Today the Outpost is thrilled to launch the Internet’s newest feature: The Humboldt Handy! You need a handy person to sort out your home problems? You need the Humboldt Handy! It’s a directory of all licensed contractors in Humboldt County, broken down by city and specialty, or license type.
Roof coming apart? Browse the roofers. All your paint peeled off? Browse the painters. Yard sucks? Browse the landscapers. Fence blown over? Browse the fencers. Etc. Again: You get continuously updated listings for every licensed contractor in the county, with contact information and license details, and sometimes even more handy information.
Now, youngsters, let me tell you about the way it used to be. Back in the day, there was a thing called “The Yellow Pages.” It was a big book printed every year on cheap, ugly newsprint and, amazing as this may sound, distributed to every person who possessed a home telephone, which was basically everyone.
The wonderful thing about these “Yellow Pages” was that they offered you an at-a-glace list of absolutely everyone doing a particular kind of work in your community. Just for instance: Plumbers. When your plumbing exploded you pulled out the Yellow Pages and started going down the list until you found one who could come to your place, like, now.
There is no great way to accomplish that today! You’re stuck with Google searches, or hoping your friends might know someone, or asking Reddit for advice. Until now! Now you have the Humboldt Handy. Find it down below on our homepage, or Google “the Humboldt Handy,” or whatever else you want to do. It’s always there for you.
Now, everyone can hear this next part, but to the contractors: You can have your business featured on the Humboldt Handy, and that’ll allow you to add a bunch of extra stuff to your listing — photos, websites, your Instagram account, a little explanation or what your company specializes in … lots of stuff! Check out how we’ve tarted up the page for Will Power, a local electrician, and you’ll get some idea of what you can do with this. Featured businesses appear at the top of the listings, and you get all that cool stuff along with it.
How do you do it? Find the page for your business on The Humboldt Handy and click that link that says “Claim this business!” You’ll be taken to a form where you can fill out the details, add some photos, etc. Drop us a line if you have any issues.
This is an advertising feature, but why is it also good for you, the consumer? Because contracting services are a seller’s market in Humboldt County these days, and tons of businesses aren’t accepting new clients. People who advertise on the Humboldt Handy presumably have their shingle out and are awaiting your call.
Yusef Miller of the North County Equity and Justice Coalition speaks during a Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board meeting at the San Diego County Administration Center on Oct. 17, 2023. Photo by Kristian Carreon for CalMatters.
On the one hand, allowing local advisory boards and commissions to meet remotely could make it easier for more Californians to take part, including those with disabilities or in jobs that make it hard to attend in-person meetings.
But on the other, shouldn’t people have the opportunity to address their public officials face-to-face?
That was the heart of the discussion around Assembly Bill 817, one of several recent proposals seeking to extend flexible meeting policies born out of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Legislature agreed last year to do that for state boards, until Jan. 1, 2026.
But lawmakers declined to give that flexibility for local advisory boards, including planning commissions and budget oversight committees, beyond emergency situations, caregiving and other exceptions they granted during the pandemic.
The broader bill failed in the Senate’s local government committee last week, failing to get a single “yes” vote. Four members voted “no” and three others didn’t vote.
Sen. María Elena Durazo, a Los Angeles Democrat who leads the committee, said that since advisory boards are often appointed by elected officials and make recommendations that lead to action, “it is vital that the public can inform the recommendations these bodies make.”
“I don’t believe that you can as effectively do that on a computer screen instead of in person,” she said.
Currently, state law requires local boards to meet where the public has access. If that’s not at a central location like a county building, members are required to post a notice and allow the public to attend, even at their homes.
This bill — introduced by Downey Democrat Blancha Pacheco and passed by the Assembly on a 54-8 vote in January — would have, until Jan. 1,2026, let advisory bodies have no board members and only one staffer at a physical meeting location, and one agenda posted at the staffer’s location. It would have required board members to be on camera.
Pacheco said at the June 5 hearing that her bill would bring local boards in line with state ones.
But press and government transparency advocates saw the bill’s failure as a “critical victory for open government.”
“This bill would have taken a meat cleaver to the Brown Act when a scalpel could give flexibility to those who truly need it,” said Brittney Barsotti, general counsel for the California News Publishers Association. The group is asking the Legislature to hold hearings to craft a better bill next year.
Durazo said Pacheco had declined amendments that would balance transparency with accessibility by requiring board members who get paid to attend in person, and that a certain number of members meet in person.
Ginny LaRoe, advocacy director for the First Amendment Coalition, which pushes for free speech and government transparency, noted that videoconferencing is already available to officials under a variety of circumstances.
“But it shouldn’t be the only option for the press and public to keep tabs on government,” she told CalMatters.
The bill’s supporters, which included Disability Rights California and groups representing local governments, said the state has a responsibility to allow more people to take part on boards and commissions.
“California is a huge state, and most counties have a large geographic area, and members find it very difficult, if not impossible, to attend meetings,” Janie Whiteford, president of the California IHSS Consumer Alliance and a member of a Santa Clara advisory committee on in-home supportive services, told the committee. She noted that one member had resigned because taking paratransit to and from meetings would take six hours.
“If you cannot conduct business due to a lack of quorum, the alternative is that we simply do not meet and county decision makers are left without local input,” Whiteford said.The influential AARP also supported the bill. Sens. Nancy Skinner and Scott Wiener, both Democrats from the Bay Area, declined to vote on the bill — a significant departure from their typical voting alignment with the retiree advocacy group, shown in the CalMatters Digital Democracy database.
Opponents of AB 817 said last year’s bill that gives exceptions in emergency situations must be given time to play out before making further changes to open meeting laws.
“We’ve worked on proposals that kind of narrowly tailor the flexibility for public officials who have a need for more flexibility,” LaRoe said. But most of the bills on open meeting laws “tried to take things in what we feel is the wrong direction.”
On Monday, Uber lost its long-running attempt to overturn a California law that would require it to provide employment rights to its drivers and delivery workers.
The ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals could have major implications — depending what the state Supreme Court decides in a separate but related case.
Uber and Postmates, a food-delivery platform Uber now owns, alleged that Assembly Bill 5 violated their rights under the Equal Protection Clause of the state and U.S. constitutions. AB 5 requires ride-hailing and delivery companies to treat their workers as employees instead of independent contractors and codifies the so-called ABC test to determine which workers should receive benefits. Under the law, other gig companies are subject to a different test, which Uber and Postmates claimed was unfair.
The companies sued and sought an injunction against the law that took effect at the beginning of 2020. Last year, a three-judge panel at the 9th Circuit sided with Uber and revived the case, which had been previously dismissed by a federal judge.
But writing for the full 11-judge appeals court, Judge Jacqueline Nguyen said there are “plausible reasons” for treating Uber differently from other types of companies that use gig workers, such as Wag, a platform that connects dog owners and dog walkers, because the Legislature “perceived transportation and delivery companies as the most significant perpetrators of the problem it sought to address — worker misclassification.”
More than 1.4 million workers in California do app-based driving and delivery work for big gig companies such as Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and Instacart, according to the industry’s latest estimates.
Lorena Gonzalez, chief officer of the California Labor Federation and the former state lawmaker who authored AB 5, said in a statement: “This is a victory for all workers in the state, but especially the chronically misclassified workers in rideshare and delivery jobs. Now, we must continue to seek ways to enforce this law.”
The ruling means “the Legislature can continue to make laws that impact companies differently if the decision to do so is rational, without being concerned that such laws would violate the constitutional rights of the corporation,” said Veena Dubal, a UC Irvine law professor whose research centers on labor and inequality. “This is particularly important because so many sectors are now concentrated by two or three large companies.”
The decision also is significant because the California Supreme Court in May heard oral arguments in a case challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 22, the initiative the gig industry put on the ballot in 2020, and which a majority of California voters approved. Prop. 22 exempted Uber and other companies such as Lyft, DoorDash and Instacart from AB 5, allowing them to continue to treat their workers as independent contractors while giving them some new benefits they did not have before, such as guaranteed minimum earnings.
Uber is counting on the state’s highest court to uphold Prop. 22, on which it spent more than $57 million out of the about $200 million the gig industry put into the campaign. It contends AB 5 threatens the “flexible work opportunities” that many Californians want.
Theane Evangelis, a lawyer for Uber, in an emailed statement reiterated the company’s position that “with AB 5 the Legislature unfairly targeted my clients out of animus rather than reason.” Uber had argued that AB 5 has many exemptions for companies that pay workers in different industries. They include live performers, music professionals, real estate appraisers and more.
But William Gould, professor emeritus at Stanford Law School and a former chairman of the National Labor Relations Board, called the opinion “eminently sensible.” Gould said the court “correctly holds that Uber and others may be covered where the Legislature deems them to be disproportionately responsible for inequality in the gig economy.”
If Prop. 22 is upheld, it would be a huge victory for Uber and the other big gig companies, but Monday’s ruling means they would still be on the hook in any cases where they are found to have violated laws related to worker classification before Prop. 22 took effect. In the appeals court decision, Nguyen referred to “ongoing state enforcement actions seeking retrospective relief, including civil penalties,” against Uber and Postmates.
If Prop. 22 is thrown out, the appeals court ruling means “these companies do not have this case to fall back on to exempt themselves from having to provide basic employment protections,” Dubal said.
The state Supreme Court files its written opinion within 90 days of oral argument, so its decision could come by the end of August.
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CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.
Virginia ‘Ginnie’ Roderick-Lawson August 21, 1940 - June 1, 2024
With the most profound sadness, we announce the passing of our dear sweet Virginia ‘Ginnie’
Roderick Lawson, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend. She was the
epitome of sunshine and would light up the room with her smile. How fortunate we were to be on
the receiving end of all that sunshine!
Ginnie was born on August 21, 1940, to Arthur and Rebecca Brown, in Tacoma Washington. The
family eventually relocated to Humboldt County and lived in the Kneeland area with her eight
siblings and where her father was logging while she attended local schools. She was a very proud
‘Earl’ girl and if you know, you know! Ginnie eventually met Al Roderick thanks to her brother
Ted, and they were married on May 25, 1960. They had four children Linda, Steve, Tracy, and
Angie and remained married for 25 years. Life can be complicated at times, and eventually Al
and Ginnie parted ways. She then met Mercer Lawson and they were married in 1980, blending
their families together with his children Duke, Marcie and Debbie. Later in life, she chose to go it
alone, but remained very close to her first husband Al, building a lifelong friendship and spending
quality time with their children and grandchildren until Al’s passing in April of 2021.
Ginnie spent most of her working life as a Certified Nursing Assistant providing home health care
for many local families, and she forged long-standing relationships with those she cared
for. Ginnie found great purpose being a care provider in this community. She was also very
proud member of the Cowlitz Tribe of Longview Washington. From the early 80’s she spent her
time actively supporting the efforts to seek Federal Recognition of the tribe which was finally
realized on February 14, 2000. She was so proud of this recognition and that her heritage would
be a benefit to her children and grandchildren and provide support, security and a lasting legacy.
If there ever was a true fan of baseball it would be Ginnie! She spent many weeknights and
weekends sitting in the bleachers watching her grandchildren play baseball. From Little League
to High School, she would not miss a game and would root the team on as well as players on
opposing teams that she had watched grow up alongside her grandchildren. She soaked up
every minute of any ball game as it was her true happy place! She was also an avid Giants fan
to the point that she kept copious notes throughout the season. She and her grandson Lane
would spend countless hours discussing the players stats and analyzing the newly drafted players
and the potential for a successful Giants season. This was such a highlight of her day and one
that forged a very special relationship between her and Lane. Ginnie loved all of her grandchildren
dearly and had unique and special relationships with each one of them. She cherished her time
with all of them and especially when everyone would come together for a family gathering and fill
the room. Her heart was the fullest during these times and her grandchildren will miss their
“special talks” and time with her, and they will carry those words of wisdom with them throughout
their lives.
Ginnie leaves behind her children Linda Paine (Vern), Tracy Roderick (D’Ann), and Angie Stapp
(Wiley), her eight grandchildren: Kelli Carr (Justin), Andrew Paine, Bryan Paine (Marissa Smith),
Carly Roderick Wiley (Courtney), Jessica Roderick, Lindsey Roderick, Lane Stapp (Rachel),
Ryder Stapp (Candace), Hunter Stapp (Quinn); and her nine great-grandchildren: Kennedy,
Hudson, Maggie, Ellis, Olin, Aiden, Keala, Sophia & Blake. She is also survived by a very special
sister-in-law Verdalyn Brown and her sister Mary Brown and brother Leroy Brown and nieces
Jackie Moore Johnson, Teresa Ann Moore Thompson, Teddi Brown Torres and nephews. Vernon
Brown (Liz), Darrell “Rags” Evenson and Buddy Brown. She also leaves special friends Bud and Shirley Misenbach and their family, and Peggy Baker. She was preceded in death by her son
Steven Roderick, parents Arthur and Rebeccca Brown, sisters Billy Brown, Jackie Brown, Ruthie
Moore, brothers Ted Brown and baby brother Art ‘Butch’ Brown.
A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday June 15, 2024, at 10 a.m., Sunset Memorial Park,
followed by a reception at the Stapp Residence 1755 Sunset Drive, Eureka, CA, 95503.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Ginnie Roderick-Lawson’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.
Ben was born on January 22, 1924 on a dairy farm in McKinleyville located
near the mouth of the Mad River. His parents were Basillio and Romilda Manzi-Spini from Lake
Como in northern Italy. He attended grade school in McKinleyville and Arcata. In high school he
played most every sport, but was especially fond of basketball, where he lettered for three years.
After high school Ben worked as a dairyman on their family dairy as well as for other ranchers.
While home on leave from the US Army, he attended an outdoor dance at Camp Bauer where
he met his future wife, Patricia (Pat) Flaherty of Eureka. They were married February 26, 1946.
After his discharge from the Army on March 7, 1947 Ben came home and family life began with
Pat and their first born, Kathy. Ben then went to work for Golden State Creamery in Arcata as a
truck driver hauling 10 gallon milk cans from dairies to the creamery. In 1950 their second
daughter, Marci, was born. In 1951 they built their home on North Bank Road where they raised
their family and lived for the next 68 years.
In 1952 Ben went to work at Blue Lake Builders Supply. In 1968 he began his work at
Campton Electric Company in Eureka, where he stayed until retirement in 1989.
He and his
family enjoyed spending time at their summer cabin in Orleans. After selling their
property in Orleans, he and Pat purchased property in Trinity Village. There they spent many
summer days with family and friends. Ben raised beef cattle and hay, tended a large vegetable
garden, and made homemade salami and sausage with his family. He and Pat prided
themselves on filling their dinner plates with colorful home grown food. He enjoyed bailing hay
for friends and neighbors. Ben always said “If you can run a hay bailer, you could fly a jet.”
During their retirement Ben and Pat enjoyed their time traveling on many tours all over
the US, Canada, Mexico, and a trip to Italy where Ben’s parents were born. One of his most
memorable trips was the “Honor Flight” to Washington DC. The trip included a visit to the World
War II Memorial, the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and Arlington
National Cemetery. Ben was a loyal member of the morning coffee group at Toni’s with his
ranching friends and never missed his grandkids’ sports games.
Ben was an avid sports fan. In the ‘50s and ‘60s he took up bowling and played in
several leagues. He was a faithful follower of the SF Giants and SF 49ers, and hosted Super
Bowl parties every year decorated with Niners red and gold even if the 49ers weren’t playing.
When his sight was mostly gone, he relied on his trusted radio for play-by-play broadcasts of
games. Even until his last days he kept track of his favorite teams and players’ statistics.
In 2019 Pat and Ben joined Marci and family in Escalon, Calif., where they lived out their
days. They were situated in a small home of their own, with views of cattle and horses grazing,
and hummingbirds that frequented their feeder.
Ben passed peacefully at the age of 100 years
and 4 months (to the day). He is survived by: daughters Kathy Schuler (Catherine) and Marci
Barnes (Mike), grandchildren Andrew Schuler (Julie) and Megan Dyk (Ryan), five great
grandchildren, sister Betty Deacy, sister-in-law Joyce Spini and many beloved nieces and
nephews. Ben is preceded in death by: his wife of 75 years Pat, grandson Matt Barnes, brother
George Spini, sister Mary Taylor (Clark), and brother-in-law Ted Deacy. The family would like to
extend special thanks to his caregiver Cindy, who helped make life easier for Ben and his girls in
those last months.
A combined graveside service for Ben and Pat Spini will be held at the Blue Lake
Cemetery on July 17 at 1 p.m., followed by a 2 p.m. Celebration of Lives at the Blue Lake Grange
Hall. All friends of the family are welcomed to attend. In their memory, consider a donation to the
Matthew D. Barnes Memorial Scholarship via Humboldt Area Foundation at 363 Indianola Rd.,
Bayside, CA 95524.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Ben Spini’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.
Are you ready for more murals in Eureka? We sure hope so…because the seventh annual Eureka Street Art Festival will be spreading color throughout the City July 29th - August 2nd.
We currently have murals being planned for these wall locations:
Eureka Theater, 612 F Street
Eureka Center for Spiritual Living, 239 Buhne Street
Discovery Shop, 2942 F Street
Alder Grove Charter School, 714 F Street
WIC Grocery Store, 1125 Summer Street
Opera Alley Wall, 212 F Street
Quality Body Works, 949 W. Del Norte
Chapala, 201 2nd Street
Eureka Natural Foods, 1450 Broadway Street
Limas Professional Pharmacy, 2097 Harrison Avenue
Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center, 921 Waterfront Drive
Eureka Municipal Auditorium, 1120 F Street
Intersection by Food for People, 14th + Summer Streets
This year we will be installing larger than life ceramic banana slugs around town as well (crafted by local ceramic artists Shannon Sullivan and Jessica Swan). These “Slugs of Eureka” are being planned for these walls:
Inn at 2nd + C, 124 C Street
Mendenhall Studios, 214 C Street
The Bodega, 215 F Street
Skyhorse International Hostel, 216 3rd Street
Morris Graves Museum, 636 F Street
MOCA, 204 4th Street
Commercial Building, 622 H Street
CD Downtown Campus, 525 D Street
Synapsis, 1675 Union Street
Jefferson Center, 1000 B Street
Discovery Shop, 2942 F Street
Yarn, 2840 F Street
Humboldt Cider Co, 2901 Hubbard Lane
This year we are welcoming artists from all around California (and primarily from Humboldt County). Stay tuned: we will be announcing our artists in the next few weeks.
After seven awesome years of adding color to the city, the organizers have decided that this will be the last year of the Eureka Street Art Festival…at least for now. The Festival takes an immense amount of work and money to put on each year, and the three organizers are ready to move on to new projects. Through the Festival, over 100 new murals have been added to Eureka. Just like the murals, this Festival was never designed to last forever.
Want to help make this last year incredible? We are still seeking sponsors - please email us if you are interested: eurekastreetartfestival@gmail.com.
The Eureka Street Art Festival’s mission is to create intentional, accessible art that enlivens public spaces, stimulates community revitalization, and attracts visitors to Eureka. Our long term aim is to recreate this event annually and continuously introduce new public art in Eureka. Excess funds raised by the Festival will go towards the maintenance of existing public art throughout the city.
On 6/08/2024 at 22:47 hrs. Humboldt Bay Fire responded to a reported Structure Fire at
2235 3rd St. in Eureka. Humboldt Bay Fire responded with 1 Chief Officer, 3 Engines
and 1 Truck for a total of 13 fire service personnel. Additionally, 2 volunteer Fire
Support personnel responded and provided traffic control.
The first unit (Truck 8181) arrived on scene in 5 minutes and reported a working fire in a
2-story structure with heavy fire involvement. A quick size-up of the structure was
completed and the Truck began to hit the fire with tank water to cool the fire.
Battalion
Chief 8103 arrived on scene and established Incident Command (IC) and assigned Truck
8181 to Search. The second arriving unit was assigned to establish a water supply and
Fire Attack, with the primary objective of fire control and exposure protection. The third
arriving unit was assigned to assist Fire Attack. The fourth arriving unit was assigned to
assist with exposure protection.
A Second Alarm was requested by the IC, that brought 1
additional Engine from Arcata Fire,1 Engine from Samoa Peninsula Fire and 1 Chief
Officer from HBF to the scene.
The fire was controlled in 20 minutes and no occupants
were found in the residence.
Humboldt Bay Fire remained on scene for an additional 4 hours to completely extinguish
the fire and await the arrival of the crew to complete the demolition of the structure. The
damage to the structure from the fire was significant enough that it was no longer stable
and it posed a risk as a safety hazard as a result, it was demolished.
The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental. PG&E arrived on scene and
confirmed the electrical and gas service to the residence was disconnected. There were no
civilian or Firefighter injuries and the value of the property is estimated at $250,000 and
damage from the fire is estimated at $150,000.
Humboldt Bay Fire would like to thank PG&E, Arcata Fire, Samoa Peninsula Fire, The
City of Eureka and EPD for their assistance on scene and providing coverage to other
emergency calls during this incident.
