PREVIOUSLY:

• OP-ED: The City’s Plan For H and I Streets Will Make Eureka a Better Place

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Six years ago, I wrote a guest opinion about H and I streets in the LoCO. It’s been roughly six months since the upgrades to the two streets, and as a resident of H Street, I can attest that traffic is calmer and slower, people on bicycles are enjoying the new bike lane, and people are able to actually cross the streets without fearing for their lives.

Photo: Erin Kelly.

In my previous column, I wrote about the many problems of H and I streets: that there were more than three times the number of collisions relative to comparable streets in California. That I watched high schoolers run across the streets (in crosswalks) while speeding motorists ignored their presence. That it was dangerous for both motorists and pedestrians when there were crosswalks across (essentially) a highway. H and I streets are right in the center of town, and they have a lot of cross traffic and pedestrians. The way the road became highway-like wasn’t because of thoughtful design, it was because of lack of design, and the streets unfortunately served to cut Eureka in two.

And so, the city council and staff decided to update the roads to account for the different ways people use them. They reduced the lanes from three to two, created a buffered bike lane, put in flashing lights at crosswalks, and installed bulb-outs to aid people crossing the street.

I’ve seen some criticism of the changes to the streets and it’s true: many cars now need more time to get down these streets. This is because the average speed of vehicles has been reduced to closer to the actual speed limit.

But the benefits have been immense. The crosswalks, once only decorative, have become functional. The groups of high schoolers heading to and from school cross H and I streets safely. Cars stop because of the flashing crosswalk lights, and the bulb-outs mean that people crossing don’t have to run across so many lanes to get to their destination. The bike lanes feel safe and I see a lot of folks bicycling on them. The other night, I was on my bike on H Street, stopped at a traffic light. A couple rode up behind me, one of them with a toddler in a seat on the front of her bike. We rode together for a few blocks, chatting about how nice it was to be on H Street – as cars passed us safely on our left.

The reduced speed, and reduced swerving across three lanes, has made our streets feel more like the city streets that they are. Families with kids, older folks walking dogs, teenagers on skateboards, bicyclists in lycra tights and bicyclists in skirts, all get to use these streets, alongside cars. Their prior design made most modes of transit unsafe. The upgrades now mean that people are able to enjoy H and I streets more safely.

Six years ago, I wrote that “I think that the proposed H and I Streets project helps us to prepare for the future we want, rather than living with the infrastructure we are stuck with.” Now I can start to see the changes that the H and I upgrades have brought. People can cross the streets and ride their bicycles to downtown and to Henderson Center. And they can also still drive down those streets. I drive down those streets. And I appreciate knowing that everyone is safer, in cars and outside of cars, while doing so.

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Erin Kelly lives on H Street.

California’s homeless service providers have a problem: They aren’t getting paid on time, and it’s making it even harder for them to get people off the street.

Nonprofits that provide everything from shelter beds, to counseling for homeless residents, to affordable housing, say they regularly are kept waiting weeks, if not months, for the city, county and state funding they rely on. That means they’re struggling to pay their employees, make rent payments for their clients, and, in some cases, even keep the lights on. Some are turning down new projects despite the massive need for services in their communities. Others are borrowing to stay afloat, ending up paying tens of thousands of dollars each month in interest — money they would rather spend on helping homeless Californians. It’s hampering the state’s efforts to solve what is arguably its biggest problem: Nearly 186,000 people have nowhere to call home.

“It is the single biggest factor in our inability to grow and serve more people,” said Vivian Wan, CEO of Abode Services, which provides shelter, housing and other aid for unhoused people across seven Bay Area counties. “This is a huge issue.”

And it’s getting harder to ignore. With inflation driving up expenses and the growing homelessness crisis driving up need, some nonprofits have reached their breaking point. After a group of Los Angeles-based homeless service providers raised the alarm earlier this year, the county Board of Supervisors overhauled the way it doles out funds. Providers hope the move will be replicated throughout the state.

Why are nonprofits missing millions of dollars?

It’s the kind of problem that’s a hallmark of bureaucracy.

When a city opens a new shelter or housing program, it lacks the capacity to run the program itself, so it contracts with a nonprofit that has expertise working with unhoused clients. The nonprofits who provide these services told CalMatters that because city officials are trying to move quickly, they sometimes set up the program and start providing services immediately — even before a formal contract is signed. The nonprofit can’t get reimbursed for the services it’s already provided until that contract is finalized, which can take months.

But even when a contract is drawn up right away, it generally requires the nonprofit to start work before getting paid, and then send an invoice to the city asking for reimbursement. That process can get bogged down in delays at multiple levels.

First, drafting invoices is onerous and time-consuming, requiring the nonprofit to account for every penny spent. Next, the city or county has to go over each invoice with a fine-tooth comb, which can take weeks or months. Finding any problems means the process starts over.

Delays also crop up when the city is waiting for state funding to pay its contracts.

Santa Cruz County usually pays its invoices within two to four weeks, said Robert Ratner, director of Housing for Health for the county. But if there’s a problem with the invoice, payment could be delayed another month.

“I think everyone involved would like it to go faster,” he said.

On any given day, Abode generally is owed between $35 million and $40 million from their various government contracts, Wan said. Despite those missing funds, Abode still has to make rent payments on the first of every month for its thousands of clients living in subsidized housing.

“We’re not going to let people become homeless or not get their rent paid,” Wan said.

Instead, she’s turning down new projects that would make the organization’s funding gap worse — to the detriment of the people in desperate need of Abode’s services. She recently decided not to apply for a contract providing rental assistance on behalf of the Santa Clara County Probation Department, even though Abode is one of the few organizations that could do the work.

Multiple nonprofits CalMatters spoke with said they’ve had to take out high-interest loans to fill the gaps while they’re waiting for government funds. The People Concern, which provides homeless services in Los Angeles County, is paying $63,000 a month in interest on its lines of credit. The nonprofit will never get that money back, even when its government checks come in.

“That’s $63,000 a month we should just be burning, because we can’t be compensated for it,” said CEO John Maceri.

Funding delays also are hampering Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ signature effort to get Angelenos off the streets. Through the program dubbed Inside Safe, the city contracts with nonprofits to move people from encampments into hotels.

PATH was one of the nonprofits that jumped at the chance to participate, back when the program first launched in 2022. But lately, CEO Jennifer Hark Dietz is more wary. As of last month, the city owed her organization close to $7 million for its work on Inside Safe. The city, under recent pressure from local nonprofits to speed up its reimbursements, paid off some of that last week. But it still owes PATH $1.18 million for work done in June, Dietz said.

Now, to avoid over-extending her organization, she’s having to make hard choices. She’s started refusing when the city asks her to take on new Inside Safe locations before a contract is in place.

“It’s definitely for me, personally, heartbreaking,” she said.

Mayor Bass knows there’s a problem, and says her office is working on a solution with the city council, but she hasn’t provided details on what that solution will look like or when it will roll out. The situation came to a head in May, when the city owed $26 million on its homeless services contracts. In September, the mayor said that money has been paid and all Inside Safe invoices for the first quarter of the fiscal year have been processed.

“We must transform the City’s entire approach to payment — going beyond the payments for service providers — to overhaul and modernize the entire system,” Bass said in an emailed statement.

Los Angeles County recently tried to do just that. Now, the county offers nonprofits advances on some of their contracts upfront, so they don’t have to do work without first getting paid.

“It’s new,” Paul Rubenstein, deputy chief external relations officer for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, said of the overhaul. “But it feels like it’s working.”

California’s role in the problem

Sometimes, the state government is to blame for these delays. In April, Gov. Gavin Newsom awarded his latest round of grants through the Encampment Resolution Fund, a program that doles out state money to help cities and counties clear encampments and move camp occupants indoors. Marin County, which won an $18 million grant, was told to expect the contract in July, said Gary Naja-Riese, director of the county’s Whole Person Care and Homelessness Division. Instead, the document kept getting delayed, and now it’s been five months and no one has yet to see a penny. The state finally sent out the contracts last month, but it’s unclear when the money will come through.

That’s created a big headache in Santa Barbara County. The county won a nearly $8 million grant to clear 21 vehicle encampments, and it contracted with nonprofit New Beginnings to do the work of connecting with people living in cars and RVs, offering them services and moving them into housing. New Beginnings got straight to work as soon as its contract with the county was signed in June, and so far has moved at least 23 people into shelter and another six into permanent housing. They couldn’t afford to wait: the grant has a strict timeline, requiring recipients to spend half the money by June 30, 2025, or risk losing it.

But New Beginnings has yet to be paid for that work. The nonprofit has had to borrow money — $350,000 so far, at a 9.5% interest rate — to make ends meet in the meantime, said Executive Director Kristine Schwarz. She’s worried borrowing too much more will plunge her organization into a hole it can’t get out of. So she’s pulling back on the services she offers. That means she’s leaving people on the street because she can’t afford a hotel room for them, she said.

“I can’t just continue to spend money without any idea of when we’re going to get reimbursed,” Schwarz said.

The delay at the state level is at least partly because the California Department of Housing and Community Development took over the grants from another state agency this year.

“The ERF Round 3, Window 1 standard agreements were somewhat impacted by the transition and additional accountability considerations, but that should not be an issue going forward,” Megan Kirkeby, deputy director of housing policy development for the Department of Housing and Community Development, said in an email to CalMatters. Cities and counties will be reimbursed for money they spent before the contracts were signed, she said.

‘I need my money when it’s due’

Funding delays are an especially dire problem for small nonprofits. Kalain Hadley’s organization Reclaim-Possibility provides 44 beds in Los Angeles for men recently released from jail and prison. Hadley opened right before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and because he had no clients and therefore no income, had to burn through his savings and go into debt to keep the organization afloat.

Now, his payments come from the state and Los Angeles County, through two contractors that act as intermediaries. They’re usually at least a few days late, Hadley said. That might not be a big deal for a larger nonprofit, but for an organization like his that has no cushion, it’s devastating.

“I’m running around trying to withdraw cash so I’ll be able to pay my folks over the weekend. And that’s the pattern every month,” he said. “I need my money when it’s due.”

To stay afloat, Hadley is taking advantage of a new lifeline in Los Angeles County. Nonprofit Future Communities Institute recently launched a program called the LA Working Capital Fund to give no-interest bridge loans to homeless service nonprofits waiting for government funding. So far, Hadley has taken out four loans ranging from $15,000 to $20,000 – all of which he’s paid back.

Future Communities Institute hopes to raise money to scale up the program and offer more loans, said Justin Szlasa, director of homeless initiatives.

Without that money, Hadley’s nonprofit might have shut down by now, he said. But even so, the loans aren’t a solution to the overarching problem — they’re just a Band-Aid.

“Somebody needs to figure out why we can’t get paid on time,” Hadley said.

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

We are writing this to celebrate the life of our dad, Ronald Joseph Doebel. He was a character that lived an interesting life. He was born in Fletcher, Oklahoma to Joseph and Hazel Doebel on the 2nd month, 9th day of 1938. When asked, that’s exactly how he would say it. He left this earth to be with his heavenly family on the 9th month, 2nd day of 2024.

He was the fifth of six children, and in 1941 the family moved to St. Paul, Kansas. Our dad lived most of his younger years in St. Paul. He made many friends in there, and one of his best friends was Arnie Ward. Arnie’s brother, Tom, had moved to Northern California to work in the timber industry. So dad and Arnie decided to give it a try. Our dad went to work for the Pacific Lumber Company and he was employed by them for over 40 years doing many different jobs.

In 1962, he married our mother, Linda Louise Sarvinski. They were married for 52 years until she passed in 2014. They had two children, Santina and Shawn.

In the 1970s, dad decided to go back to school. So he got his GED and enrolled at College of the Redwoods. He studied diesel mechanics and welding. He joined the Diesel Club. Our dad helped build the first diesel-powered race car, and it held the record for the fastest speed for a diesel motor for over 40 years.

Dad had so many interests and he filled his life helping the community. He was a member of the Eel River Valley Model A Club. He served as the President of the Eel River Valley Pop Warner Football. He was an active member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Scotia. He and our mother were very active in the Charismatic movement and they traveled all over leading and participating in worship services spreading the Good News about God.

Our dad really loved making firewood. He spent many Saturdays making firewood for our family or any friend that needed it.

He felt like one of his greatest accomplishments was being a recovering alcoholic. He spent many hours at AA meetings and he loved sharing recovery with anyone who needed his help. Our dad was somewhat of a coin collector, but the coins he loved the most were the coins he got for another year of sobriety, which was almost over 40 years.

Three of his five siblings are still living in Kansas — his sisters, Sister Mary Clare Doebel & Philamena Blaes (her loving family), and one brother, Robert Doebel and his wife Edna. Dad has many cousins still living in the Midwest. Thank you to all the Kansas Doebel family for loving our dad from the beginning.

He married into the Sarvinski family and he loved and appreciated being part of the family. Thank you to all of the Sarvinskis for loving and accepting our dad as one of their own. It meant so much to him.

Our dad had so many great friends. Many have passed. But the ones he was able to communicate with often were Arnie Ward, Richard Peterson, Jerry and Marlene Aldrich, Tom Webb, Dave Houseworth and Darlene O’Neil just to name a few. Thank you to all of these people for being such a good friend to our dad.

In 1988, our parents purchased property on Holmes Flat. They started Doeby’s Dried Flower Basket. They were in business for almost 10 years. He loved his property on Holmes Flat and he spent many hours working the ground with his tractor and mowing lots of grass. This is where he spent the past 37 years until the day he left us to go to Heaven.

He had two amazing granddaughters, Kaylie and Shelby. He really loved both the girls and at some point decided to save his spare change for them. So each time one of the girls came to visit they usually got a roll of quarters. When Shelby married Matt Hernandez, he started getting quarters, too.

Our dad was a fix-it kind of guy. If something broke, he tried his best to fix it. We were talking and we can’t remember a single incident when a repairman came to our home. Dad would either figure out a way to repair what wasn’t working right or he would seek out advice from someone who knew and then dad completed the job. He truly had a mechanical mind. He wasn’t always perfect, but he gave it his best shot. He taught us not to give up, to just keep trying and figure out a way.

He loved football! He loved watching all the family members over the years play football. He followed and loved the 49ers. He had a brief alliance with the Denver Broncos when Shawn and his family lived in Colorado. The team he grew to love the most was the Kansas City Chiefs. I’m sure being from Kansas influenced his appeal for the team.

He also loved to deer hunt. And he and Jerry would each get their deer every year. Often times it would be one shot then the second shot. And in an instance, they each filled their tag. As he got older, it was hard for him to hunt. But he invited many people to come and hunt on our property. Sheaden Kadle was the first and then then Jason. Dad would love to see what they got every time. It really excited him.

Our dad is preceded in death by his parents Joseph and Hazel Doebel. His wife, Linda Doebel. His brothers, Herbert and Raymond Doebel. Brother-in-law, Raymond Blaes, His mother and father-in-law, Henry and Mildred Sarvinski, his brother-in-law’s, Galen Sarvinski, and Frank Cardoza(Frank’s granddaughter, Sarah).

He is survived by his children, Santina Bolton(boyfriend Neil Reiners) and Shawn Doebel( his wife, Marta Martinez). His granddaughters Kaylie Doebel & Shelby Hernandez and her husband Staff Sergeant Matthew Hernandez. His sisters, Sister Mary Claire Doebel, Philamena Blaes (her children and their families) and brother, Robert Doebel and his wife Edna. He is also survived by his brothers and sisters-in-law, Lottie Luke, Gary and Linda Sarvinski, Amy Sarvinski, Gerald and Julie Sarvinski, Leanne and Gary Ryan, Greg and Tammie Sarvinski, Gene and Ginger Sarvinski, & Lisa and Vince Gamboa. And also many nieces and nephews.

Our dad had a special bond with his daughter-in-law, Marta. She always treated him with the most respect. She always called him, Mr. Doebel and he loved it! Thank you Marta for being so kind to our dad and for being there for both Shawn and I during the time of dad’s passing. We can’t thank you enough!

One thing dad taught us was to never give up. He kept going, moving forward in life, and tackling whatever came his way.

Some people have asked where they can make a donation in his memory. If anyone wishes to do something like that, we would ask that you Pay It Forward. There were so many times that our dad would help someone that needed it. Dad came home one day and told our mother I want you to start making me two sandwiches every day for lunch. He found out one of his coworkers didn’t have money to bring lunch. So dad started bringing him a sandwich to work every day. I can tell many more instances but I think you understand. So in his honor sometime just, Pay It Forward.

Every time our dad would talk to his sisters on the telephone, he would always tell them…” now remember we still love you.” So to end this tribute to our dad, Ronald Joseph Doebel, even though you are no longer here with us physically, always remember that we still love you!

Maureen Kay Freeman passed away peacefully on September 27, 2024, surrounded by her loving husband of almost 42 years and her daughter.

Maureen was born August 11, 1952 in Oakland to Wayne and Ethel Fanning, but spent the majority of her childhood in Anaheim. There she grew up with her older brother, Teri, and her younger brother, Hugh. They enjoyed many days going to the beach as a family.

In high school, Maureen was athletic and played every sport she could all four years and was good at them all. In her senior year she was voted “Most Athletic” – her favorite being basketball and volleyball — and would go onto college to play basketball.

Maureen worked various jobs throughout her career, but most jobs involved a hospital setting and patient accounts —  from Mercy Hospital in Sacramento, to Redwood Memorial in Fortuna and retiring from St. Joseph’s in Eureka in 2015.

Maureen met the love of her life and partner in every adventure, Steve, in Sacramento while playing co-ed softball together in 1979. They were ones for chasing snowstorms in the Sierras and up into Oregon to go cross-country skiing. After marrying in 1982, their honeymoon was cross-country skiing in Hope Valley and snow camping. Maureen followed Steve up and down California for various jobs but settled in Humboldt County.

In 1986, Steve and Maureen welcomed their one and only daughter, Erin. Maureen and Erin had a strong mother-daughter bond, whether they were going on shopping trips to their favorite places, trying out a new bakery or in the kitchen together making food from scratch together.

Maureen had a passion for cooking and baking from scratch and sharing those foods with her family. Each birthday or holiday she took pride in making something special that was usually a specific request from her family. Baking and cooking was her love language. Steve and Maureen enjoyed BBQ’ing, trying new techniques, new recipes and going to “real” BBQ places to see what technique they could come home and do better.

Family was always important to Maureen. Following the death of her father, she moved her mother in with her and her family and took care of her for over 20 years before she passed away. Her grandkids meant the world to her and she enjoyed watching each of them grow up. From watching Isobel excel in basketball – she loved watching her play in person and online once she got to college, to cheering on Gabby as a cross country runner, and watching Grady play baseball all over California, Oregon, Nevada and Arizona. She was proud of all of them and loved to brag about their accolades.

Maureen is preceded in death by her parents, Wayne and Ethel Fanning, and older brother Teri Fanning. She is survived by her husband, Steve Freeman; daughter Erin Crosswhite and husband Jesse Crosswhite; granddaughters Isobel Crosswhite, Gabriella Crosswhite; grandson Grady Crosswhite,; brother Hugh Fanning and wife Maureen Fanning.

To celebrate and honor Maureen, her family asks that you take the time to make your favorite meal for your family, spend time with your loved ones, share memories and laughs. Maureen is greatly missed and there will be a forever hole in our hearts.

Steven Scott Biggerstaff was born September 29, 1951 in Fresno to Warren and Evelyn Biggerstaff. He passed away peacefully at home in Eureka on September 24, 2024.

Steve grew up in Fresno, with stints in New York and Sweden. He graduated from Bullard High School, then attended both UCLA and Fresno State, receiving a bachelor’s degree in English. He worked for many years in the printing industry, first in Minneapolis and then in Ventura.

Steve was a creative writer, an avid reader, and always learning. He loved music, reading, woodworking, electronics, creating and building.

Steve is survived by Mary, his wife of 40 years, his daughter Annie and his son Connor, as well as his son-in-law law Kevin, granddaughter Nova, sister Jennie, brother-in-law Doug, niece Monique and numerous extended family. He will be missed. Breathe easy now, Steve.

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The latest batch of campaign finance disclosure forms were due to the City of Eureka this past Thursday, and we’ve got a roundup of all the campaign and candidate fundraising in the City of Eureka for this election season, including an eye-popping sum from one company in particular.

Here’s the rundown:

Yes on F, A Committee in Support of the Housing for All and Downtown Vitality Initiative, Sponsored by Security National Properties Holding Company, LLC:

On Saturday, Security National dumped another $94,333 into the Measure F campaign, which was already the most expensive ballot initiative in Eureka history. This latest donation brings the total raised for the so-called “Housing for All and Downtown Vitality Initiative” to $1,224,037. All but $600 of that sum has come directly from Security National. (Eureka accountant John B. Fullerton, who is working on the campaign, chipped in $100 last month and former Renner Petroleum owner Michael Lawrence Renner, who now lives in Las Vegas, donated $500 last year.)

Security National, of course, is the real estate loan servicing firm founded by semi-local tycoon Rob Arkley, whose fury over the city’s downtown development plans was expressed via shouted expletives, insulted-filled emails and threats of political and legal action.

Arkley also vowed to move his business headquarters out of city limits, and while he has yet to follow through on that particular threat, his company did provide startup funding for the group called Citizens for a Better Eureka, which filed four environmental lawsuits against the city. And last November, Security National paid $650,000 to buy the parking lot in front of City Hall and promptly put up barricades that prevent anyone from parking there. (That expense is not an official part of the campaign spending.)

As you’ve no doubt noticed by now, Security National has flooded the zone with advertising — including TV, radio, print, online and billboards — while spending hundreds of thousands on outside consultants.

No on Measure F: A Committee to Defend Eureka’s Housing 

Through Sept. 21, the opponents of Measure F had raised a comparatively modest sum of $19,537, which represents less than 1.6 percent of the amount spent by Security National. The largest “No on F” campaign contributions came from the Central Labor Council of Humboldt and Del Norte Counties AFL-CIO C.O.P.E. ($2,500); AFSCME Local #1684 ($2,500); retired doctor Wendy Ring ($2,000); former Eureka Mayor Susan Seaman ($550); and Eureka scientist Dr. Dale Preston ($500).

Campaign treasurer James Kloor, who works as the director of finance at the Humboldt Area Foundation, loaned the campaign $1,950 through Sept. 21, and has already been reimbursed with campaign funds.

The “No on F” effort has spent $14,703 thus far, primarily on campaign literature and paraphernalia, including yard signs.

Lucky for Ward 4:

Thavisak “Lucky” Syphanthong, who’s running against incumbent Scott Bauer for Eureka’s Fourth Ward seat on the city council, raised $1,772.68 this reporting period, of which $1,672.68 (94 percent) was a loan to himself. (The other $100 was a donation from Eureka retiree Chuck Elsworth. 

Syphanthong spent $391 on his campaign statement, $442.85 on a campaign kickoff event and $127.24 on meetings and events.

Scott Bauer For Fourth Ward Of Eureka City Council 2024:

In Bauer’s first campaign disclosure statement of this cycle he reported raising $1,363 through Sept. 21, and he’d spent just $127 of that amount. His largest donors include Eureka retiree Barry Douglas ($300), Eureka general contractor Jake Larson ($250) and three donors at $100 apiece, including Fourth District Humboldt County Supervisor Natalie Arroyo.

Kenny Carswell for Eureka City Council Ward 2 2024:

Carswell, who’s employed as a project manager for Security National, reported raising $6,465 through Sept. 21, including a loan to his own campaign in the amount of $1,253. His top donors include $500 contributions from Eureka accountant William McAuley, Eureka real estate appraiser Cynthia Olsen and Fortuna residents Steve and Heather Bryan, who own the 707 Bar on First Street. He had a number of other donations of between $100 and $300. 

Carswell’s campaign reported spending $5,192, with expenditures for fundraising events, campaign paraphernalia, advertising and filing fees.

Kati Moulton for Eureka City Council, 2024:

Moulton, the incumbent councilmember is Eureka’s Second Ward, raised just $774 through Sept. 21 and spent $663 of that. The four donors who contributed at least $100 to her campaign include Dr. Preston and Catherine Sennott ($300); Eureka retiree Deborah Dukes ($100); former Humboldt County Supervisor Mark Lovelace ($100) and current Supervisor Arroyo ($100).

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Mark it on your calendars: Election Day is Nov. 5 — just over five weeks off! If you’re not registered to vote, it’s not too late. Click this link to register online before October 21, or you can “conditionally” register and vote at your county elections office after the 15-day voter registration deadline.

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ELSEWHERE: 

• Prop. 36 in the CalMatters voter guide.

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Today at noon at the Eureka Gazebo, Sheriff William Honsal and District Attorney Stacey Eads led a rally in support of Proposition 36, a measure on the Nov. 5 ballot that would enact stiffer penalties for some crimes.

In particular, it would partially repeal Proposition 47, a criminal justice reform initiative passed by the voters in 2014, by mandating that several misdemeanors related to drugs and theft be reclassified as felonies. It would also allow certain of those felonies to be addressed through treatment, rather than imprisonment.

Honsal, who opened the event, said that Proposition 36 would give law enforcement much-needed tools to turn people with addiction problems toward rehabilitation, while at the same time allowing officers to crack down harder on thievery — one of the ways addicts find money to pay for drugs.

“There really is no current incentive for individuals who are arrested for minor drug offenses to receive mandatory drug treatment,” Honsal said. “Individuals opt out of seeking treatment because there’s no accountability, and there’s no consequences. This must change, and with the passage of Prop. 36 this will change.”

Honsal and Eads were joined by Supervisors Rex Bohn, Michelle Bushnell and Steve Madrone. Several local police chiefs were in attendance. Kevin Jenkins, owner of McKinleyville Ace Hardware store, spoke about how brazen shoplifting is affecting his business, his employees and his customers. And Frank Falcone of Redwood Teen Challenge talked about how he escaped addiction with the help of the law.

District Attorney Eads gave the crowd a thorough overview of what laws Proposition 36 would overhaul, and told stories of cases here in Humboldt County where it would have been useful. She spoke of a major fentanyl dealer — a repeat offender — who could only be sentenced to a small amount of time in the local jail, along with a period of house arrest. She talked about a particular retail theft suspect who was arrested three days in a row on the same charge.

Prop. 36 would give her the tools to give those people serious time, she said.

“If you decide to vote no on Prop. 36, then you’re deciding that you’re okay with the status quo,” she said. “So, you’re okay with this individual repeatedly stealing from our businesses. You’re okay with hardened drug dealers coming to Humboldt County with large quantities of drugs to put out on our streets. You’re okay with a fentanyl dealer walking around with a loaded firearm. That’s what’s a no vote on Prop. 36 means.”

Jenkins talked about the the rising incidence of theft he’s seen at his hardware store, telling about two particular cases he said occurred just within the last week. In one case, he said, a woman carefully stole just under $950 in new tools — the limit between a misdemeanor and a felony — and in another, a man stole a whole rack of pants. Because of the way the law is written write now, neither the police or prosecutors can do much to slow down such crimes, he said.

“That stuff will show up on Facebook Marketplace within a few days,” Jenkins said. “There’s a system, there’s an under-economy … So we’re all paying for it. We’re paying for it as a person that’s never touched drugs in their life. And I’ve come to the realization, the painful realization that the people that are doing the stealing, they’re not stealing because they enjoy it. They’re not stealing because they’re trying to provide a higher quality lifestyle for their family. They’re feeding their addiction.”

Falcone, who described himself as a 20-year meth addict, talked about his path to recovery, which started with an overdue visit to a probation officer. That initial step, he said, put him on a path to treatment.

“I started taking responsibility and saying, hey, those are the choices that I made,” Falcone said.  “And I think this Proposition 36 is really going to help to get the people help that they need. They need a program for a while, not just a 30 days or 60 days where they could just leave and get a free meal, but the right tools that they need to be successful in life.”

Like Jenkins, Supervisor Michelle Bushnell — owner of the Boot Leg in downtown Garberville — had stories to tell about retail theft, but she spent more of time talking about how addiction had touched her own family. Though he has several years clean, a close family member suffered from alcoholism, racking up five DUIs and nearly killing himself in a car crash before finally getting sober. All the time, she said, she begged law enforcement to take him in, so that he might have a chance to write a different future for himself.

“I beg people to please vote yes on Prop. 36,” she said. “Think about your future generations and the people that need help. Sometimes they’re not capable to ask for it.”

“This revolving door issue, the way that works … we’ve got to put an end to that,” said Supervisor Steve Madrone, referring both to thieves of the type that Jenkins referred to and people with serious drug rap sheets. “It’s just crazy to have people in and out, in and out. And there’s no repercussions that seem to actually change that behavior.”

Madrone brought the pep to the rally. 

“What are we votin’ on?” he asked. “Yes on what?”

“36!”

“36! That’s right! It’s gonna help us.”

“I appreciate the sheriff, our district attorney and especially the chiefs that could be here today that are supporting [Prop. 36], because I’ll tell you what … if they say we need it, that’s who we call … to be safe,” said Supervisor Rex Bohn, chair of the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors. “So let’s give them the tools to do it.”