Michael John Wells
Fortuna, Calif.
July 21, 1948-May 6, 2023

[NOTE: The celebration of life has been changed to the Fortuna Nazarene Church on Sat. June 24, 2022 @ 2 p.m.]

Michael John Wells was 74 years young when he was safely delivered into his heavenly inheritance and presence of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Mike reluctantly left the Queen of his Heart and wife of 25 years, Cheryl Wells at the home of his eldest son, Adam Wells, in Scottsdale, Ariz., with Cheryl, Adam and other family at his side.

Mike and Cheryl’s love affair of 27 years brought joy to others and was a wonderful example of how to love and be loved. Mike was a strong, tender, fun-loving and committed father to Adam Wells, Scottsdale, Ariz. and Brian (Stacy) Wells, Vienna, Austria and stepfather to Abe Fockaert, (Hydesville), Candice Martella (Fortuna), Hannah Bruckner, (Fortuna), Matthew Fockaert, Maggie Wells (Fortuna). Mike also was a safe and compassionate foster dad and foreign exchange student dad to many over the years. Papa was a hero, an amazing role model, and doting grandfather to 11 grandchildren ranging in the ages from 22 years old to 1 ½ years old, always pulling each close to himself and saying to each “Your ol’ Papa loves you!” To his granddaughters he would dance them around the room and add, “Your ol’ papa loves you… MY DARLIN’.” His well-loved grandchildren are, Braden and Cody Wells, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Luke and Stella Wells, Vienna, Austria; Sophia Bruckner, Chico; Jadon Bruckner, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Tobiah, Boaz, and Raanan Bruckner, Fortuna; Avery and Jayce Fockaert, Hydesville. Mike loved attending his children’s and grandchildren’s many social, educational, sports events, and performances over the years and was an active participant in cheering his family onto success and accomplishment. Mike also leaves behind his ex-wife, Kathy Philp (Ariz.) and the devoted extended family through Cheryl including his 92 year old father-in-law, Bob (Ilene) Cannon, Fortuna; and sister-in-laws (and their families), Linda (Jeff) Moot, Fortuna; Susan (Chuck) Schouw, Ariz.; Tina Cannon (Ariz.) with nieces and nephews; Kara (Sean) Deno (their 6 children) Eureka; Heather (Sean) Garcia (their 4 boys) Colo.; Chris (Ashley) Namanny, (Lorelei), Eureka; Maren (Brian) Fuller Texas, Jason (Vicki) Schouw; Kris (Nichole) Schouw (4 children) Ariz.; Melissa LaVeck (7 children) Kentucky, Bobby (Sarah) Davis (2 children) Colo.; Kim (Darren) Jacobs (3 children) Ariz.; LeAnne Moot, Eureka; Casey (Steele) Fredricksen (Ember) Wash.

Mike died after an 11-month battle with a very rare and aggressive leukemia called TPLL. He and Cheryl immediately left Fortuna to Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz. on May 28, 2022 just 4 days after his initial diagnosis by his longtime physician and friend, Beth Ables, on her urgent recommendation to “get out of town!” Those 11 months were spent in and out of hospital treatments in Arizona and at the MD Anderson Cancer Treatment Center in Houston, Texas. Throughout this journey, Mike and Cheryl were carried with strength, courage, confidence, purpose, hope, peace and joy based in their faith in Jesus Christ their Savior, and the comfort of the scriptures in the race they were running that was “marked out for them.” (Hebrews 12) They were strengthened by many Bible verses and especially Romans 15:13:

“May the God of Hope fill you with ALL JOY And PEACE as you trust in HIM so that you will overflow with Hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

A grateful thank you to Adam and the boys for life with them and in the Casita for 11 months, and for sister’s Sue (Chuck) and Tina who also supplied a beautiful room just 15 min down the road along with love, attention and provision. Fortuna family was very missed, but very precious time with the Ariz. family. Cheryl’s 92 year old dad, Bob Cannon left Fortuna to Ariz. to be near the cancer battle and be of a support from Dec. 2022 and was present also when Mike took his last breath as was Cheryl’s sister Linda Moot from Fortuna at Mike’s side after she remained in Ariz. for the” last touch and go” 9 weeks. The great cloud of family, old and new friends, continued prayer and support, close contact and love gifts, including visiting from afar while displaced from Fortuna home made a very challenging year into a very blessed and special year. Special thanks to close friends who visited them in Scottsdale, Kim and Leah Price, Pastor Mark Seitz who also spent 6 days there, as well as family members who immediately responded and came when Mike was given 1 week to live. Thank you to new friends at Scottsdale Bible Church who quickly brought Mike and Cheryl into their hearts with amazing support at the beginning of this battle when Mike and Cheryl arrived in June 2022. Thank you to their Oncologist, Dr. Nathan Punwani, and all staff at Mayo clinic from amazing nurses to the cleaning staff who always made their stay in the hospital a wonderful experience. Mike and Cheryl knew that this cancer belonged not only to them but also had purpose in the lives of all of those who walked alongside them and even to all the acquaintances, friends and hospital staff they met along the way.

Mike was born on July 21, 1948 to Gerald and Alice Wells in Inglewood, Calif. whose deaths have preceded his. He was 5th born and relished his memories of being “raised by his two teenage sisters, Judy and Carolyn and their friends, and boyfriends with cars!” He loved it when his 18 yr old brother David would come home and tickle him and later gave Mike his love for social dancing. Mike’s older siblings and spouses preceding his death were Jean (Ken Kleinwachter) , David Olive, and Carolyn (Tom) Reiner. His beloved sister Judy and her high school sweetheart, and husband, Loy Coffey live in Indio, Calif. and have been very dear and close to Mike’s heart for his entire life. Adult nieces and nephews, with their children include, Paul (Pam) Kleinwachter, Wash.; John Kleinwachter, Colo., Susan (Tom) Meason, (2 boys) Colo. ; Lori (Rick) Maloney, (3 children) Calif.; Kathy (John) Vaskey (2 kids), Calif.; Lil Meyers, Ariz.; Cindy Rudd, (2 daughters) Calif.; Mark Rudd, (2 sons) Maui ; Debbie (Don) Priestly, (2 children) Calif.; Kim (Jr.) Florida, Nebraska; Jeff Coffey, Idaho, Ken (Tammy) Coffey, (2 children) , ID; Paula (Mike) Morse, (2 children) Oregon.

Mike graduated from Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, Calif. in 1967 where he had 4 years of educational and football success. He went on and completed his college education on a Football Scholarship at San Jose University, Calif.. Mike played as an offensive lineman and defensive end both in High School and College. He received All American status while at San Jose State University. Mike went on to earn his Master’s degree at San Francisco State University. Mike was a patrol officer with San Jose Police Dept when he was drafted into the military during the Vietnam conflict. Fortunately, at that time he also was recruited into the Army National Guard Reserves where he spent 6 years as a reserve officer and was able to continue to work for San Jose Police Department. Mike had continued a life long, special relationship with his partner on patrol with him, Phi (and Shelley) Rodgers. Shelley had overcome four life threatening cancer diagnoses and battles which helped inspire Mike and Cheryl with their “kick butt” attitude in how they approached their unintended journey. Cheryl was wholeheartedly grafted into this relationship and together through the years they shared policing, and national guard experiences and stories, water skiing and house boating experiences, along with many life adventures together. They always endearingly called him “Mikey.” In 1973 while in San Jose Mike met and married Kathy Iverson. In 1979, already working in the Police Training Unit with San Jose PD, Mike accepted a position at the College of the Redwoods Police Academy and Mike and Kathy moved to Eureka, Calif. where they continued to raise their two sons, Adam and Brian. During that same time Cheryl and her husband were raising their children in Eureka also. Adam, Brian, and Cheryl’s kids, Abe and Hannah went to the same schools and were also friends. After their unfortunate marital breakups, unbeknownst to them, Mike and Cheryl ran into each other and began to date for 2 years until they were married on November 21, 1997. Mike and Cheryl had known one another through the friendship of their kids so there was a familiarity with one another’s families and an understanding of each other’s core values. It was immediate electricity and attraction that they cherished throughout the life they built together.

They married in an intimate and special ceremony in the home of Dick and Jean Adams with their best friends, Dennis and Laurie McCollister standing up for them, with a circle of family and close friends and Cursillistas also celebrating that moment with them. Dick wrote a silly poem and read it at their wedding called “The Long and Short of It” which described their funny phenomenon … Mike was 6’4 and Cheryl 5’2 (and yet it worked, and on top of it working they were also a great dance couple!)

“This evening we share in their joy and love,
And pray for God’s blessings to flow from above.
Cheryl and Mike believe it’s all Heaven sent,
But here’s the true story of just how it went.
He bowed low to see the love in her eyes,
She stood “tippy toe’ because of his size.
He caught her up-face to face,
First a kiss then- fond embrace.
It was then they both came to realize,
There was nothing wrong about their difference in size.
He loved her-she loved him,
They knew this was more than just a whim.
So here at the wedding, we all wish them well.
And that ends the story I have to tell.
Obviously, this poem is a silly bit-
So it’s simply called- The Long and short of it.”

And so began 25 ½ married years together with Mike and his “Sweetie Petunia.” Mike continued with his career as Coordinator and Director of the Police Academy, and Professor of Administration of Justice courses. He was personally invested in his police academy cadets and his students, and would often take personal time to help correct their personal deficiencies in order to assist them to qualify to the next round of course. He loved teaching AJ courses and wove many of his personal experiences and funny stories into his lectures. Many would continue to greet him respectfully as Mr. Wells, 20 years into their own law enforcement career which always brought him joy and a feeling of accomplishment to help others move forward with their dreams and desired professions.

In 1997, Mike and Cheryl’s four adult children were now in college, and were beginning successful lives of their own. They settled into raising their two adopted children, Matthew and Maggie together; foster parenting together, working with developmentally challenged student populations as vendors with Redwood Coast Regional Center. They also had the pleasure of hosting foreign exchange students through Rotary International. In 2005 Mike and Cheryl had the opportunity to move from Eureka, purchase property in Fortuna, Calif. and renovate the home of their dreams through their own hard “grunt” labor, and the professional work of Cheryl’s son, Abe and his crew of AF Builders.. It was hard to leave their Eureka church and friend base that had been developed and cherished for over 36 years. But once “Ya, Ya”, Friends…always “Ya Ya” friends. In Fortuna Mike and Cheryl have spent the last 18 wonderful years of their life together, always eager to open their home, for social gatherings, small group bible studies and celebrations. “2nd Sunday” family gatherings brought joy and connection with their growing number of local relatives and oh…the children! Cheryl hopes the hospitality of the Wells will continue with the unseen presence of the man so adored, respected and loved so much.

Mike retired from College of the Redwoods after 33 years in 2012. Mike ended his career serving in various Vice President positions at CR. After a couple years of retirement and as his “honey do list” continued to expand while Cheryl continued to work, Mike “escaped, ” taking a position with Fortuna Parks and Recreation. He loved mowing lawns in his beloved city parks. Older, retired guys like him who were walking in the park would stop him as he was mowing and ask him “Hey, how did you get that job?” Mike also loved driving the Fortuna Transit Bus for seniors and those with disabilities. He cherished his riders, treated each with dignity and respect and loved the conversations, stories and occasional hymns shared. He would say his bus was “The Jesus Bus.” Just what he wanted, a fun hobby helping others, where he didn’t need to be in charge, or knock out growing chores at home. Mike retired from Fortuna City after Cheryl retired in 2020 after 5 years of service with the City of Fortuna. Now Mike and Cheryl could travel, dance more, increase their participation with their children, grandchildren and friends, enjoy their houseboat on Trinity Lake, serve their church and community, and tackle those “honey do lists” together.

Mike loved his life and the lessons he learned from his childhood, parenthood, football, the army, sports, policing, teaching, surfing, water skiing, running, dancing, river rafting, houseboating, cycling, landscaping, caring for his home, loving and investing into the lives of his family, friends, students, church and community, along with his rolls as a son-in-law, brother, uncle, husband, father, grandfather, and friend.

Mike served on various boards, commissions, and service clubs throughout life (the list is too long to cite) . Whether he was coaching his older sons in youth football in Eureka, grandson’s with Eel River Valley Youth Football, or sitting in the stands cheering on the youth, Mike alwayssaid, as was his example with the youth and adults he mentored, “that all things were possible with hard work, determination, perseverance and Faith.” Mike and Cheryl loved serving on Humboldt Redwood Cursillo Team weekends communicating expressions of Hope, Faith and Love to candidates in attendance. In later years Mike was President of Fortuna Sunrise Rotary, served on the Fortuna Planning Commission, Fortuna Nazarene Church Board, and on the Humboldt County Republican Central Committee, District 2 Co-chair. He was preparing to run for Fortuna City Council when he received his cancer diagnosis in May 2022 which halted his desire to serve the people of Fortuna, and required him to leave the area for cancer treatment. It is with great sadness that Mike’s time on this earth and his opportunity to continue to invest into our lives has ended. We know that his knowledge, wisdom, wit, humor, love, and example of what it looks like to be a good human being will live on in our hearts. In his last act of service to others Mike donated his body, (“as long as they take me with my “Hey Dude” shoes on!) to the United Tissue Network in hope that he might help advance medical technology, training and education. We know Mike danced his way into heaven, New Orleans Style, as he continued to dance around with his wife and say “I feel great”, even on the day of his death, and whenever good music was played.

Please join us for a Celebration of Mike’s Life on June 24, 2023 at The Fortuna Nazarene Church @ 1355 Ross Hill Road, Fortuna, CA for a program of music, sharing, remembrance and refreshments. If you have any questions please call or text Linda @ 707 407 7152.

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Gary D. Hallum died unexpectedly in his sleep on May 11, 2023 at the age of 71. He was the oldest of four children to his parents Linzie and Virginia Hallum.

Not long after graduating from Alisal High School, Gary married Lauran Peterson and they had two children, Kim and Dan. They took trips to Disneyland, Yosemite and even panned for gold on a camping trip. Gary worked at Spreckels Sugar Company. One day he forgot to remove his watch before work and lost it in the sugar. He said that somebody got a nice watch with their sugar.

Gary was a jack of all trade. He did everything from being a caretaker to driving truck. He also deconstructed houses for the lumber and build a huge two story barn and a tree house. If anyone needed help, he would be there. He helped take care of his grandfather Robert, his mother Virginia and his step-father Alvy. There wasn’t anything that he couldn’t do.

Later in life Gary met Missy and they married and had a son, Ryan. Gary wanted the best for his family and left the fishing docks of Moss Landing to work in wastewater management. He worked hard and studied hard to pass the required tests.

In retirement, Gary, Missy and Ryan moved to Eureka. Gary loved cutting and polishing rocks, cross pollinating peppers for varieties that were both tasty and spicy and he loved his animals. Gary and Missy became parents of many rehomed birds including a duck. Gary had a special bond with them. Gary was also gifted at cross stitch. His works are mesmerizing.

Gary is preceded in death by with parents, Linzie and Virginia and his brother Keith. He is survived by his wife Missy, his children, Kim, Dan and Ryan and his sister Star, brother Chuck and his nephew Dustin. Gary was much loved and will be very missed.

Gary wished to forgo services.

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News time! Today: Scams, curious CEOs, non-censure of a supervisor and much more!

And don’t forget about today’s poll!

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Press release from the Yurok Tribe:

Today, the Yurok Tribe and Humboldt County Superior Court and Humboldt District Attorney’s Office signed an agreement that will allow adult Yurok citizens facing certain criminal charges an opportunity to defer prosecution and instead enroll in the Yurok Wellness Court’s comprehensive, culturally centered Wellness Diversion program. 

“The primary goal of this program is to provide each participant with the ability to choose a new life path and become a contributing member of the community,” said Yurok Chief Justice Abby Abinanti. “The holistic program will help individuals confront the root cause of their irresponsible behavior and move forward in a good way.” 

“With the agreement we memorialized today, I anticipate many successful outcomes from the Yurok Wellness Diversion Program— a program of opportunity and accountability, guiding eligible participants towards a productive, law-abiding life,” added Humboldt County District Attorney Stacey Eads.

Under this agreement, Yurok citizens charged with specific misdemeanor and felony violations of the penal code may be eligible for Yurok Wellness Diversion pursuant to stipulated agreement with the District Attorney or Court-initiated misdemeanor diversion via California Penal Code Section 1001.95.

The Humboldt County Superior Court, in collaboration with the Yurok Tribal Court, district attorney and defense counsel, will determine if the individual is eligible to participate in the Yurok Diversion Program. Only adult Yurok citizens charged with misdemeanors and certain non-violent felonies may take part in the program. The Yurok Tribal Court, along with the District Attorney or Superior Court, will determine if the individual is eligible to participate in the Yurok Diversion Program.

If the individual qualifies and consents to diversion, the Yurok Tribal Court will develop a tailored wellness plan for the participant and oversee its implementation through culturally integrated case management.

The plan may include: referrals for addiction and mental health treatment, Yurok cultural engagement activities, educational and vocational training, job placement, housing assistance and additional types of supportive services if needed. The Yurok Wellness Court will also perform home visits and drug screening. The diversion period may last 6 months to two years. 

Throughout the duration of the diversion period, Wellness Court staff will send monthly reports on the participants’ progress to the district attorney and defense counsel. At the end of the diversion period, or upon earlier graduation from the Yurok Wellness Court, the criminal charges will be permanently dismissed. If the participant routinely fails to perform the actions outlined in the wellness plan, the case will be terminated by the Yurok Wellness Court and the original charges may be reinstated by the prosecutor.  

The Yurok Diversion Program Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will open the door for other Tribes to start similar programs. The agreement may serve as a starting point for negotiation and/or a template for tribal diversion terms. Any tribe with a tribal wellness court may seek to begin a tribal diversion program and enter a Memorandum of Understanding with a district attorney and superior court.  

Representatives from the Yurok and Hoopa Tribal Courts, Humboldt County Superior Court, Humboldt County Conflict Counsel, Humboldt County Public Defender’s Office, and Humboldt County District Attorney’s office collectively developed the procedures for Yurok Tribal Diversion Program. 

On a case-by-case basis, the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office and Superior Court have been diverting cases to the Yurok Wellness Court since August of 2021. The MOU will streamline the diversion process. To date, four Yurok citizens have completed the diversion program and two more are successfully moving through it.  

In addition to Wellness Diversion, the Yurok Tribal Court offers an Adult Wellness program for adult applicants with pending charges or supervision violations, civil violations in the Yurok Tribal Court, or other agency agreement or court order requiring participation in the Wellness Court.

The Yurok Tribal Court also co-administers Joint Jurisdictional Family Wellness Courts in the Humboldt and Del Norte Superior Courts. Presided over by tribal and state court judges, the Joint Family Wellness Court helps families break the cycle of addiction.

A Family Wellness program is also available in the Yurok Tribal Court for families with reunification-type cases who are ineligible for Joint Jurisdiction. The Yurok Wellness Court has helped dozens of tribal citizens transform their lives. Many of the court’s clients have secured full-time employment, reunited with their children and reengaged with their culture.  

To learn more about the Yurok Wellness Court, please visit https://yuroktribalcourt.org/programs/wellness-court/

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For Darin Ferreira, a third-generation rancher on his family’s dairy farm in the Arcata bottoms, running a dairy is a labor of love. He is truly passionate about his work, which is what keeps him going in a business that is definitely not easy to keep afloat. 

“This is my life,” Ferreira told the Outpost during a tour of the Ferreira & Son Dairy ranch on Lanphere Road. “Everybody’s got a hobby. This is mine. This is where I spend all of my money.”  

Ferreira’s grandfather, Louis, moved to California from the Azores in 1918, a time when the North Coast’s dairy business was booming, and started a dairy ranch in Ferndale. After the Eel River flood of 1955 destroyed most of the Ferndale ranch, the family moved to the Arcata property, where Louis worked until he passed away in 1982, at which point the ranch was taken over by his son, Louis Junior. Darin, in turn, took over the dairy when his father passed away from cancer in 2018 and now runs what is the last remaining dairy in Arcata. 

When Ferreira’s mother, Judi, married into the family in 1971, she told the Outpost, there were at least 30 dairies in the Arcata area. But over the decades nearly all of Arcata’s dairies have gone out of business, four of them within the last five years. By 2022, there were only three remaining diaries and two of them closed last winter, Judi said. 

And it isn’t just Arcata that has been seeing dairy farms disappear. Factors like the increased price of land, the rigorous permitting processes and drought have caused dairy farming in California to decline significantly, with many farmers either closing up entirely or moving out of the state. 

With inflation always increasing overhead costs, Ferreira said, it is very difficult for dairies, especially small ones, to be profitable. In addition to inflation, he added,  there just aren’t as many people in the younger generations who want to go into dairy farming. So many dairies have gone under simply because the farmers grow old and have no one to take over for them. 

For Ferreira, there was never a question of not taking over the family dairy. After leaving Humboldt for many years and working on a ranch in Montana, Ferreira returned to Arcata when his dad got sick and has spent the last five years doing everything he can to keep Ferreira & Son operational. This meant making some big changes. 

“It wasn’t until the day my dad passed away that it really kicked in that ‘Hey, this is up to me,’” Ferreira said. “All I knew was that if I was gonna keep the ranch afloat, I needed to bottle my own milk and cut out the middleman.”  

Before the third-generation Ferreira took over, his family’s dairy sold its milk to dairy co-ops, such as the Humboldt Creamery, Rumiano Cheese and Organic Valley. For more than 10 years, the Ferreiras sold their milk to Organic Valley, but eventually took an offer from the company to buy out their shares.

In 2021 Ferreira built a small on-site creamery out of two shipping containers and started pasteurizing, bottling and distributing Ferreira & Son organic milk, which you can now find on the shelves at many local grocery stores. Though Ferreira had learned everything about dairy ranching from his father, he knew virtually nothing about running a creamery and the entire process has been self-taught. 

And though it took some trial and error, the creamery is now running smoothly and Ferreira produces between 500 and 700 bottles (or about 200 to 300 gallons) of milk per week. In addition to the regular milk, Ferreira & Son also produces chocolate milk, which is mixed on-site using Ghirardelli chocolate. 

All the milk comes from Ferreira’s herd of 70 cows, which are a mix of Holstein, Jersey and brown Swiss cattle. (Many of them are holstein/ jersey cross breeds). The cows graze on about 80 acres of grass — a mix of red clover, white clover and ryegrass — and are 100 percent grass-fed. Ferreira doesn’t buy any feed for the cows, which is another way he cuts down on costs, he said, and it also helps keep the cows healthy. 

Though it is a fairly small operation, running the dairy and creamery takes a lot of work. Ferreira hires someone else to do the milking (12 cows can be milked at a time) and just recently hired a full-time farm hand to help with the other ranching duties. Ferreira pasteurizes and bottles the milk, cleans and sanitizes the bottles for reuse and also does the milking on the weekends when the hired milker is off. Ferreira’s mother, Judi, is in charge of all of the bookkeeping, as well as printing the tags that go on the bottles. 

Keeping the business small and mostly family-run has been a great way to keep costs low while Ferreira was taking over, he said. But he still has plans for growing the business. The milk has been selling well and the dairy is already outgrowing the tiny creamery. Ferreira is currently working on plans for a bigger, better creamery and is just working to get grant funding from the USDA to build it. He hopes to have the new creamery up and running within the next three years. At that point, Ferreira said, he plans to start producing and distributing ice cream. Once those products are doing well, he eventually plans to add cheese to the list. 

Used bottles that will be cleaned and sanitized for reuse

Ferreira is also in the process of starting a hay business. The farm is actually located on roughly 300 acres of farmland, and with the cows only needing a portion of that for grazing, the rest can be used for hay and silage. Because Ferreira also has the dairy for income, he said, he will be able to charge other farmers a very reasonable price for hay.

Coming up with these different ways to diversify the business and creative ways to keep costs down is how Ferreira said he is keeping the dairy running. Just like his grandfather and father, Ferreira wants to build something that he can pass on to his own children (he has one 14-year-old son and a baby on the way), if that’s something that they want, he said. 

“I didn’t want my grandfather’s and father’s hard work to be for nothing,” Ferreira said. “And that’s why everyday I fight tooth and nail to make sure that their legacy lives on. Ranching is more than just work for me, it’s sentimental. It’s a way of life.”

The nation’s largest public four-year university is presently incapable of affording itself.

A 70-page report nearly a year in the making by leaders of the California State University details the massive gulf between the money the system currently generates from tuition and receives in state support and the actual costs of educating its nearly 500,000 students and employing 60,000 workers.

All told, CSU’s revenues account for only 86% of the system’s overall costs — a gap of nearly $1.5 billion in 2021-22. Support for student services is the least funded relative to costs, at just 68%. The analysis is based on a highly technical set of assumptions and system data. That gap doesn’t even include Cal State’s roughly $6 billion backlog in construction maintenance projects.

A central premise of the report is that the CSU cannot afford to do the things it should be doing to help students succeed.

“The model explains why there never seems to be enough money to pay for what the universities think they need,” the report states.

As a consequence, ongoing tuition hikes are likely forthcoming. Likely more system tumult awaits, as unions are threatening to strike.

The report’s findings were presented to the Cal State Board of Trustees today.

Emma Joslyn, center, a member of UAW 4123, and Nora Cisneros, right, with CFA, during the rally. Members of Teamsters, CSUEU, UAW 4123, and CFA Faculty gathered to ask for fair wages outside the CSU Chancellorís office in Long Beach on May 23, 2023. Photo by Lauren Justice for CalMatters

“This is a lot like climate change,” said Julia Lopez, a CSU trustee and co-chairperson of the working group that wrote this report. “If we don’t heed the warning signs right now, we’re going to find ourselves in a world of hurt down the line. So that’s what we’re trying to do, to get ahead of that.”

The Cal State’s revenues from tuition and state support will be 29% to 41% less than what the system needs by 2030 unless the system finds new sources of money, warn the report’s authors, a mix of CSU trustees, provosts, campus presidents, senior system staff, a leading professor, outside consultants and the president of the student association. And that’s “even with aggressive assumptions about increases in state General Fund and tuition.”

These cost gaps don’t necessarily mean cuts to key services are imminent. “It’s not really about what cuts we’re going to make, it’s … opportunities that we do not have to invest in additional things that we should be investing in,” said Jeni Kitchell, executive budget director for the CSU.

A major cost driver for the CSU is its status as a national engine of social mobility. Its students are often low-income or the first in their families to attend college, and require more academic support to graduate, as well as added money to afford food, housing, mental health and other basic needs, Lopez said.

“If we don’t heed the warning signs right now, we’re going to find ourselves in a world of hurt down the line.”
— Julia Lopez, CSU trustee

Part of the report’s analysis included how much it would cost to improve the graduation rates of low-income students and students of color by examining the few campuses that have made the most progress in closing equity gaps. The analysis also introduced new data that’ll be closely watched, like the cost of providing each major.

This sobering analysis echoes what the state’s nonpartisan bean counters, the Legislative Analyst’s Office, said in January: Cal State’s tuition and state support will fall $100 million short of its likely costs in 2023-24.

But the solutions the report describes will be bitter pills to swallow. Annual tuition hikes are necessary to increase revenue for the CSU, the report argues, reversing course for a system that has raised tuition only once in the last 12 years.

Even steep tuition hikes, however, won’t be enough to stabilize CSU’s finances.

“From the student perspective, I don’t think we’re ever going to be fine with tuition increases.”
— Krishan Malhotra, Cal State Student Association president

CSU’s trustees should adopt a tuition-hike plan by September, the report said.

The CSU Chancellor’s office is doing just that. It will present a tuition hike to the board in July after consulting with the Cal State Student Association, a system requirement. The plan is to have the board approve a tuition-hike policy in September that would kick in fall 2024, said Steve Relyea, CSU’s chief financial officer.

“From the student perspective, I don’t think we’re ever going to be fine with tuition increases,” the association president, Krishan Malhotra, said in an interview Tuesday.

But a predictable model that students can budget for and that sends more financial aid back to students, “there’s definitely benefit there.”

What tuition hikes would look like

How much more revenue the CSU would generate from tuition hikes depends on whether the system continues its enrollment slide or begins attracting additional students. Another factor is whether tuition goes up 3% for every student annually, or increases once by 5% for every new incoming class of students, similar to the policy the University of California adopted in 2021. The Legislative Analyst’s Office credits those tuition hikes for UC’s stable finances.

Under either model, revenue soars by as much as $765 million annually compared to no tuition increase at all by 2030 — assuming the trustees approve tuition hikes for 2025, the report said.Still, tuition hikes alone may not be enough to plug CSU’s operating hole. The system’s revenues were $1.5 billion below total costs in 2021-22, according to the report. A tuition hike would only generate between $150 million and $200 million in its first year.

For new undergraduates, the hikes proposed by the report would equate to a tuition increase of $5,000 or $8,000 over a five-year period by 2030.

Any tuition hikes would primarily affect middle class students: 60% of Cal State’s undergraduates don’t pay tuition because they receive state and campus grants due to their low family incomes.

The middle class families most affected are getting more financial aid through the state’s new expanded Middle Class Scholarship.

CSU’s California students are charged an average of $7,550 for tuition and fees, among the lowest in the country; the national average for public universities is nearly $11,000. And because of state and campus financial aid, more than half of students don’t pay any tuition. The CSU already routes one third of its budget to student aid.

At least one lawmaker who has pushed aggressively for more student financial aid told CSU officials to increase tuition rather than coming to the state for more money, especially as the state faces a $31.5 billion budget hole.

“There’s something you can do which is moderate and predictable,” Assemblymember Kevin McCarty, a Democrat from Sacramento who is chairperson of the budget subcommittee on education, said during a March hearing. “You can do what the UC did.”

Worker frustration

The CSU needs money now, in no small part due to workers signaling they’re ready to go on strike if they don’t get raises soon.

Scores of educators and other staff assembled outside the CSU headquarters Tuesday in Long Beach to kick off a “summer of solidarity” among CSU unions. Several dozen poured into the public gallery during the trustees meeting Tuesday. For most of the nearly two-hour public comment period, union members inveighed against unfair pay and stalled labor contract negotiations with CSU officials.

“We’re here to sound the alarm, trustees, because we are on a collision course with a labor dispute of historic proportions,” Jason Rabinovitz, top officer for Teamsters Local 2010, told CSU trustees Tuesday. “And the reason is that you’ve been paying workers too little for too long and the situation is coming to a head.”

Kevin Wehr, California Faculty Association’s Vice President and Professor at California State University – Sacramento, speaks to Presidents at CSU, Leadership, and the Board of Trustees during public comment to ask for fair wages outside the CSU Chancellor’s office in Long Beach on May 23, 2023. Photo by Lauren Justice for CalMatters

The faculty union, the largest within the system representing about 30,000 workers, wants 12% raises across the board for this fall.

That would cost the CSU $318 million more annually, a system spokesperson wrote.

But the faculty union argues the CSU has the money. Its research team points to the $472 million in excess revenue above costs that the system generated in 2021-22.

“Any surplus is considered one-time reserves,” CSU spokesperson Amy Bentley-Smith wrote in an email. “Salary increases are ongoing, and using one-time reserves to pay ongoing costs is not fiscally prudent.”

“We’re here to sound the alarm, trustees, because we are on a collision course with a labor dispute of historic proportions.”
— Jason Rabinovitz, top officer for Teamsters Local 2010

The union leadership also flags at least $2 billion that the CSU has placed into its investment accounts since 2022, wondering where that money came from and why it can’t be used for wages and educational expenses instead.

Bentley-Smith pointed CalMatters to a CSU explainer on its investment and reserve strategies. “Designated balances and reserves accumulate annually primarily from tuition, fees, and other revenues in excess of annual expenses,” the explainer reads. The money is meant to support campuses in times of economic downturns and natural disasters, as well help cover “student housing, campus parking, student unions, health facilities, university and educational operating activities, among others.”

Could the faculty union strike by this fall?

“It’s not off the table,” said Kevin Wehr, vice president of the union and a professor of sociology at Sacramento State.

“Salary increases are ongoing, and using one-time reserves to pay ongoing costs is not fiscally prudent.”
— Amy Bentley-Smith, CSU spokesperson

Staff unions demand the CSU adopt the findings of an independent report — funded by lawmakers — that would place staff on salary steps consistent with their skill and experience. The so-called Mercer report found that Cal State staff earn about 12% less than workers in their fields at other job sites and campuses.

Doing so would come with a series of 5% raises. Such an overhaul would cost the CSU $287 million in its first year and nearly $900 million annually after a decade. Staff unions say the CSU is only offering 2% raises.

“I’m living off of credit cards at this point,” said Dennis Sotomayor, 52, a member of Teamsters Local 2010 union who works as a maintenance mechanic at Cal State Los Angeles. He earns about $60,000 a year, he said.

State support already high

Cal State’s fiscal shortfall comes even despite a recent pledge by Gov. Gavin Newsom to provide it with five years of 5% growth in state support for the system’s operations, totaling more than $1 billion. Newsom has made identical promises to the UC.

Despite the massive state budget deficit, Newsom is still promising the second installment of those raises for the 2023-24 fiscal year, which he and lawmakers must approve by the end of June.

Newsom could have won himself more political points with unions by specifying that his 5% raises should go to employee pay and benefits, a senior aide told CalMatters. But Newsom didn’t do that, giving CSU leadership the task of figuring out where the money should go.

The faculty union has written to Newsom asking that a fixed amount of any state support go directly to student instruction, which would benefit faculty.

“We have to set the (university) systems up for success to serve all aspects of each of their respective ecosystems,” said Ben Chida, chief deputy cabinet secretary for the governor and who oversees education policies. “And that can’t be a decision that gets nickeled and dimed out of the governor’s office.”

Enrollment uncertainty

Further crimping the system’s finances is a sudden drop in enrollment: The state gives money to Cal State for every California undergraduate it enrolls.

Enrollment is also tied to tuition. At current rates, tuition revenue will drop 9% by 2030 if the CSU loses about 2% of its students annually — the same rate of projected enrollment loss at California’s high schools.

From left to right, students Gursirat Kaur, Prabhjot Kaur and Ramit Johal walk across campus to their next class at Fresno State in Fresno, on Feb. 7, 2022. Photo by Larry Valenzuela for CalMatters

The system chancellor’s office has already devised a plan to pull some state funding from under-enrolled campuses to instead flow to campuses that are meeting their enrollment targets. If that incentive prompts campuses to recruit more students, then an annual 1% growth in enrollment boosts tuition revenue by 5% by 2030, the report said.

But with a national slowdown in students heading to college, there may not be enough students to go around. Plus, educating students is more expensive than in previous years, as today’s college learners are typically lower-income and require more financial aid and money for sudden homelessness, chronic hunger and mental health support.

“There’s been a historical shift in services provided by the county and state that are now the presumed obligation of higher education,” the report said. “While the kinds of services provided to our students are fundamental and necessary, they have come at a cost not fully reimbursed by the state or federal government.”

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

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Anyone who’s traveled on Broadway in the last week and a half or so has no doubt noticed some curious new lane dividers and diversions. That’s because Caltrans is once again exploring ways to make this ugly, traffic-clogged throughway less terrible.

The temporary installations, known as “pop-ups,” are intended to test some proposed improvements prior to possible construction. Caltrans put some up last June, and a new set arrived on May 12. 

Here’s more info from the agency:

Caltrans is continuing to test pop-up demonstrations along the Broadway portion of U.S. 101 in Eureka. This includes temporary cone-like delineators and paint to analyze proposed improvements. Please note that Caltrans’ work north of Wabash is not associated with the pop-up demonstrations.

The Broadway Corridor has high rates of fatal and injury collisions. According to the 2017 data from the California Office of Traffic Safety, the Broadway Corridor ranks number one throughout the state for total fatal and injury collisions when compared to 93 other similar facilities.

Caltrans has a vision to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries on California’s roadways by 2050 and provide safer outcomes for all communities. This vision is planned to be achieved through the adoption of the Safe System approach, which includes six principles: deaths and serious injuries are unacceptable, humans make mistakes, humans are vulnerable, responsibility is shared, safety is proactive, and redundancy is crucial.

The Broadway Pop-Up Demonstrations are testing safety countermeasures proven to reduce serious collisions. While some of these test improvements may be an adjustment — especially for motorized users — there are many people who walk or cycle on Broadway to commute to work, exercise, shop, take children to parks, access the coastal trail, and satisfy any number of other daily transportation needs. Even one death on our transportation system is unacceptable.

Have you interacted with the pop-ups? Please take the survey! Feedback about the demonstrations will help decide how Broadway will look in the future. Travelers interacting with the pop-ups are encouraged to read more and provide feedback via a survey at broadwaypopups.com.

Broadway pop-ups and other improvement projects are being planned and designed in close coordination with our partners including the City of Eureka, Humboldt Transit Authority, Humboldt Bay Fire, Humboldt County Association of Governments, and community-based organizations.

For additional updates on these projects and others, follow Caltrans District 1 on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also check out the District 1 Current Projects page for more information on these and other projects.