsideration of how the state of California taxes the value of land and structures.”
But any proposal to reform Prop. 13 would likely ignite a fierce political battle, just like the patchwork of ballot initiatives over the past half-century to amend Prop. 13 by carving out tax breaks or loopholes to hike taxes.
It’s even harder now with affordability being top of mind for Californians, Ting said.
“People are very cost-sensitive because they feel that their groceries are going up, their gas is going up, rent is going up, it’s a very difficult time to introduce even further costs in taxes to middle-class Californians.”
Marilyn Ann Merchant Groven, aged 91, of Eureka, died on March 31,
2026.
Marilyn was born
October 15, 1934, in Riverside, California, to Elmer and Mabel
Merchant. She grew up in Riverside as one of seven siblings on the
family’s orange grove. She was one of 127 students to attend the
newly established University California, Riverside in 1954 and
proudly graduated in its first class. She went on to pursue her
teaching degree.
Marilyn married
Blair Edward Groven and they shared 45 years together. They had five
daughters.
Marilyn spent much
of her career teaching elementary school. Blair and Marilyn moved to
Humboldt County in 1974 and soon started Tall Trees Learning Center
in a room at the First Presbyterian Church. Eventually they moved to
a larger location where they served many Eureka families over the
years.
In the 1980s, Blair
and Marilyn traveled to Japan where they taught English and were
instrumental in establishing a student exchange program between their
students in Tokyo and host families in Eureka, helping to make
lasting friendships between countless families.
Marilyn is survived
by four daughters, nine grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren,
with one great-great grandchild on the way. She was preceded in death
by her husband and her youngest daughter.
A memorial will be
held later in the year.
“For small
creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.”
— Carl Sagan
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Marilyn Groven’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.
What, you’ve never heard of the online publication “Eureka Today”? Well, click on over there and give it a look! Check out that motto: “By the people, for the People.” The heart swells with civic pride.
Trouble is, while this website may arguably be “for the People,” in the sense that someone out there hopes you’ll click on it and promptly start buying products from its many advertisers, the content is most certainly not by any people. That’s because nationaltoday.com and its rapidly multiplying collection of local bureaus (each sporting that ironic “By the people” motto) is merely an excretion of AI slop generated by Silicon Valley servers running large language models.
And what these LLMs are consuming, besides massive volumes of water, is local news content produced by real human beings in newsrooms around the country.
As a local human being yourself, you might recognize Taco Week as a recurring advertorial feature from our friends at the North Coast Journal. Indeed, this particular “Eureka Today” story has been stolen from the NCJ, rewritten by AI and then published without attribution for the financial benefit of some avaricious dickheads in Cupertino or thereabouts. (The website is owned by a generic-looking PR firm called Top Agency.)
The Lost Coast Outpost’s content has likewise been stolen and rewritten, sans credit, by these soulless algorithms and their douchebag creators. Just today, for example, the bots decided to grab our exclusive about the Humboldt-centric infrastructure rapper Moss Gross and his recent video ode to the C Street Bicycle Boulevard. (See the baffling results here.)
But let’s quickly circle back to this weird Taco Week/Big Time post. Not only does it feature an AI-generated, dead-eyed Native American visage in the neon color palette of Taco Bell (complete with culturally inaccurate feather headdress and earrings), but it also includes a pair of entirely fabricated quotes.
The first, which describes Taco Week as “a time-honored tradition,” is attributed to a made-up person with the imagined identity of “Juana Hernandez, Local Taco Enthusiast.” Presumably the algorithms latched onto the word “taco” and spat out a generic Hispanic name.
The other quote concerns the recent California Big Time and Social Gathering, a cultural celebration organized and hosted by many very real and very dedicated local residents. But since the AI program didn’t have easy access to their identities, it made one up and named her “Mia Redfeather.”
The
Humboldt County Planning & Building Department again recently
received reports of an email scam targeting the community.
The real John Ford does not want your Target gift cards.
In
this scam fraudulent emails claim to be from Humboldt County Planning
& Building Director John Ford and/or the Humboldt County Planning
Commission. The scammer tells the victim that they have reviewed
their permit application and an “application review and approval
fee” is required before “official approval” can be finalized.
The
email appears to mine information from publicly accessible documents
such as Board of Supervisors and/or Planning Commission meeting
agendas and related permit application documents. The information
includes specific details about the applicant’s project and
includes a fake invoice and instructions on how to wire funds to pay
the fee and settle the account.
The
County of Humboldt wants the public to know that the Planning &
Building Department does not charge or require an “application
review and approval fee” and would like the community to know that
this is a scam.
While
the Planning & Building Department may contact you regarding an
application or legitimate past due fees, the County of Humboldt will
never ask you to:
Mail
large sums of cash
Wire
funds to a private account
Use
a credit card over the phone, or
Pay
with gift cards or pre-paid money card
If
you have any questions about the status of your pending permit
application or past due fees, please call 707-445-7541.
The
Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office encourages anyone who believes
they may have been targeted or have been a victim of this type of
fraudulent activity to report the incident immediately by calling
707-445-7251.
Please
remember these tips to help protect yourself from fraud:
Spot
imposters.
Scammers often pretend to be someone you trust, like a government
official, a family member, a charity or a company with which you do
business. Do not send money or give out personal information in
response to an unexpected request, whether it comes as a text, a
phone call or an email. Do not open attachments in emails from
unknown sources.
Do
online research. Type
a company or product name into your favorite search engine with
words like “review,” “complaint” or “scam.” Or search
for a phrase that describes your situation, like “application fee”
or “IRS call.” You can even search for phone numbers and email
addresses to see if other people have reported them as scams.
Don’t
believe the name in an email or your caller ID. Technology
makes it easy for scammers to fake email account names and caller ID
information, so the name and number you see are not always real. If
someone calls asking for money or personal information, hang up. If
someone emails you asking for you to take action, do not click links
in the email or open attachments. If you think the person contacting
you might be telling the truth, call back to a number you know is
genuine.
Talk
to someone. Before
you give up your money or personal information, talk to someone you
trust. Con artists want you to make decisions in a hurry. They might
even threaten you. Slow down, check out the story, do an online
search, consult an expert or just tell a friend. If you have applied
for a county permit, contact the Planning & Building Department
and ask questions.
Do
not rely on personal information. Living
in the digital age, access to information is easier than ever.
Scammers are often able to get their hands on very personal
information, providing it to their victims to make their scam look
more legitimate. Do not trust a scammer who is able to provide your
personal information. If you followed the above tips and still are
not sure, call back at a publicly listed number for the organization
from which the scammer claims to be or contact your loved one
directly.
The Pacific Fishery Management Council voted this weekend to recommend opening the California commercial salmon season in 2026, after three straight years of closures.
Local fishermen say they’re excited about the return of the key fishery. But this year, the guidance means much of the North Coast will remain closed.
A planned closure from the Oregon border to Point Arena means commercial fishermen hailing from Humboldt County — along with Del Norte County and most of Mendocino County — will have to travel elsewhere for the chance to catch salmon in 2026.
“It’s going to cost them a lot of money and fuel to travel down there to participate in the fishery,” said Harrison Ibach, commercial fishermen and president of the Humboldt Fishermen’s Marketing Association.
“People are a little nervous about expenditures, to get all the way down to where the season is actually open,” he said.
Diesel is currently averaging $7.68 a gallon in California, according to AAA.
“My boat gets one and a half miles per gallon. Fuel is a big, big concern,” said Tim Klassen, captain and owner of Reel Steel Sportfishing in Eureka.
Ibach said there are some new regulations this year that commercial fishermen will need to work out.
A vessel cap will limit the fish caught per ship per week — a first for the fishery — and a statewide harvest limit of 83,000 Chinook salmon was set. Fishery managers can close salmon seasons early, if these limits are reached.
Despite the new rules, Ibach said everyone is “very excited” there’s going to be a salmon season.
“It’s probably a decent approach to take baby steps to get back to, hopefully, where the fishery once was,” he said.
Recreational salmon fishing, on the other hand, will be open in Humboldt County for up to 66 days this summer. This would end after a limit of 3,900 fish in the Klamath Management Zone was reached.
Closures for three years have been the result of abysmally low fish counts, caused by drought, habitat loss and (fishing groups argue) water diversion policy.
The three years have been difficult for fishermen. Some have sold their boats.
Ken Bates, commercial fishermen, said the state of California salmon fishing for the past three years has been one of economic disaster.
“Four and five years ago, older fishermen watched younger fishermen invest and buy salmon boats. Those young fishermen have not been able to use their boats for salmon fishing for three years. How do you survive that?” he said. Similar to statewide fishermen organizations, Bates said he’s most concerned about California water policy in diversions.
While fishermen aren’t expecting the 2026 season to be a massive economic boon for locals, they say it’s progress.
“Salmon is really important here on the North Coast, it has been for decades and decades,” said Klassen.
“To lose it for a while was painful, but to get it back is… We’re definitely excited,” he said.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife pointed to “significant improvements” for Sacramento River fall-run Chinook and Klamath River fall-run Chinook, in a press release on the season opening.
Next, the PFMC will forward the management recommendations to the National Marine Fisheries Service, which will implement them into federal regulations, according to CDFW.
Commercial Fishing Returns After 3-Year Closure; Recreational Anglers to See More Open Days in 2026
Significant improvements in key California salmon populations — specifically Sacramento River fall-run Chinook and Klamath River fall-run Chinook — will allow for more ocean salmon fishing opportunities this year. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is pleased to announce that commercial ocean salmon fishing is back after being closed three straight years and that recreational ocean salmon anglers will have more opportunities in 2026.
“Seeing our salmon populations recover is incredibly heartening and demonstrates what’s possible when we all work together — state and federal partners, tribes, sport anglers and commercial fishing interests, NGOs and others – to do what’s best for salmon,” said CDFW Director Meghan Hertel. “Salmon are part of the cultural fabric of California, and I’m delighted more Californians will have the opportunity to enjoy these magnificent fish whether that’s in the water, on the end of their fishing lines or on their dinner plates.”
The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) finalized its recommendations for California’s recreational and commercial ocean salmon seasons and harvest limits at its April 7-12 meeting in Portland, Ore. The PFMC will forward its recommendations to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), which will implement them into federal regulations. A summary of the recreational season dates, locations and harvest guidelines are available at CDFW’s Ocean Salmon Fishery Information web page.
“The health of our salmon populations fluctuates with environmental conditions, and we’ve seen just how vulnerable these fish are to recent droughts, changing river conditions and a warming climate,” said California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot. “This year’s return of ocean salmon fishing is an encouraging sign as we advance California’s long-term, science-based Salmon Strategy. Together with a range of partners, we’re restoring habitat, removing barriers, improving flow and reconnecting rivers to give salmon a better chance to survive in all conditions. This work is about balance — making improvements and modernizing water management to help nature thrive and our communities prosper.”
California’s Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future(external link), put into action beginning in 2024, is laying the groundwork for California to restore and rebuild salmon populations. State agencies, tribes and other partners are making significant progress in achieving goals that include restoring and expanding habitat for salmon spawning and rearing, removing barriers and updating infrastructure for salmon migration. California has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years to support salmon throughout their various life stages.
More open fishing days come as welcome news following complete closure of recreational ocean salmon fisheries in 2023 and 2024, and only six open days in 2025.
In 2026, CDFW will implement in-season management in both commercial and recreational fisheries to ensure catch of rebounding salmon stocks does not exceed seasonal harvest guidelines. This is the first year of vessel-based trip limits and seasonal harvest guidelines for California’s commercial salmon fishery following the first use of an in-season management framework during California’s limited recreational ocean season in 2025. In-season management allows fishery managers to close salmon seasons early should harvest guidelines be reached.
Sport anglers are advised to check for updated information when planning a salmon fishing trip. Season dates, harvest guidelines/catch limits, bag/possession, vessel limit information and gear restrictions can be found on CDFW’s Ocean Salmon Fishery Information web page or by calling the CDFW Ocean Salmon Regulations Hotline at (707) 576-3429. Public notification of any in-season change to conform state regulations to federal regulations is made through the NMFS ocean salmon hotline at (800) 662-9825.
The City of Eureka’s Contractor will be performing sewer lateral
replacements on a few high traffic streets Tuesday,
April 14th through Friday, April 17th, weather permitting. Work is
scheduled in coordination with
Eureka City Schools Spring Break, in an effort to minimize traffic
impacts.
This work will be
performed between the hours of approximately 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.,
and temporary detours
will be set up. The anticipated schedule of work is below:
Tuesday 4/14 –
Harris Street between W and Dolbeer Streets
Thursday 4/16 –
West Avenue between Myrtle Avenue and 13th Street
Friday 4/17 – S
Street between Buhne and Hayes Street
TRAFFIC IMPACTS: Please plan for partial lane closures and detours in these planned
work areas. The patience and
cooperation of motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians in the vicinity
of the work zone is greatly
appreciated.
