Dear Diary, 

Today is the day! Finally, the big movie production that’s been filming all around Humboldt for the past couple of weeks is filming in my hometown. Arcata is going to be famous. Maybe I will be famous. I at least hope to catch a glimpse of Leonardo DiCaprio, one of the film’s stars. Maybe I’ll meet director Paul Thomas Anderson and he’ll offer me a part! There is so much uncertainty and hope on this day. I decide that I will spend almost all day at the shoot and document my experience.

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12:30 p.m.: I arrive at the corner of 18th and G Streets in Arcata, thinking I am being very smart by arriving early to the supposed 1 p.m. start of filming. Much to my surprise, others seem to have had the same thought and a small crowd is already gathered to observe the Hollywood magic. I guess that is my fault for telling the world about the filming plans. 

I notice that Raliberto’s looks open and think perhaps I will get some tacos. It turns out that they are not actually open but look to be open because the business is going to be in the scene. How exciting! Although I do wish there were some tacos nearby…

12:45 p.m.: After looking around for Leo a bit and not seeing him I find what I imagine to be a perfect spot for watching the action: the parking lot of North Country Clinic. Someone is wetting down the streets, so I think filming must be starting soon. I attempt to look like I belong there, and it seems to be working. A couple people from the film crew even look at me and smile! I see a crew member walking with some gadgets in his hand and ask what he’s doing. He says he’s going to screw some rod into another rod, or something, and I really feel like I’m a part of the magic!

I’m totally fitting in and I think most people assume I’m part of the movie because of how professional I look. Feelin’ good. 

1:00 p.m.: I am told to leave the parking lot. Apparently they are preparing to start filming, and it is pretty clear that I do not belong there. I and a few other gawkers are ushered to the corner of 18th and H, which is where we are allowed to stand and watch, we are told. 

1:20 p.m.: A pretty large crowd has gathered at the corner on H Street to see what they can see. Some other media can be seen in attendance. The crowd is buzzing with excitement with many anticipating the possibility of catching a glimpse of Leo or maybe some other famous person. Some black shuttle vans pull up in front of Szechuan Garden. Finally, some action! Maybe Leo is in one of those vans!

He is not. A crowd of extras floods out of the shuttles and goes inside Szechuan Garden. Ooh! They must be shooting a scene in there, I think. That’s cool because I have eaten there! I’ve also eaten at Raliberto’s, so this means that maybe two places I’ve eaten at will be in the movie and that almost makes me feel like I’m in the movie. 

1:40 p.m.: Still no filming, still no Leo. But I do see a familiar face: my colleague, Andrew Goff! We decide to try to catch some footage from the footbridge, but as we are walking that way I notice that mine is the only car left parked on G Street (there weren’t any “no parking” signs, by the way, but in hindsight it may have been a stupid place to park). I talk to an Arcata Police officer and he tells me that I do, indeed, need to move my vehicle and they will let me out of one of the blocked off streets to park elsewhere.

1:50 p.m.: After I re-park my car in a more suitable location I try to get back to the footbridge, but as I attempt to walk down 17th I’m stopped by a security guard and police officer. They ask if I live down that street, and I say “no.” That is the wrong answer and I am sent away. I should have lied, I think. 

I again join the crowd of eager observers on the corner of 18th and H. I’m disappointed that I can’t join my colleague on the footbridge, where I have heard a rumor that we might be able to get a good view of the scene and Leo. But it’s okay, I think. This is where I belong anyway – among the people! Plus, this spot is really not too bad. There is a good view of 18th and it really looks like they’re getting ready to start filming!

1:55 p.m: Someone from the production informs the crowd that we are no longer allowed to stand where we are standing. He says that we are in the shot and that, although he appreciates the “local interest,” there aren’t usually crowds of people watching in movie scenes. 

I, like everyone else in the crowd, I’m sure, feel hurt. But I do not wish to anger Hollywood, so I obey and walk down the street, where they tell us we need to go. I decide to commiserate with my fellow townspeople and ask one binocular-clad guy why he came down here today.  

“I heard about it about an hour ago … so I was like, ‘I’ll just walk over and check it out, since I’m on break,’” Liam Haas, a Cal Poly Humboldt student, told me. “Then someone said Leo was here, or maybe here. My mom loves Leo, so I thought I’d come check it out for her.” 

This young person telling me that it is not he but his mom who is the big Leo fan makes me feel old. I do not like that. But it’s okay. I’m going to see Leo soon and everything will be fine. 

2:10 p.m.: After realizing that our new location will yield no view of the scene or the movie stars I decide to walk around and try to find a better stake-out spot. I manage to sneak my way onto the balcony of the apartments right next to Raliberto’s. Yes! This is the place to be. I can see extras rehearsing a scene right below me! It looks like some kind of raid happening at Rali’s, with fake police officers dragging fake criminals off in handcuffs. 

A couple of other folks are up there with me and I ask them what they’re hoping to gain from observing the day’s spectacle. They tell me they’ve been watching for about an hour and one of them, Taylor, had been in a scene as an extra that morning and wanted to come down to watch the rest of the filming. Of course, they weren’t able to tell me much about the earlier scene or where it took place. 

“It was pretty cool,” Taylor said. “This is the next part of that scene, so I just wanted to see a little bit of it.” 

They point to the 101 North onramp where there are men standing and observing the scene, and they tell me that the person on the left is director Paul Thomas Anderson. Finally I have seen a famous person!

2:45 p.m.: Seeing PTA was cool, but with still no Leo onsite I decide to abandon my very cool post and continue looking for action elsewhere. I find Goff and we decide to drive around to LK Wood to see if there is a better view from up there. We see more people on the on-ramp. Goff tells me to pull over and he jumps out of my car and quickly disappears behind the shrubbery. 

I hope that he will be okay. Then I realize that I am starving and decide this might be a good time for a break. I go to Wildberries for a burrito, which I eat alone in my car. This would be a sad scene, I think, if I were not here as a bigtime Hollywood reporter. 

3:00 p.m.: I swoop back to LK Wood to pick up the courageous Goff. He got some good shots of PTA, but still no Leo. This is starting to get frustrating. 

3:30 p.m.: Now back at the corner of 18th and G, I see that they have allowed the crowd of spectators to return and actually have let them get even closer to the shoot! There are a bunch of extras scattered throughout the street in front of Szechuan Garden and they are rehearsing a scene that seems to consist of the extras just walking down the street toward the raid at Rali’s. 

Someone from the production tells the extras that they are not walking correctly and that he doesn’t want them to look like zombies from the “Thriller” video. Wow … Hollywood.

4:00 p.m: I have still not seen Leo. My heart is broken and my feet are sore. I decide to return home for the time being and come back later. The movie is set to film until 1 a.m. Maybe Leo will be in the nighttime scenes? Plus, there won’t be as many people around later, I bet. This is smart. 

7:30 p.m.: I return to the filming locale and they are already finished. I watch as vans drive away from the Raliberto’s parking lot. I have missed my chance to see Leo. Raliberto’s still isn’t even open, so I am not able to get tacos to ease my pain. But that’s okay, I suppose. I guess he never showed up? I go home and decide to look up videos of Leo instead. I wonder if he has ever hosted SNL. He has not. Pfff! Maybe he’s not so great after all. 

Wednesday morning, 9 a.m.: I shake off my Hollywood hangover and decide that I will write up my adventures from the day before. I see via LoCO’s email and social media that Leo was, in fact, present at the filming and that many people saw him and have photos and video to prove it!  

Why? How could I, as a reporter, have missed Leo?! I feel ashamed. But I am grateful for the existence of cell phones and am happy that others got to experience what I did not. At least I can say I was there and that my beautiful hometown and two of my beloved restaurants will get to be featured. I think I’ll get those tacos now. 

Now, enjoy these videos of Leo running, captured not by me, but by Kate Webb (immediately below) and Randi Hornbrook (beneath):

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Despite dealing with an $18.4 million budget deficit in the current fiscal year, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday granted an exception to an ongoing countywide hiring freeze to allow the Sheriff’s Office to attempt to recruit up to 25 new hires for the woefully understaffed department.

Sheriff Billy Honsal personally pleaded with the board to grant the exception, telling them that the requested deputies, officers and dispatchers are “vital to our public safety.”

The request had been placed on the consent portion of Tuesday meeting’s agenda, meaning it was set to be approved among a list of various other matters without specific deliberation, but Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone pulled it for discussion.

“All the departments have really pulled together to try and cut costs wherever they can, and we – I – would appreciate the sheriff’s department doing the same,” Madrone said. “I know it’s difficult, but given our current budget crisis, I think we need to hold our ground on the hiring freeze.”

Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo also expressed concern about the sheriff’s request, which was to unfreeze 35 vacant positions that had been unfunded as part of the county’s effort to close its budget gap.

Arroyo said it would be difficult to consider approving 35 new hires all at once. 

“I’m definitely open to discussing the positions and hearing more about it,” she said. “It just, it’s definitely not something I was comfortable with seeing just on consent without some discussion.”

A staff report said the sheriff’s office “has done all it can to absorb the workload of 35 unfunded positions. Any further reductions to staffing will result in closing outstations and programs.”

Seated before the board, Honsal reiterated that argument and said it would be difficult to recruit potential employees if he had to go to the board for approval each time. The recruitment process takes four to five months to complete, he said, adding that the sheriff’s department has “continuously been the team players in the room when it comes to taking cuts” and now the office has “zero fat.”

“We’ve already done our part,” Honsal said. “We’re trying to be very transparent with you all and the public, saying we can’t cut any more without cutting services.”

Honsal also said turnover is high, particularly among correctional officers working in the county jail, where there are currently 29 vacancies, according to Capt. Duane Christian. 

“We are experiencing burnout at an astronomical rate that people are quitting,” Honsal said. “We had someone last week say, ‘I’m gonna go drive a logging truck because it’s more stable.’”

Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson suggested “bifurcating” the Sheriff’s Office’s request and only unfreezing positions that are “already in the hopper,” referring to active recruits.

First District Supervisor Rex Bohn and Fifth District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell voiced support for Honsal’s request, and Bushnell made a motion to approve it. 

Wilson pushed back against the motion on process grounds, arguing that considering a hiring request for one department in isolation “plays havoc between our departments and within our budgeting process.” The county’s budgeting process for the next fiscal year will be before the board in a matter of months. 

The board negotiated with Honsal toward finding a middle ground, with Arroyo asking Bushnell if she’d consider lowering the number of positions to unfreeze to 25. Bushnell was reluctant but said she’d make that compromise if that’s what it took to get her motion passed.

Bohn said he wanted to hold firm at 35, in part because of the unlikelihood that the Sheriff’s Office would be able to fill all those positions with departments in other areas offering higher salaries and signing bonuses of $50,000 or more.

Bushnell wound up dropping her request to 25, and the motion passed by a vote of 4-1, with Madrone dissenting.

State and federal legislative platforms

Once a year, the Board of Supervisors updates its legislative platforms, which amount to a list of priorities and requests of state and federal lawmakers.

Appearing via Zoom, Karen Lange, a lobbyist and partner in the Sacramento-based public affairs and advocacy firm of Shaw Yoder Antwih Schmelzer & Lange, offered an overview of the state budget landscape, emphasizing the importance of defending against potential state budget cuts, particularly with the new leadership’s sensitivity to challenges facing rural counties, such as road maintenance.

“Senator [Mike] McGuire is about to become the pro tem of the Senate,” Lange noted. “He will be sworn in on Monday, and so you will have the Senate leader as one of your legislators. And then on the Assembly side, Dr. [Jim] Wood, while he is not running for re-election in his final year, he’s serving as the assistant majority leader, which is the third highest post in the Assembly.”

Those leadership positions could help Humboldt County have a louder voice at the state level, Lange said.

The county’s priorities include funding requests for offshore wind development, housing and roads, and there is also concern about AT&T’s recent request to discontinue landline service.

At the federal level, partners with the lobbying firm Paragon Government Relations addressed a number of issues, including the fact that the 2022 earthquake that caused extensive damage to Rio Dell nonetheless failed to reach FEMA’s threshold for a disaster declaration.

Joe Krahn, a lobbyist with Paragon, said FEMA needs to reevaluate the way it determines that threshold because the current system disadvantages small and rural communities.

The federal lobbyists also noted that the Drug Enforcement Agency may soon decide whether to reschedule cannabis as a Schedule III substance, saying it’s still important for the county to push for reforms, including passage of the Safe Banking Act, which would provides protections for federally regulated financial institutions that serve cannabis businesses.

Short-term rental ordinance

Later in the meeting, the board considered approving the short-term rental ordinance draft that the Planning Commission passed unanimously at the end of November following months of deliberations. However, despite discussing the particulars for two and a half hours, the board wound up punting a decision on the matter to its March 5 meeting.

The ordinance, once passed, would establish a set of rules for local residents who operate vacation rental properties through companies such as Airbnb and Vacasa. With the ordinance, the county is hoping to address concerns about neighborhood disruption and the loss of housing stock from conversion of homes to rental properties.

Humboldt County currently has somewhere between 600 and 800 short-term rentals (STRs), which is equivalent to three to five years’ worth of housing production in the county’s unincorporated areas, according to county staff.

The proposed ordinance would allow STRs with a $135 administrative permit, so long as the owners follow the rules and comply with operations standards. It would also establish a cap on the total number of STRs at no more than two percent of the total units in the Greater Humboldt Area Plan and no more than five percent of the housing stock in any specific community plan area. The permits would be good for two years.

“There are operations standards relative to the occupancy, noise, lighting and parking as well as the inclusion of a good neighbor guide” that highlights emergency evacuation routes, public safety information and traffic etiquette, County Planner Cade McNamara explained.

During the Planning Commission’s deliberations, transferability was “a very hot topic,” as McNamara put it, with the question being whether or not one property owner could bequeath their rental to a subsequent owner. The current draft of the ordinance prohibits this.

Some residents of the Big Lagoon community have urged the board to apply a cap to their neighborhood so that the Big Lagoon Estates, a housing development slated for construction, can’t be entirely converted to STRs.

Less than a dozen members of the public offered comments on the proposed regulations, with some advocating for more stringent rules while others warned against over-regulating a popular option for tourists. During the ensuing conversation among the board, Bohn said the relatively low number of public speakers suggests that people must feel satisfied by the work of the Planning Commission.

During board deliberations, Bohn asked Planning and Building Director John Ford why the draft ordinance doesn’t allow an STR to be transferred to an heir upon the owner’s death. Ford said it’s a “policy decision” within the board’s purview, but the Planning Commission didn’t feel comfortable wading into those waters.

Madrone said STRs are “absolutely a piece of our tourism economy” as more and more people choose them over hotels. But he said restrictions are needed, and he advocated for both Big Lagoon and Willow Creek to be included in the regions that have a cap on STRs.

Wilson questioned some of the rules relating to STRs in “resource zones” such as lands zoned for agricultural exclusive or timber production zones, asking whether STRs should be allowed in structures that are ancillary to the resource value — an apartment separate from a farm house, for example. He voiced concern about “the domino effect” of principally permitting residential uses on resource lands.

The board’s conversation ping-ponged from one section of the draft ordinance to another, and as the afternoon wore on, things got a bit testy. Wilson said there were just a few outstanding matters he’d like to address, but he wanted to take a break.

“I’m just, so … we’ve been doing this meeting since 9 a.m.,” he said. “We’ve had two 10-minute breaks, so I’m just – I can’t even remember what I’ve talked about now, at this moment.” 

Bohn lightly mocked Wilson for complaining about seven hours of deliberation, and Wilson got defensive, saying, “I know Supervisor Bohn doesn’t think there’s any intellectual energy expended [in] doing this, but there is.”

“Maybe I don’t have any to expend,” Bohn quipped. Later he remarked that maybe he doesn’t have enough education to get tired, adding, “No, I’m just used to working long hours.”

The board discussed postponing the hearing until February, but Wilson had a potential conflict with an upcoming meeting of the California Coastal Commission, so they wound up picking March 5. The vote to postpone the matter until then was unanimous.

Potter Valley Project

Before calling it a day (shortly after 5 p.m.), the board received an update on the Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project and the inactive Eel-Russian River Commission.

PG&E last year announced that it plans to decommission and remove two dams on the Eel River and negotiate a new diversion from the Eel to the Russian River.

Staff recommended that the board form a two-member “Eel-Russian River ad hoc committee.” Hank Seemann, deputy director of public works, noted that water users in Sonoma and Mendocino counties hope to continue water diversions from the Eel to the Russian during winter months, but Humboldt County isn’t necessarily onboard.

“Our preferred position is that Eel River water should stay in the Eel River watershed,” Seemann said. In a follow-up email to the Outpost he added, “Any future water diversions would need to be consistent with recovery of Eel River fisheries and a financial assessment on diversions would need to go into an Eel River Restoration Fund. The County will need to see the specific proposal for future diversions and have more information before considering formal support.”

Wilson made a motion to appoint himself and Bushnell to the proposed ad hoc committee, citing his experience on the California Coastal Commission.

Bohn took another swipe at Wilson saying, “Well, golly shucks, I’ve got a lot [of the Eel] running through my district but I’m not that smart. So, OK.”

Arroyo said each and every county supervisor probably has a compelling reason to be on the committee. Wilson thanked Bohn for helping to negotiate a position statement and said he thinks all five members of the board are on the same page. 

The motion to appoint Wilson and Bushnell to the committee passed 4-1, with Madrone again casting the lone dissenting vote.

UPDATE:, 4:38 p.m.:

As of 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024 the Humboldt County Public Works Roads Division has posted the following roads as flooded or closed:

Flooded:

• Old Arcata Road flooded between Jacoby Creek Road and Graham Road

• Dillon Road

• Camp Weott Road

• Meridian Road

• Port Kenyon Road

• Ambrosini Lane

• Rose Avenue

• Goble Lane

• Johnson Road - Hydesville

• Riverside Park Road

• Mill Street - Fortuna

• Berta Road

Closed

• Coffee Creek Road

• Scenic Drive at P.M. 1.0-Trinidad

• Hookton Road and Eel River Road

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UPDATE, 2:56 p.m.: As predicted, the Hookton offramp and Eel River Drive are now flooded, per CHP.

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ORIGINAL POST:

It’s coming down hard and fast, but so far, as of this writing, the damage has been pretty minimal. There are moderate-sized power outages in SoHum and the Orleans/Somes Bar areas, and a few smaller and thankfully localized ones in Hoopa.

No major highways have been shut down yet, but there are a couple of closures to report. The CHP is reporting that the Avenue of the Giants is closed near Holmes due to flooding. And College of the Redwoods just texted to say:

The main entrance to the CR parking lot is closed due to flooding. The central CR entrance is open and available for use. Please use caution while driving, do not drive through flooded areas and follow all staff instructions.

And that’s a good tip for everyone, not just CR students! Don’t try to drive through flooded zones, please! Your car will bottom out and drift in shallower water than you supposed possible.

Apparently oft-flooded roads like those in the Hookton, Bayside and Elk River areas are still open for the time being, but the water is going to rise. Stay safe out there.

Many California government jobs don’t require a college degree. That list may grow longer as agencies face a rise in job vacancies.

Over the past decade, California cities, counties, and the state government have been changing the job descriptions for thousands of employees — either by removing the requirement for a high school, college, or graduate-level degree or by detailing alternative ways that candidates can gain the same skills. Studies show these changes can benefit workers and employers.

For instance, janitors no longer need a high school degree to work for the state, and staff services analysts, who help administer many of the state’s programs, no longer need a bachelor’s degree.

But while state leaders and scholars agree about the need for more of these changes, they disagree about the best or fastest way to do it.

“Further action is possible,” wrote Gov. Gavin Newsom last year in an executive order about career education. In it, he explicitly asked the California Department of Human Resources to make re-evaluating education requirements a higher priority.

The governor’s order came after at least 15 states had already enacted similar or more aggressive changes to their hiring practices.

Last year, Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, a Democrat from Orinda, proposed Assembly Bill 1693, which would have put California on par with many other states by making education requirements the exception, rather than the norm, for state employees. “There is no reason for California to have an arbitrary barrier to access these good-paying jobs that benefit our state,” she said.

But earlier this month, that bill died in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Another, more limited bill by state Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, a Republican from Redlands, was introduced on the same day. Senate Bill 943 would waive bachelor’s degree requirements for certain veterans.

“There is no reason for California to have an arbitrary barrier to access these good-paying jobs that benefit our state.”
— Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan

Since 2015, the state’s human resources department has changed the requirements for nearly 170 kinds of jobs, which represent about 27,000 people. Bauer-Kahan’s bill would have forced the state to reevaluate the remaining 2,600 other kinds of state jobs over the next year, which represent roughly 200,000 more people, said Camille Travis, a spokesperson for the state’s human resources department. She said the state does not know the number of jobs that currently require a degree because most jobs offer multiple ways for candidates to qualify.

“We’re not going to do it overnight,” said Monica Erickson, the department’s chief deputy director. She said that changing the job descriptions can be “extremely complex,” requiring input or approval from other state agencies, the State Personnel Board, and unions, if applicable. A legislative committee analysis of the bill said it would cost more than $1 million to hire the human resources staff to process all the job changes.

Solving a ‘hiring crisis’

Often, degrees are used as a proxy for certain skills, such as communication, teamwork, and computer literacy, according to a 2022 report by the Burning Glass Institute, a nonprofit research organization. Removing degree requirements widens the pool of potential applicants, making it easier to recruit more diverse talent, the report said.

At the online job site ZipRecruiter, the benefits are already evident, said Julia Pollak, the company’s chief economist. A 2023 ZipRecruiter survey of more than 2,000 employers found that 72% were prioritizing skills over degree and 45% had gotten rid of degree requirements in some roles in the previous year.

Large companies, especially those in the tech sector, have been vocal about the need for skill-based hiring. IBM said it cut bachelor’s degree requirements from more than half of its U.S. job openings in 2021.

For many companies, these changes accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, when staffing shortages pushed employers to rethink their requirements.

“You don’t need any legislation to push the private sector to do it, but you do need legislation to allow the public sector to do it,” Pollak said.

Before the pandemic, the state’s job vacancy rate was just under 15%. Now it’s at 20%, Erickson said. The growing vacancy rate was the chief concern behind the bill, Bauer-Kahan said.

“It may not meaningfully change who applies and it may not meaningfully change who gets hired, but it’s worth doing if it’s changing the conversation about what these jobs require.”
— Sara Hinkley, professor at UC Berkeley

One reason for the high vacancy rate: the number of state employees is growing. Since 2019, the state has added roughly 20,000 positions, an increase of more than 8%, according to Travis, a spokesperson for the state’s human resources department. The same challenges exist in county and city governments, which tend to face even higher vacancy rates, according to a report by the UC Berkeley Labor Center.

More than three-quarters of jobs with the county of San Diego don’t require a degree, a significant increase since the county started reassessing its jobs in 2022. Riverside County approved a motion to consider alternatives to degrees, although the county was unable to provide data before publication about what changes had been made.

As San Francisco faces an “unprecedented hiring crisis,” a spokesperson for the human resources department, Jack Hebb, said the city has changed the requirements for 267 out of 915 job classifications over the past 10 years. Roughly a quarter of those changes happened after the start of the pandemic, he said.

Filling state government jobs other ways

Erickson said she believes that changing education requirements can promote equity by removing barriers and can “absolutely” help fill vacancies, but that it’s not a panacea. “People look at pay first,” she said. While the state offers better-than-average pay for many jobs, such as custodial work, other positions, such as police officers, pay below the average wage compared to other workers across the state.

The Service Employees International Union, SEIU, is concerned that some employers may change education requirements in order to lower wages, said Sandra Barreiro, a governmental relations advocate for SEIU. While Barreiro didn’t endorse Bauer-Kahan’s bill, the local service workers union that represents public sector employees, SEIU Local 1000, did.

Sara Hinkley, a professor at UC Berkeley and an author of the report on vacancies, said that changing degree requirements is “one small part” of the solution. “It may not meaningfully change who applies and it may not meaningfully change who gets hired, but it’s worth doing if it’s changing the conversation about what these jobs require,” she said.

Last year, a senior researcher at The Burning Glass Institute posted a new finding on LinkedIn regarding the institute’s earlier report. He found that in reality, employers are hiring more people with college degrees, not fewer, even as they remove education requirements from job posts.

“Just changing the language of job postings doesn’t guarantee that you’re going to change who you hire,” said institute president Matt Sigelman. Instead he said the focus should be about analyzing what’s really needed and cited IBM, which aggressively removed degree requirements for most positions, later re-introducing those requirements in a few jobs.

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Adam Echelman covers California’s community colleges in partnership with Open Campus, a nonprofit newsroom focused on higher education.

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

With salmon populations throughout California declining for decades and facing the threat of extinction, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday unveiled a state strategy aimed at protecting and restoring the iconic species “amidst hotter and drier weather exacerbated by climate change.”

The blueprint calls for tearing down dams and improving passages for migrating salmon, restoring flows in key waterways, modernizing hatcheries to raise fish and taking other steps to help Chinook, coho, steelhead and other migrating fish.

“We’re doubling down to make sure this species not only adapts in the face of extreme weather but remains a fixture of California’s natural beauty and ecosystems for generations to come,” Newsom said in a statement.

Fewer than 80,000 Central Valley fall-run chinook salmon — a mainstay of the state’s salmon fishery — returned to spawn in 2022, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. It’s a decline of nearly 40% from the previous year, and the lowest since 2009. Last year, all salmon fishing was canceled in California and much of Oregon due to low numbers projected to return from the Pacific.

The threats to California’s salmon are many — dams that block migration, diversions that drain rivers, ocean conditions and climate change. And the effects of the decline are wide-ranging: loss of fishery jobs, impacts on tribes’ food security and cultures, no local supplies for restaurants and consumers, and more.

Many of the projects and solutions outlined in Newsom’s report are already underway, or under the direction of the federal government, tribes and conservation groups. Included are the historic demolition of four aging hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River, and reintroduction of endangered Sacramento River winter-run Chinook eggs to the McCloud River upstream of Lake Shasta.

Regulatory efforts include establishing minimum flows on the fiercely contested Scott and Shasta Rivers, and the long-delayed and controversial management plan for the Bay-Delta, the heart of the state’s water supply.

Some environmental groups called the plan a ploy to burnish Newsom’s image after taking other steps that jeopardized salmon: his waiver of water quality requirements in the Delta that protect salmon, his support of a controversial pact with major water suppliers, and his backing of the Delta tunnel project, which the state’s environmental assessment warned could put salmon at risk.

Scott Artis, executive director of the Golden State Salmon Association, said in a statement that the plan is “is packed full of good stuff that we have been fighting to get for years,” but said “it conflicts with what the Newsom administration has been doing for years to devastate California’s most important salmon runs.”

“What it potentially boils down to is conveniently timed smoke and mirrors,” he added.

Freshly caught salmon from the San Francisco Bay Area on Aug. 22, 2017. Photo courtesy of Andrew Bland

The plan “is a repackaging of victories by tribes and environmental and fishing organizations across the state, which were hard-fought and which happened to fall on Governor Newsom’s watch,” said Jon Rosenfield, science director of San Francisco Baykeeper.

“The governor has spent his entire administration resisting new protections for salmon, waiving existing protections, making sure his water board didn’t adopt new regulatory safeguards that everyone agrees are necessary,” he said. “And now, in the sixth year of his administration, he’s got a plan, which doesn’t include any of the fixes that the best available science says are necessary.”

For instance, he said the state should stop promoting major water diversions like the Delta tunnel and Sites Reservoir, and instead reduce demand for water, particularly among growers. He also raised concerns that the administration has backed voluntary agreements with major water suppliers related to Bay-Delta flows that could undermine and supplant science-based, mandatory standards developed by the state.

Though Newsom’s strategy pledges to complete these long-awaited standards for the Bay-Delta by the end of 2025, it also says they “could include potential Voluntary Agreements.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said these agreements “do not provide flow to ensure year-round protection or protection in critical dry years” and that the flows are “not large enough to adequately restore and protect aquatic ecosystems.”

The plan “is a repackaging of victories by tribes and…organizations across the state, which were hard-fought and which happened to fall on Governor Newsom’s watch.”
— Jon Rosenfield, San Francisco Baykeeper

California Trout, a conservation organization, welcomed Newsom’s support for habitat restoration and demolishing barriers like the Scott and Cape Horn dams, which block fish migration on the Eel River. PG&E released its preliminary plans for removing these dams in November.

“These actions are critical and urgent in light of climate change,” Darren Mierau, CalTrout program director in the North Coast region, said in a statement.

California Trout and UC Davis scientists predict that the state will lose nearly half of its native salmon and trout species in the next 50 years if conditions continue unchanged.

“After 10 years of rapidly intensifying drought with episodic bouts of rain and snow events, salmon are not doing well,” Newsom’s salmon plan says.

Newsom’s strategy document comes with the heavy caveat that “it will require time, effort, and funding” and that the pace “will depend upon the feasibility and availability of resources and competing priorities.”

The strategy takes aim at the many dams, large and small, that choke off nearly 90% of spawning and rearing habitat in cool mountain streams. It lists efforts underway to demolish dams on the Eel River that impound water in Lake and Mendocino counties, and that impede Southern California steelhead, an endangered species, in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Several projects would remove or reduce barriers on the Feather River, including upgrades to parts of the Oroville-Thermalito complex.

Also included are projects to reintroduce salmon in rivers across the state, such as an effort that already began on the McCloud River, where Chinook salmon hadn’t spawned for more than 80 years.

The wide-ranging strategy also calls for improving hatcheries that raise fish to introduce into the wild, and updating data collection about stream flows, temperature and salmon migration.

“The future of California salmon is up to us all,” the plan concludes.

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

On January 21, 2024, Christina Freitas and Nevaeh Beyer, a mother and her daughter, were taken from our lives far sooner than ever imagined. Passing as one, in a single instant, they take with them the light of two bright futures that can never be renewed. We survive this sorrow knowing that those who pass from our sight will never pass from our lives so long as we hold them in our hearts.

Christina (42), born in Arcata on October 16, 1981, grew up in Rio Dell after moving from Smith River. She attended Rio Dell Elementary School and graduated from Fortuna High School. Having a kind and caring personality, and a spirit filled with fun and love, she made friends easily. She was able to see, and even enhance, the best qualities in those around her. Hers was a love and a heart that will be forever missed by all who knew her.

Nevaeh Beyer (9), born in Fortuna on November 11, 2014, lived in Rio Dell with her mother Christina and attended Rio Dell Elementary School. She was a happy and friendly third-grade student enjoying nothing more than being with her friends and making her parents and grandparents laugh. She was smart, independent, funny, and loved by all who knew her. Her infectious smile lit more hearts than she could ever have known. Playing with her dog, riding horses, and enjoying her family are only a few of the things she enjoyed during her short but full life.

Christina is survived by Linda Freitas (mother), Joe Freitas and Mericia Melo (father & girlfriend), Cliff, Liz, Logan, and Cameron Freitas (brother & family), Jason Freitas and Sidney Melendy (brother & girlfriend), Joe Enes (uncle), Natal Mendes (aunt), Helio Mendes (uncle), and numerous other aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.

Nevaeh is survived by Jacob P. Beyer (father), siblings: Jacob, Brody, and Brooklyn Beyer, Tena Beyer (grandmother), Robert Beyer (grandfather), Linda Freitas (grandmother), Joe Freitas (grandfather), Cliff Freitas (uncle), Jason Freitas (uncle), Liz Freitas (aunt), Jessica Beyer (aunt), Chace Pancoast (uncle), Joseph Beyer (uncle), Nadie Roop (aunt), and cousins: Logan and Cameron Freitas, Kaiden Martin, Dylan Barmlett, Aries Korbly, and Bryce Pancoast.

Funeral services will be held at Ferndale Catholic Church on Saturday, February 3, 2024 at 10am, with a private interment to follow at Sunrise Cemetery in Fortuna.

A celebration of Christina’s and Nevaeh’s life will be held after at Fortuna Fire Department.

The tears we shed in remembering lives lost
Remind the living of loves true cost
Though I know this is not the end
Until I see you again, my heart cannot mend.

Keith Evan Downing was born on December 7, 1953 to Darlene and Robert Downing. He passed away on January 13, 2024 at the age of 70. Keith was a lifelong resident of Willow Creek. He was the proud father of three children and grandfather to three grandsons.

Keith was born in Garberville, as a toddler he and his family relocated to Burnt Ranch, then to Willow Creek following the 1964 flood. He attended elementary school in Burnt Ranch and went on to graduate from Hoopa High School in 1972. Keith excelled on and off the court, earning honors on student council, was named to the principal’s honor roll list all four years and was a star athlete in football, basketball, baseball, and track. Keith became known by his classmates as “Goose,” a name that would stick with him into his adult life.

Keith married Debra Cooley of Eureka, in 1976. The couple started a family and had three children; Brian Keith, Jennifer Lee, and Rhonda Lynn, where they resided in Willow Creek.

Keith was the second oldest of five siblings, all of whom enjoyed life on the river and in the beautiful mountains of the Klamath-Trinity region. Keith was a true mountain man and embodied all of the characteristics of what that possessed; from working in the woods, to living off the land and most recently-transforming scrap wood into beautiful pieces of art. His wood work, including his benches, walking sticks, face carving and vases were sold at some of the local shops.

Keith loved being outdoors and enjoyed hunting and fishing. He, his father and older brother Kevin, along with several cousins made many trips to the Trinity Alps where countless memories were made. One trip in particular, Keith killed two bucks in two days; a memory that was forever cherished and a story that was told for decades to come! He was a true storyteller and always loved to emphasis his stories to make for a better tale and an even better laugh! Not only did his stories invoke a lot of laughs, but Keith had a way about him that always brought out the humor in every situation. He knew how to make people laugh and once he got you going, that loud belly aching laugh would take over and the entire room would follow suit!

Keith had a lot of friends and close family whom he shared a lot of good memories with, however none closer to his heart than his children and grandchildren. His three grandsons were the light of his life and he enjoyed attending their sporting events, birthdays and family gatherings. He also thoroughly enjoyed family get-togethers, whether it was a birthday, holiday, camping trips, an outing at Horse Linto Creek Campground, he truly enjoyed those moments with his siblings and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents; Bill & Marion Brown, Chet & Katherine Downing, as well as his parents; Robert Downing (Barbara) and Darlene Downing. Keith is survived by his children; Brian Downing (Heather Maddox), Jennifer (JR) Larkins, and Rhonda Downing (Shawn Washington), his grandchildren; Jayce Larkins, Evan Larkins and Lavell Washington, as well as his siblings; Kevin Downing (Sandra), Karen Middleton (Ron), Kim Downing and Kelly Downing, his aunt DeAnne Morrow, and many nieces and nephews, cousins and friends.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the VFW Hall in Willow Creek on Saturday, February 17 from 1 to 3 p.m. The family would like to invite Keith’s friends and all whom loved him to attend. This is a potluck, so we welcome you all to bring one of your favorite dishes.

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