James (Jim) Thomas Alford
March 1948 – April 2023

Jim Alford passed away from heart failure April 3, 2023, just after his 75th birthday. He was born in San Francisco and grew up in Hayward and Castro Valley. Jim was the Hayward High School Farmer mascot (class of 1966). He was an outreach worker for Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco’s Tenderloin after high school and became deeply involved in anti-war organizing. Jim married Barbara Brown in 1969 (died 1973 from cystic fibrosis complications). They moved to Humboldt County in 1970 at the behest of his draft board, where Jim organized much good trouble. Jim had the option of moving at least 300 miles away or being prosecuted.

Jim did whatever he could to make money during the early years in Humboldt, ending with management of Katy’s Smokehouse in Trinidad in the 1980s. He tried to start a Farmers Market in Eureka about 1975. He was involved in Humboldt County progressive organizing and worked at the Open Door Clinic as a Vista Volunteer, where he and others outfitted a bus as a clinic that served Southern Humboldt County. Jim’s political organizing was reignited when Wesley Chesbro asked Jim to work on his campaign for Arcata City Council in 1974. Jim went on to manage Chesbro’s campaigns for county supervisor, and in 1998 Jim played a key role in helping Wesley Chesbro win election to the California State Senate.

Tom Hayden spoke in Humboldt County after his 1976 primary for U.S. Senator while organizing the statewide Campaign for Economic Democracy (CED). Jim attended, met others in the organization, and was inspired to organize Humboldt County CED. Jim subsequently ran campaigns for other Humboldt County supervisor races (Eric Hedlund, Alan Katz), McKinleyville Community Services District (Barbara Mendenhall in 1981, others later), an initiative to ban herbicide spraying along county roads, and the Assembly 1984 (Dan Hauser). After helping Eric Hedlund get elected, Jim served as his appointee to the Humboldt County Planning Commission.

Jim was recruited in 1985 to work for Willie Brown in the Speaker’s Office of Majority Services and moved to Sacramento. Jim’s second wife, Barbara Mendenhall (married in 1977), joined him a year later. Jim worked for Majority Services until 2006, frequently going off state payroll and leading numerous campaigns to elect Democrats to the Assembly in the Imperial Valley, San Diego, San Joaquin Valley, Bay Area and North Coast. He also worked on local races in numerous communities. Jim’s specialty was voter registration and getting out the vote. His work made the difference in many close Democratic races. His volunteer and paid voter registration drives throughout the state registered millions of Californians, many of them first time voters. While with the legislature he was instrumental in developing California’s initial plan for responding to a pandemic emergency.

In 2002 Jim started the field botany program at Sacramento City College and continued at Sac State, earning a B.S. degree. He tutored and mentored younger students and enjoyed working as a student assistant with professors. He attended and presented student posters at annual meetings of the Ecological Society of America. He subsequently held several botanist positions.

Jim Alford spent his life as a volunteer and paid organizer, political activist, poetry lover, natural history scholar, vegetable, flower and fruit gardener, native plant enthusiast, health tracker, fisherman of almost every variety, cat lover, music fan, movie fan, birder, electronic gamer (conquer the world, build civilization genre), and ongoing community college student - most recently focusing on literature of every era. His neighbors in Sacramento appreciate his prolific native flower garden each year.

Jim is survived by Barbara Mendenhall, sister and brother-in-law Janet and Vince West and brother Dennis Alford.

Jim’s ashes will be scattered in Humboldt County. All are invited to a Celebration of Life at the Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall, 24 Fellowship Way (off of Jacoby Creek Road), in Bayside on Sunday, June 25, 2023, at 3 p.m. Humboldt CED and Jim Alford memorabilia will be on display. Please bring hors-d’oeuvres and light desserts to share at the potluck. This is a zero waste event, so please take home your leftovers and tableware. Please contact jimalfordcelebration@gmail.com for additional information.

###

After a short break (sorry) — your nightly newscast is back! Today: Weed bust; “appalling and dangerous conditions” in the animal shelter; more state funding incoming; Cal Poly Humboldt rowing reigns supreme; weather; etc.; etc. TAP IN.

Plus: To gauge your Oysterfest experience, please participate in the following poll.

###

If you consider yourself an amateur astronomer, or just want to spend some time stargazing, but don’t own your own telescope, we’ve got some good news for you! Thanks to a donation from local non-profit Astronomers of Humboldt (AOH), you can now check out a telescope from the Arcata Library and it is completely free!

Actually, you have been able to check out a telescope from the library for some time now. About a year ago, AOH donated an Orion Starblast 4.5-inch telescope to the library and the item has been so popular that there is usually a several-month-long waitlist of people trying to get their hands on the ‘scope. So, many people will be excited to learn that  just last week the group donated a second Orion Starblast that will, hopefully, make the wait time a little shorter.

“The library has been very enthusiastic about this,” Brent Howatt, president of AOH, said in a phone interview with the Outpost. “[The telescope] seems to be very popular in Arcata, which is great.” 

Howatt said that the second telescope was given to the group by the Astronomical League – an umbrella organization of different  amateur astronomy clubs and societies across the country. Every year at the Astronomical League’s convention, several groups are selected to receive a free telescope to donate to their local libraries as a part of the organization’s Library Telescope Program . After many years of not being selected for the program, Howatt said, the AOH members decided to purchase a telescope themselves and donate it to the Humboldt County Library, which handed it down to the Arcata branch. This year the group was finally selected to receive a telescope, so now the Arcata Library is lucky enough to have two lenders in its collection. 

Checking out the telescope from the library works almost exactly like checking out a book. All you need is a library card (and if you don’t have one, you can get one for free just by showing a photo I.D. and proof of residency in Humboldt.) Because the telescopes are in high demand, you will need to call the library to put your name on the waiting list and the library will contact you when it’s your turn. After swiping your card, you can borrow the equipment for up to two weeks. Howatt says that the telescopes are small and easy to use, and AOH even made a couple modifications to make them more “user-friendly.” The telescope also comes with instructions for use and sky charts, with suggestions of what to look for in the sky. 

Flyer for the telescope at the library

The library staff has also been trained on how to use the telescope and will go through the details of proper care and safety with you at the counter. Susan Parsons of the Arcata Library told the Outpost that, because this is special equipment, there is a contract that you have to sign before checking out the telescope that shows you understand the care and safety protocols, including that you you will be charged for the equipment if it is lost or broken (each telescope is valued at about $500), that you will secure the telescope with a seatbelt when driving and – most importantly – that you will not point the telescope directly at the sun! 

Yeah, it seems like something you wouldn’t need to specify, but the library does not want to take any chances. “The borrower agrees never to look directly at the sun through the telescope or its finder scope,” the borrower contract states. “It is understood that permanent eye damage could result.” 

But as long as you promise to take good care of the equipment and promise not to do something incredibly stupid like stare directly at the sun, then you are free to use the telescope as you wish! Howatt said that, if we can get a clear night, it is a great time to look at Venus and Mars, which are both very bright right now. Jupiter and Saturn can also be viewed to the east, in the very early morning before sunrise. 

If you are an astronomy enthusiast, Howatt said that AOH is always accepting new members (you can fill out an application here). Anyone can also attend the club’s observing sessions, which are held at the Kneeland Airport each month on the Saturday closest to the new moon. The next meet is this Saturday, June 17 after sunset (8:49 p.m.) and Howatt is really hopeful that there will be clear skies. And if you can’t make it to one of the gatherings, then just call up the library at (707) 822-5954 to reserve one of the telescopes.

“Check out the telescope!” Howatt said. “It’s worked really well and we’ve had no issues so far. It seems to be being used as we intended it, for people to help educate their kids or to further their own interest in astronomy.” 

Press release from the Arcata Police Department:

Between July 21, 2022, and June 2, 2023, the Arcata Police Department responded to multiple incidents of vandalism at a community garden, located at 11th and F Streets, which is organized by Centro Del Pueblo, a community organization that advocates for Latin, Indigenous, and Migrant communities.

The incidents included destruction of crops, locks placed on gates to keep users out, and security cameras being stolen. On numerous occasions a sign containing Spanish and Indigenous languages designating the garden as a sanctuary for Immigrants and Native Peoples, was defaced with a spray-painted countervailing message likely directed against nationality, race, and ethnicity. These incidents have been classified by APD as hate crimes, under California Penal Code section 422.6, and remain active, ongoing investigations.

Images from the camera theft, which took place on June 1, 2023, are posted on APD’s Facebook and Instagram pages. APD requests anyone with information about the theft and series of hate crimes to contact their Investigations Unit, at 707-822-2428, or, their anonymous tip-line, at 707-825-2588.

###

Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors was the shortest and perhaps most celebratory in this reporter’s memory.

Aside from the consent calendar, there was just a single agenda item scheduled for discussion in open session, and it got pulled at the outset of the meeting, to be brought back at a later date.

That left the morning free for reading a few proclamations, including one recognizing LGBTQIA+ Pride Month and one honoring Juneteenth, both of which elicited heartfelt emotional testimony from the public and individual supervisors. 

Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo read into the record a proclamation recognizing June 2023, and every June henceforth, as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) Pride Month. 

The document expresses support for “the rights of all citizens to experience equality and freedom from discrimination,” and is says the rainbow Pride flag “shall be raised annually throughout the month of June at County of Humboldt facilities.”

The proclamation also says the county is “committed to supporting visibility, safety, dignity and equality for LGBTQIA+ people” and calls on residents to embrace the founding principle that “every individual has infinite dignity and worth.”

The reading of the proclamation generated a spontaneous round of applause from those in attendance. 

The rainbow Pride flag now flies outside county buildings each June.

Members of the local LGBTQIA+ community thanked the board for their bravery. Calla Peltier-Olson, lead organizer of the Humboldt County Transition-Age Youth Collaboration, an advocacy group working to help people age 16 to 26 emerging from the foster care, juvenile justice, homelessness and behavioral health systems, said conversations with young people revealed the need to reject the “moral hysteria” that sometimes surrounds these issues.

“Not only did we hear stories of youth experiencing peer bullying and harassment before they even knew what being LGBTQIA+ meant, but we heard from youth who are abused and rejected from their families and foster families for being who they are,” Peltier-Olson said.

Her organization produced a report last year outlining policy recommendations for improving inclusivity.

“There are many changes needed in our community to protect these young people,” she said. “And with this proclamation, and yearly flying the Pride flag, you take a step towards making a safer place for them in this county.”

More applause.

Members of the local “gaggle” of Raging Grannies, a nonprofit social justice group, then busted out a ukulele and performed an inclusion-themed song to the melody of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

As applause rang out in the chamber again, Board Chair and Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone said, “Wow, what a morning.” While applause is generally discouraged at supes meetings, Madrone said he’d be lenient given the topic at hand. “I think it’s important to celebrate these things in our community,” he said.

Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson agreed, saying this year’s Pride declaration was better than last year’s. 

“It represents, for me, how far we’ve come in a year,” he said, “but also I’m going to say how far we’ve fallen because a lot of this is in response to a lot of real negativity that we’re dealing with in the community and as a nation.” Wilson was presumably referring to such developments as Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, the recent wave of anti-trans legislation across the country, and the sometimes violent right-wing protests that have become common at drag events.

Wilson then proceeded to read a proclamation recognizing Juneteenth, a recently declared federal holiday marking the day in 1865 when slaves in Galveston, Texas, finally learned that the Civil War had ended (two and a half years earlier) and they were free.

“Black history is American history and is important to celebrate as we create safe spaces, representation, inclusion and empowerment for the Black community in Humboldt County,” the proclamation reads. “[T]his holiday is especially important for Humboldt County, as [the Black] community makes up 1.5% of the population but have [experienced] and continue to experience various forms of discrimination and inequity.”

As part of the proclamation, the Board of Supervisors pledged to “work tirelessly to root out institutional racism wherever it exists and advance equality and inclusion.”

Harper-Desir, co-founder of Black Humboldt

Mo Harper-Desir, co-founder of Black Humboldt, appeared via Zoom and thanked the board for both the Juneteenth and the LGBTQIA+ proclamations and urged its members to “step into actions” that create inclusivity and safety for marginalized communities.

In honor of Juneteenth, Black Humboldt will be hosting an event called “Celebrating Freedom” this Saturday, June 17th, from noon to 10 p.m. at Eureka’s Halvorsen Park, featuring food trucks, live music and a youth zone. Harper-Desir encouraged the community to attend as a means of recognizing that Black history is American history while also having fun.

Wilson acknowledged the hard work that marginalized groups must do to promote equality and justice for themselves and called on allies to take up that burden. He also thanked Black Humboldt.

“I want to thank these organizations because they’re really making our community better,” he added. “It’s just so much more fun and interesting and joyful to have all of this inclusivity and joy within all of these groups … .”

Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo said she had received some emails from folks who were “not so supportive” of these two proclamations, characterizing them as meaningless gestures.

“I would push back and say that if this seems meaningless to you, it might not be for you,” Arroyo said. By way of analogy, she said that the effort to prevent elder abuse isn’t necessarily for her at this point in her life but she advocates anyway “because it keeps people safe and it strengthens our community.”

“The LGBTQIA+ and two spirit community right now are not feeling safe in our community,” she continued, “and I think the very least we can do is say ‘We support you. We see you. We recognize your inherent worth and dignity and we want you to have access to resources to help keep you and your community safe.’”

Over the course of the next hour, several public speakers remarked on the importance of the proclamations. “This is what inclusion looks like, and it’s not always a smooth road, and we realize that,” said Jeremy Clark, the county’s diversity, equity and inclusion manager. “But, you know, with the support of your board, and with the support of our employees and county department heads, we are having an impact and we are making a difference. And it’s palpable. And you can feel it in the halls, and you can you can see it in some of the survey results that I hope to share with you in the near future.”

Michael Weiss, a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, said the proclamations and statements of support are a big deal, “but I want to tell you that that flag out there is huge because there’s a lot of people in the community that don’t come to these meetings or don’t see these recordings. And the other day, a young person — a young queer person — said to me, they saw the flag and it made them cry. That’s huge and I just wanted to say thank you so much.”

Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell voiced her support for both proclamations, adding that while she sometimes has trouble saying the right things, no one should be afraid to express themselves, “whatever your way of life is.” She added that she’s “super proud of our board for recognizing that we all have that right to be different and to be safe and to feel safe and secure in our county.”

Earlier in the meeting, the board read a proclamation recognizing “Eligibility Specialist Appreciation Week,” which offers a tip o’ the cap to the people who help connect community members with public assistance programs providing medical services, food assistance and financial assistance.

###

The Arcata Planning Commission will, once again, discuss the controversial Gateway Area Plan – a section of the city’s General Plan that will rezone 138 acres of land near downtown to facilitate the creation of high-density housing – on Tuesday evening, as it gears up to make a recommendation on the plan to the Arcata City Council  next month. 

The main focus of Tuesday’s meeting will be reviewing the draft of the form-based code, which was put out last week. The 58-page draft code (which you can view here) lays out the requirements and processes that the City will use to approve new development in Arcata’s Gateway area, including building design requirements — for example, how far the building must be set back from the street, how building facades should be constructed and what materials can be used.

Depending on a proposed development’s size and which section of the Gateway Area it is in (the Gateway has been divided into four areas: the Barrel District, the Gateway Hub, the Gateway Corridor and Gateway Neighborhood), the permitting process will look slightly different. But the idea is that if developers meet all of the requirements outlined in the code, the approval process will be streamlined, so that a full review process is not necessary for all new developments. 

Map showing the different Gateway districts

Since one of the most controversial aspects of this plan has been building height, it also seems important to point out that the building maximum building heights are set in the code, with up to four stories being permitted in the Gateway Neighborhood, up to five stories in the Gateway Corridor, six stories in the Gateway Hub and seven stories  in the Barrel District. Depending on the footprint and height of the building, there will be a different permitting process. Projects that are less than 30,000 square feet and/or have a building height of 37 feet or less, will only need approval from the City’s Zoning Administrator, whereas buildings that are more than 40,000 square feet and more than 40 feet high, will go through the Planning Commission. 

The code also outlines different permitted uses for new developments in the Gateway Area, including multi-family housing, rooming or boarding houses, residential care facilities, and existing single-family dwellings; commercial uses, including retail, personal services, restaurants and bars, professional offices, medical services, and lodging; and recreation, education, and public assembly uses, including parks, playgrounds, schools, meeting facilities, studios, and theaters. Some uses that are prohibited for new developments include new single-family dwellings, heavy industrial uses, construction yards, service stations, warehouses, personal storage (mini-storage) facilities, fuel dealers and auto sales and rental business.

One of the concerns that community members have brought up in various past meetings is how the new zoning will affect the existing businesses in the Gateway Area. David Loya, community development director for the City of Arcata, told the Outpost that existing businesses that fall under one of these uses are allowed under the code as “existing non-conforming” uses. Though the City is interested in helping businesses relocate to more suitable areas, if they so wish, no one will be required to move out, as some people have claimed.

“I feel like there’s a really unfounded fear about this,” Loya said in a phone interview Tuesday morning. “All existing non-conforming uses will still be able to operate … and we’re explicitly allowing existing non-conforming businesses to expand.” 

The code also outlines where demolition of existing buildings is permitted, which includes a segment of the property near the Creamery Building between N and L Streets and 8th and 9th streets. Aside from those buildings, any other demolition, modification or relocation of existing buildings would require review from the Planning Commission.

The form-based code is just one document that the Planning Commission is working on, and the commission has spent the last several months going over every element of the City’s General Plan, and of the draft Gateway Plan, and is supposed to be ready to recommend approval of all three documents to the City Council by July. 

After tonight, the commission will have one more meeting in June to discuss the documents and should be making a decision at its meeting on July 11. 

After that, Loya said, the commission and the council will schedule multiple joint study sessions during the late summer and early fall, to go over all of the documents together. The Environmental Impact Report should be ready for review by late fall/ early winter and, if everything goes as planned, the city council should be ready to adopt the General Plan and Gateway Area Plan by spring, 2024. 

Between now and then, city staff are still taking public feedback on the documents. You can provide feedback by attending tonight’s or other upcoming meetings, or by emailing comdev@cityofarcata.org.  

The Arcata Planning Commission meets tonight (Tuesday, June 13) at 5:30 p.m. at Arcata City Hall – 736 F Street. You can view the full agenda and directions on how to participate here. 

###

###

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On June 7-8, 2023, deputies with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Marijuana Enforcement Team (MET) served a search warrant resulting from a month-long investigation into an illegal commercial cannabis cultivation operation in the McClellan Mountain area. Representatives with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Humboldt County DHHS Environmental Health – HazMat Unit and Humboldt County Code Enforcement assisted in the service of the warrant.

One parcel, located above Little Larabee Creek, was investigated during the service of the warrant. The parcel did not possess the required county permit and state license to cultivate cannabis commercially. Upon deputies’ arrival to the property, multiple individuals fled into the surrounding wooded area.

During the search of the parcel, deputies located 13 large, multi-story grow houses being powered by 14 commercial-size generators. Over 200,000 gallons of diesel, used to power the generators, was found being improperly stored on the parcel in aboveground storage tanks. Nearby these tanks and generators, HazMat investigators documented evidence of fuel spills. Additionally, deputies observed numerous discarded burnt generators and evidence of small wildland fires, including torched trees, in close proximity to these grow houses.

Environmental scientists on scene located four man-made dams which had been placed in the Little Larabee Creek to supply the operation with water.

During the service of the warrant, deputies eradicated approximately 18,511 growing cannabis plants, destroyed over 1,370 pounds of processed cannabis and seized four firearms.
Assisting agencies found the following violations:

• Nine water diversion/stream alteration violations (up to $8,000 fine per day, per violation);
• Two water pollution violations (up to $20,000 fine per day, per violation);
• Three depositing trash in or near a waterway violations (up to $20,000 fine per day, per violation);
• Failure to establish a Hazardous Materials Business Plan (HMBP) (up to $5,000 per day, per violation);
• Failure to report a release or threatened release of a hazardous material (up to $5,000 per day, per violation);
• Failure to acquire an EPA ID number (up to $70,000 per day, per violation);
• Failure to prevent a hazardous waste release (up to $70,000 per day, per violation);
• Failure to properly dispose of universal waste batteries (up to $70,000 per day, per violation);
• Failure to make a hazardous waste determination (up to $70,000 per day, per violation);
• Failure to properly label hazardous waste (up to $70,000 per day, per violation);
• Hazardous waste accumulation storage time exceeded (up to $70,000 per day, per violation);
• Failure to close hazardous waste containers (up to $70,000 per day, per violation);
• Disposal of or causing the disposal of hazardous waste at an unauthorized point (up to $70,000 per day, per violation);
• Disposal of used oil by discharge to sewers, drainage systems, surface water or groundwater, watercourses, or marine waters; by incineration or burning as fuel; or by deposit on land (up to $70,000 per day, per violation);
• Failure to prepare a SPCC plan (up to $5,000 per day, per violation);
• Failure to provide secondary containment for aboveground tanks (up to $5,000 per day, per violation);
• Failure to obtain authorization for the storage of more than 1,320 gallons of petroleum.

Additional violations with civil fines are expected to be filed by the assisting agencies.

This case is still under investigation. No arrests were made during the service of the warrant. Upon completion of this investigation, the case will be forwarded to the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office for review and charging decision.

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.

More photos: