Diemer.

After almost 10 years on the job — through a fairly eventful decade in the city of Arcata that included the transformation of Cal Poly Humboldt, the drafting of an ambitious new development plan for city’s Gateway Area, the removal of the McKinley statue, the still-unresolved killing of David Josiah Lawson and the city’s initiation of legal action against one of its own councilmembers — City Manager Karen Diemer is stepping down.

As first reported in the Mad River Union, Diemer delivered the news to the Arcata City Council at its meeting last night, and an all-staff memo has since been sent out announcing her decision.

Diemer plans to stay on the job until the city council can find a replacement, which will likely take a number of months.

Reached this afternoon, Diemer told the Outpost that after more than three decades in public service in Humboldt County — she started in 1989, with a part-time job at the city of Eureka — this just felt like the right time to take a breather.

“What’s encouraged me to go this year is that the city is on really solid footing,” Diemer said. Specifically, she said that the city’s finances are stable, that the city looks ready to wrap up its big general plan update in the next few months, and that the council and city staff are solid.

“It’s a good time to transition,” she said. “Not a lot of cities have the opportunity to transition in leadership when the sails are smooth.”

Diemer said she and her husband plan to stay in the area, post-retirement, but that since she has children living out of town now, there might be more travel in her immediate future.

In the next few weeks, Diemer said, the city will contract with a recruiting firm to put out a call for applications, and there’ll be a public announcement about a timeline and a public process for hiring someone to replace her.

In speaking with the Outpost, Diemer was full of praise for her colleagues, and for the city as a whole. She characterized Arcata as an “adventurous” city, from a local government perspective — it’s eager to take risks, to try new and innovative things, even if they have a chance of failing.

When she was a young professional starting at the city in 1996, Diemer said, she assumed that Arcata would have to be only one stop if she were to advance in her profession.

“I thought I’d have to move to all kinds of cities to get experience,” Diemer said. “But Arcata was so creative.”

Press release from the Eureka Police Department:

On January 18, 2023 at approximately 8:14 a.m., Officers with the Eureka Police Department (EPD) responded to the report of a suspicious device located near a business at 14th and Short Streets. Officers secured the area around the device. Upon examination of the device it was determined a mutual aid request was warranted and the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) team responded to the scene. EOD was able to render the device safe while at the scene. The investigation to this point has revealed that the device was manufactured to resemble an explosive device, however we are unable to determine if it was an actual functional device.

The Eureka Police Department would like to thank the HCSO EOD team for their assistance and our community for your patience while we conducted this investigation. If anyone has any information about this incident you are asked to contact EPD at 707-441-4044.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On 1/13/2024, at about 4:00 p.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s Special Services deputies were dispatched to the area of Felt Road near Myrtletown to assist a homeowner with an evacuation due to flooding.

Deputies arrived on scene but were unable to access the residence due to rising water levels. Deputies deployed a Zodiac Raft and traversed the flooded roadway about one mile to the residence. When deputies arrived, they discovered nearly four feet of water had flooded into around the residence and was continuing to rise. Deputies were able to safely evacuate the occupants of the residence which were two adults, a one-month-old infant, and a pet cat. None of the occupants were injured during the flooding or evacuation.

With more winter weather ahead, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind the public to be continually vigilant around areas prone to flooding. If in need of emergency rescue, call 9-1-1 and do not attempt to leave unless it can be done so safely.

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.

California will dole out $250 million more in down payment assistance to first-time homebuyers this spring, while making changes to its 1-year-old program aimed at reaching a more diverse group of borrowers across the state.

Last year frenzied homebuyers hoovered up nearly all $300 million budgeted for the California Dream for All loan program in just 11 days. While the new program was wildly popular, some realtors and lenders reported that clients who received the funds were already far along in the home purchase process, fueling speculation about whether the loans were going to people who already could afford to buy homes.

The program’s next round, launching today, keeps the same “shared appreciation” lending model: The state will give first-time homebuyers money towards a down payment — up to 20% of the purchase price or $150,000, whichever is lower — then it will get paid back the loan plus a share of the home’s appreciation whenever it sells again.

This time the California Housing Finance Agency, which administers Dream for All, hopes to head off a mad scramble for the loans by replacing its original first-come, first-serve model with a lottery.

Homebuyers will have until April to find a state-approved lender and start working on an application. A lottery opens in early April, and buyers will have a month to submit their applications. Between 1,700 and 2,000 lucky lottery winners will receive vouchers that they’ll then have 60 days to spend on a home.

More time to prepare

The extra time to prepare should help Californians who may not be sure if they could buy a home without state assistance, said CalHFA spokesperson Eric Johnson.

The program is for people for whom homeownership “may be a dream but they’ve got the steady income, they’ve got the decent credit score of above 660 and they’re thinking, ‘OK, wow, this could really make the difference,’ ” said Johnson. “This gives them time to get motivated, to find a loan officer. If they need to do a little work on their credit score or change their debt-to-income ratio, they’ve got time to work with one of our loan officers or brokers.”

The agency will set aside a number of vouchers for each region of the state based on its share of the state’s households. That’s to avoid the geographic disparities that emerged in the program’s first round, in which Sacramento County homebuyers disproportionately benefited but those in Los Angeles County, which represents 25% of the state’s population, received just 9% of loans.

California Dream for All “was initially conceived of as focusing on higher-cost parts of the state where it’s especially hard to use existing down payment programs, and that was not exactly an unequivocal success,” said Adam Briones, CEO of California Community Builders, which advocates for closing the racial wealth gap through homeownership and helped draft the research that inspired the program.

The state’s red-hot housing market means some Californians who might otherwise be able to afford mortgage payments must struggle to save enough for a down payment. About 55% of Californians own their homes, the second-lowest home ownership rate of any state, behind New York.

Who will benefit?

Dream for All’s backers had hoped it would especially benefit members of communities that have experienced redlining or low homeownership rates, such as Black and Latino Californians. A CalMatters analysis of Dream for All’s first round found that its beneficiaries included a higher share of people of color than exists among California’s current homeowners, but they were still whiter than the state’s overall population.

California law prohibits state-sponsored affirmative action, which poses a challenge for officials trying to design a program that tackles historical redlining without explicitly addressing race, Briones said.

California Dream for All’s new rules include a requirement that at least one homebuyer in each transaction be a first-generation homebuyer, defined as someone who has never owned a home and whose parents also did not own a home, or someone who grew up in foster care. The state also has lowered the income eligibility threshold from 150% of the area median income to 120%, a number that ranges from about $95,000 a year in Fresno County to about $215,000 in Santa Clara County.

The state plans an outreach campaign beginning in February that will focus especially on Southern California and the Central Coast to let potential homebuyers know about the program, Johnson said. It will include flyers in laundromats, text messages and advertisements on Spanish-language radio and in Black newspapers.

Colette Washington, a realtor in Oakland, said that about a quarter of her clients are first-time homebuyers and she tried to encourage them to apply for California Dream for All last year. But most were confused by the program and procrastinated, she said, and the money ran out before any of them successfully applied.

Buying a house “is probably the biggest financial commitment most average folks will make in a lifetime and so it’s intimidating,” she said. “Fear is paralyzing.”

This time around, she said, “I personally would like to see the people who really need the money get it first.”

How to apply for Dream for All

So far California Dream for All has survived Gov. Newsom’s budget ax, which fell on some of the state’s other housing programs last week, as the governor proposed clawbacks of unspent funds to solve a budget deficit his office projects will reach $38 billion in 2024-25.

Created in 2022, Dream for All was originally envisioned as a 10-year, $10 billion investment before lawmakers scaled it back last year.

Californians interested in applying for the program can visit the California Dream for All website for updates or join CalHFA’s homebuyer email list.

Johnson had one other piece of advice for wannabe homeowners in the state: “Most importantly, don’t give up hope. There is a possibility of owning your own home in California.”

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

How much difference will a March ballot measure make when it comes to fighting California’s massive homelessness crisis? That’s the question before voters as they weigh in on Proposition 1, which has been touted as California’s chance to finally do something about the epidemic on the streets.

Prop. 1, the only proposition on California ballots this March, asks voters to green-light a $6.4 billion bond for treatment beds and housing units catering to people with mental illnesses and addictions. It also would restructure some current funding to funnel more mental health money toward housing.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has championed the measure, said it will “prioritize getting people off the streets, out of tents and into treatment.” The governor has a lot riding on its success, as voters become increasingly frustrated with the state’s lack of progress when it comes to cleaning up encampments and helping the people suffering within them.

But experts are cautioning against putting too much stock in Prop. 1 as a solution.

It won’t help everybody — not by a long shot. Nor is it designed to. In addition to funding 6,800 beds in facilities treating mental illness and addiction, the $6.4 billion bond would create up to 4,350 new homes for people who need mental health and addiction services — 2,350 of which would be reserved for veterans, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office. In a state with an estimated homeless population of more than 180,000, that will hardly make a dent.

“It will be great for those individuals, but still leaves almost 98% outside or in shelters,” said Bob Erlenbusch, executive director of the Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness.

Prop. 1 also would require counties to spend 30% of their Mental Health Services Act funds on housing — including rental subsidies and new construction. Those funds, which come from taxing California’s millionaires, are expected to raise about $1 billion per year for housing programs.

“It will be great for those individuals, but still leaves almost 98% outside or in shelters.”
— Bob Erlenbusch, executive director, Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness

New homes funded under Prop. 1 would target homeless Californians who often are both the most visible and the hardest to help, including those in the throes of psychosis and addiction. Many unhoused Californians don’t fit that description.

“The public perceives it as everyone, and it’s definitely not everyone,” said Dr. Margot Kushel, who directs the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, “but there are a fair number of people who have these disabling conditions.”

In a recent comprehensive study of homeless Californians, 27% of people surveyed had been hospitalized in their lifetime for a mental health problem. When asked if they had ever experienced a prolonged period of hallucinations, 23% said they had, according to the study by the Homelessness and Housing Initiative.

About one-third of those surveyed reported using drugs three or more times per week.

Even though it leaves people out, pouring resources into the sickest subset of California’s homeless community is the humane thing to do, said Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman, a Democrat from Stockton.

“They count too,” said Talamantes Eggman, whose bill reforming the Mental Health Services Act became half of Prop. 1. “We can’t just see people as a problem. You have to see people as people and (ask) how do we do our best to help those who need it the most?”

Targeting the people with the highest needs may be politically savvy as well. Voters who are up in arms over the state’s increasingly dire homelessness crisis — and politicians’ seeming inability to fix it — aren’t complaining about the person who drives for Uber during the day and sleeps in his car, out of sight, at night. They’re complaining about the people living in encampments, walking into traffic and shouting at nobody. Those are the people this measure could help. And that’s where voters might actually see the measure make a difference on the street.

“We’re at a point where voters need this,” said Christopher Martin, policy director for Housing California. “Voters are feeling fatigued on housing and they need to see some progress, and I think we need to demonstrate that.”

But Susan Ellenberg, president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, doesn’t anticipate Prop. 1 will do much on that front.

“In terms of addressing homelessness, we need more housing, period,” she said. “And I worry that when people’s expectations are conflating, they’re disappointed and feel that problems aren’t being solved even though so much money is going out the door.”

“The public perceives it as everyone, and it’s definitely not everyone.”
— Dr. Margot Kushel, director, UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative

She also worries that some of the unintended consequences of Prop. 1 could end up exacerbating her county’s homelessness crisis. To pour the required amount of Mental Health Services Act funding into housing, the county will have to take money from other programs. That means there will be fewer dollars for things like homelessness prevention and early mental health interventions. If the county skimps on the types of services that keep people off the streets in the first place, Ellenberg worries more people will fall into homelessness or their mental health will deteriorate to the point where they need even more care.

Los Angeles County’s mental health department also has “some serious concerns” about Prop. 1, said Director Lisa Wong. Last year, the county spent 32% of its Mental Health Services Act funding on outpatient services — the psychiatric care, counseling, medication and more that helps stabilize someone living outside a psychiatric facility. If Prop. 1 passes and redirects a chunk of that funding into housing, the county will be able to spend less than 18% on outpatient services — and other programs such as crisis response and homeless services will have to dip into that funding pool as well.

“We are concerned that missing those service dollars might compromise the ability of people to stay in housing once they’re housed, or to get to a place of wellness where they can be successfully housed,” Wong said.

Recent expansions in Medi-Cal mean more people are covered for more services, which should help offset funding losses, Talamantes Eggman said.

“I don’t see it as cuts,” she said. “I see it as a reprioritization.”

“In terms of addressing homelessness, we need more housing, period.”
— Susan Ellenberg, president, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors

There’s also the question of how counties will come up with the resources needed to make the necessary program shifts. Santa Clara County is facing a shortage of workers and hiring freezes brought on by a budget deficit, Ellenberg said.

“I feel like we’re being asked to do significantly greater amounts of work with fewer and fewer tools,” she said.

Kushel, who specializes in the intersection of homelessness and health, said the authors of Prop. 1 — Talamantes Eggman and Democratic Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin of Thousand Oaks — have their priorities in the right place.

It’s nearly impossible to stabilize someone’s mental health or treat their addiction while they’re living on the street and pouring all of their effort into surviving day to day, Kushel said. But when given housing combined with the right treatment plan, even people who seem incredibly sick can thrive.

“Will it be enough? I don’t know,” she said. “But it seems like we should try.”

How can Prop. 1 funds be put to the best use? In San Diego, Deacon Jim Vargas says: detox beds. He runs Father Joe’s Villages, which has more than 1,000 shelter beds — none of which are specifically for detox. The entire county has only 77 detox beds — not nearly enough, he said.

Vargas hopes to use Prop. 1 dollars to open more.

“I’d like to think that yes, it will make a difference on the streets,” he said.

Martin, of Housing California, has more tempered expectations.

“It’s certainly a step in the right direction,” he said. “But it’s not everything.”

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

Wayne Roy Maples passed into the loving arms of his Savior on Sunday, January 14. Wayne was 96, born on April 14, 1927, in Luther, Oklahoma. He was one of nine children, and the last surviving of the Roy and Sarah Maples family. In 1935, Roy sold everything and loaded the family of 11, plus two relatives into one Buick and headed for Southern California. Wayne (Dad) was 7. He sat on his sister’s lap.

There, in Ontario, Dad completed his eighth-grade education and entered the work force, mostly picking fruit. In the winter of 1944, Dad was 17, and longed for a role in World War 2. Receiving the parental permission required for a 17-year-old, Dad enlisted in the Navy, and proudly served his country in the South Pacific theatre. When the war ended, Dad still had some time to serve. His stateside base was Alameda, Calif. In 1947, on a weekend leave, Dad ventured over to San Francisco’s Playland, an amusement park that once inhabited the Pacific shoreline. Having spent his last cent that day, Wayne began trying to sell a fountain pen for the return fare back to Alameda. One young woman showed interest — the former Maxine Friesen. She spent the rest of the day paying for them both to go on the rides, and for the cab fare. Wayne and Maxine were married six weeks later and were married until Mom’s passing in 2021. Seventy-four years.

Upon Wayne’s discharge from the USN he and Maxine located to Tempe, Ariz. to be near Wayne’s parents. Their first of five sons, Michael, was born there in 1948. In 1950, the young family of three traveled to visit Maxine’s family, who had just relocated to Eureka. At Maxine’s request her and Michael remained in Eureka for a longer visit while Wayne returned to his power company job in Tempe. Just a few days later Maxine received a call from Wayne announcing that the family was moving to Eureka. Maxine was overjoyed to be locating near her family.

Their first Eureka place of residence was low-income housing located where Winco is now. In those days Eureka was dominated by the redwood lumber industry, and Dad first worked at a sawmill. He hated it. So, he began to apply elsewhere, including PG&E, but was not hired. The PG&E interviewer gave Dad’s name to a local plumbing company in need of an apprentice. It seems their apprentice had “skipped” off to Canada to avoid the draft. Dad was hired as an apprentice over the phone the next day, sight unseen. The plumbing industry would prove to be our family’s good fortune. He completed his apprenticeship in 1953, having received time for his military service. He acquired his contractor’s license in 1960 and started his own company. Dad and Mom would experience a good measure of risk, sacrifice, loss, near bankruptcy and recovery. He borrowed the $1,000 seed money for the venture from his mother-in-law. So it was also Mom’s investment from the beginning. Whatever ups or downs the company experienced, it was Wayne and Maxine’s pulling together through their hard work ethic.

During these early years Wayne and Maxine added four sons to their home — Bruce in 1951, twins Rodney and Roger in 1954, and Dale in 1962. Dad’s faith in his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was the foundation of our home. He and Mom made sure us boys knew the way to Jesus. Dad was a faithful and active member of the Eureka Nazarene Church, serving as usher, building improvement volunteer and board member.

Dad instilled early in us boys a work ethic and the importance of the acquisition of a skill. He preferred that we worked during vacation. He, nor Mom, were helicopter parents. We rode our bikes to school, to practice, to the store and all-around town. We returned home at dark. We spent summer weekends water skiing. We always had a boat. He took us to church on Sunday. When complaining about our Sunday attendance his famous line was, “You don’t have to go to church, you get to go to church”.

As time went by and travel became possible, Dad and Mom traveled the world, from China to Israel, and from cruises through the Panama Canal to the Alaskan Inside Passage. Mom and Dad were the perfect example of two, being one. Dad loved his grandchildren, great -grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. Dad and Mom wore out several motorhomes traveling to see them all.

Finally, it must be said that Dad, along with Mom, loved Eureka. For 74 years they both enjoyed love returned from this community.

Dad was preceded in death by mom in 2021, and grandson Michael Wayne Jr in 1983. He is survived by his five sons and their spouses — Michael and Debbie Maples of Surprise, Ariz., Bruce and Linda Maples of Tauranga, N.Z., Rodney and Sonja Maples of Eureka, Roger and Janice Maples of Santa Rosa and Dale and Jillaine Maples of Eureka. He is also survived by his 22 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great-grandchildren.

The last two years were a little hard for Dad. He’d lost Mom. We’d like to thank just a few. First, the VA. They really came through with providing home care. Second, Agape home care. The workers were amazing at developing relationships with Dad. Third, Hospice of Humboldt. All the great things you’ve heard about Hospice are true. Any words penned here to describe Hospice would not be enough. Finally, friends and family. Too many to name. Through the work and love of all, Dad was able to live out his years at home.

A memorial for Wayne will be on January 27 at 2 p.m., at the Eureka Nazarene Church. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Hospice of Humboldt.

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Press release from the City of Eureka:

The City of Eureka is excited to announce its award by the CA State Parks Land and Water Conservation Fund Program in the amount of $619,989 for Grace Marton Memorial Park. CA State Parks received $154 million in requests with only $35.6 million available. Grace Marton Memorial Park was one of 16 park projects selected for funding.

The upcoming establishment of the new Grace Marton Memorial Park will be located on the grass lawn area in front of the Sacco Amphitheater and is made possible due to a generous donation by Lance Hardie and Grace Marton. The Grace Marton donation, city funds, and grant funds results in a $1,239,979 project budget.

A robust public input process took place in Spring of 2023 resulting in a park concept that reflects both Grace Marton’s vision and the community vision for a new and revitalized park space serving all ages. Next steps will include permitting and setting a project timeline. Construction could occur as soon as 2025 but is dependent on federal approval of the grant funding, permitting, and finalizing construction documents.

A park design concept is available to view online and intends to evoke the region’s maritime and logging history through a thoughtfully curated design featuring a playground centered around a replica timber schooner ship submerged in rubberized blue surfacing, accessible by ramps designed to look like waterfront docks surrounded by a timber log slide, log roll balance beams, octopus climber, and marine creature rockers. Designated picnic areas overlook the bay and playground, and a game area is provided featuring table top checkers, chess, and a cornhole court. Amenities provided will include interpretive signage, seating, water fountain, waste receptacles, and telescopes for wildlife viewing. Additional seating is provided by the incorporation of the existing Sacco Amphitheater. This project also includes the resurfacing of the waterfront trail between the Adorni Center to just past the Samoa Bridge. It will also realign the trail through the bayside of the park project replacing the current configuration that passes through the Sacco Amphitheater.

More information and park design is available at this link.

New park improvements often produce interest in other parks in need of upgrades. The table below provides the status of other parks.