Despite the dire forecast for education funding, some California schools may soon find themselves doing something counter-intuitive: returning money to the government.

The deadline for committing federal COVID-19 relief money is Sept. 30, and schools that haven’t planned to spend their money by then or received an extension must send it back to the U.S. Department of Education.

“It’s not a hard fiscal cliff, but it’s a big deal because it’s the last time districts can make decisions about how to spend this money,” said Bella DiMarco, a policy analyst for FutureEd, an education think tank at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. “Some districts have been planning for this from Day One, but others are going to be scrambling at the last minute.”

Dozens of California school districts still hadn’t spent the majority of their Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Act money as of Aug. 28, according to a database compiled by Georgetown’s Edunomics Laboratory. In some cases, districts risked leaving millions of dollars on the table.

Overall, California schools hadn’t yet spent $1.8 billion of the $13.5 billion they were allotted when the final – and largest – of the pandemic relief grants rolled out in 2021.

School districts contacted by CalMatters said they intend to spend the money before the deadline, or had already committed it to vendors — such as organizations providing after-school programs — but there was a lag in the paperwork.

The pandemic relief funds were an unprecedented windfall for schools, intended to help them reopen safely for in-person instruction and help students who fell behind during remote learning. In all, the federal government gave $190 billion to schools through several waves of COVID relief grants.

By mid-September, most of California’s largest districts — including Los Angeles Unified, San Diego Unified, San Francisco Unified and Elk Grove Unified — had spent close to all their funds. A few, such as Fresno Unified, had unspent millions but did not respond to requests for an explanation.

Long Beach Unified, with 64,000 students, still had not spent $66 million — roughly 30% — of its $212 million allotment. The district plans to spend it all by the deadline on needs including playground equipment ($11 million) and classroom modernization ($14 million), said spokesperson Elvia Cano.

“While we have carefully paced our spending to maximize impact, we remain on track to allocate the remaining resources before the deadline,” Cano said.

Students during class at Lake Marie Elementary School in Whittier on Nov. 17, 2022. Photo by Lauren Justice for CalMatters

The end of pandemic relief grants comes at a precarious time for schools. While Gov. Gavin Newsom largely spared K-12 schools from cuts in his budget, the future could be grim as enrollment continues to decline, absenteeism remains high and the economy remains uncertain. Los Angeles Unified, for example, has seen its enrollment drop by 20% over the past decade, while absenteeism was higher than 30% last year. Because California funds its schools based on the number of students who show up every day, those empty seats mean the district receives millions less from the state.

School districts relied on their pandemic relief grants to pay for one-time investments they might not have been able to afford otherwise, like new heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems. They also spent the money on tutoring, after-school programs and mental health services to help students catch up academically and regain social-emotional skills. And some districts used the money to hire permanent staff or raise teacher salaries, which puts them in a vulnerable position as grant funding expires.

“Even if you’re a district that didn’t get a lot of (pandemic relief) money, you might have some tough budget decisions ahead,” said Julien Lafortune, a researcher at the Public Policy Institute of California who studies school funding.

School districts have known for almost four years that the money would be ending, and should not be blindsided by the cut-off, said Rebecca Thiess, who manages fiscal research at the Pew Charitable Trusts. They should have evaluated their spending to see what worked, what didn’t, and how they’d fund programs going forward.

“Schools received a lot of funding, which provided an opportunity for a lot of new programs and investments,” she said. “But they should have approached this opportunity mindfully so they’re not in a difficult position when the money runs out.”

Pandemic relief money wasn’t quite no-strings-attached, which is one reason for some districts’ slow spending, said Tatia Davenport, chief executive of the California Association of School Business Officials. The guidelines and reporting requirements were complicated, which was a big strain on districts with small administrative staffs, she said. Those districts also struggled to launch new programs because staff were already overburdened.

Davenport’s group is advising districts with surplus relief money to look back over recent expenses and see if anything can be paid for with pandemic grant money.

Ocean View School District, a TK-8 district in Huntington Beach in Orange County, used some of its relief money to lower class sizes. At first, the plan was to have fewer people in each classroom so students could return safely — and sooner — for in-person instruction. The lower student-to-teacher ratio was also intended to help boost student mental health and teacher morale.

The idea proved so popular that the district kept the smaller class sizes even after the threat of COVID-19 waned.

“Who doesn’t like smaller class sizes? Teachers loved it, students loved it, families loved it,” said Julianne Hoefer, interim superintendent. “It allowed us to build connections with students, nurture relationships, help students make up for learning gaps.”

The district also used relief grants to start a five-week summer program that included academic tutoring as well as games, field trips and other fun activities to boost student engagement. Students also got two meals a day.

First: District School Nurse Sofia Felix checks student Audrey Hernandez’s vitals in the nurse’s office at Sheridan Elementary School. Last: A ninth-grade class goes over their lesson in the student outdoor learning pavilion at Orange Cove High School in Orange Cove on Sept. 23, 2024. Photos by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

The program was “immensely popular” with families, more than half of whom are low income.

But with pandemic grants ending, the district now has to find a way to continue paying for the initiatives. It recently laid off 16 staff members, its first layoffs in recent memory.

“We have to figure out how to keep these programs,” Hoefer said. “So far, one-time money keeps showing up but we’d like to find a permanent funding stream.”

In Kings Canyon Unified, southeast of Fresno, the district has avoided layoffs because it spent most of its relief money on infrastructure improvements. The district hired a slew of temporary employees — counselors, health aides and teachers — but was able to find permanent funding to keep most of them on staff.

“We knew we had to be really smart about how we use this money, because we’ll never see this kind of funding again,” said Jose Guzman, assistant superintendent. “Our priority was to make kids safe, but also to make these investments sustainable.”

Using its pandemic grant money, the district built nine health centers, with nurses, separate entrances and bathrooms for sick students. The centers helped keep students and staff safe during the pandemic and beyond.

Among the district’s most popular projects were outdoor classrooms, dubbed “learning pavilions,” at five school campuses. Initially the pavilions were for COVID-19 safety, but students and teachers liked them so much they’re still used regularly. Not only do they reduce exposure to communicable diseases, Guzman said, but they boost mental health, as well.

“Our goal was to make our kids safe and happy, and this is what we did,” Guzman said. “Our community truly appreciates that.”

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

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Esther Solorio Rodriguez, a beloved matriarch, who left us peacefully on September 24, 2024. Born October 23, 1939 in La Piedad, Michoacán, Mexico, Esther was a woman of immense strength and kindness. She was the cherished wife of Juan Rodriguez, her partner in life and love, and together they built a family that spans generations.

Esther and Juan were blessed with six children, three of whom she brought into the world on a ranch in Mexico. During those early years, she often rode a horse to town with her children to buy necessities. In the 1960s, seeking new opportunities, Esther and Juan made the brave journey from Mexico to California, where she spent over 20 years working in the fisheries of Humboldt County. Her dedication and hard work were a testament to her unwavering spirit. Later the family grew with 14 grandchildren and two great-granddaughters, who carry forward her legacy of love and resilience.

In addition to her work in the fisheries, Esther held various jobs throughout her life, including working in different restaurants, housekeeping,caregiving and traveling to Stockton to work the fields with her family. Her resilience and work ethic were evident in everything she did, always striving to provide for her family.

Esther and Juan pursued their dream by opening a small Mexican restaurant, Acapulco, in Arcata. There, she delighted the community with her amazing cooking, sharing the rich flavors of her heritage and bringing people together through her culinary talents.

Esther was not only an incredible cook but also a loving wife, sister, mother, and grandmother. One of her most cherished traditions was teaching her grandchildren how to make her delicious tortillas. Her warmth, wisdom, and support touched the lives of all who knew her. She had an innate ability to make everyone feel special, and her home was always welcoming, filled with laughter, love and delicious food.

Esther is preceded in death by her parents Octavio and Concepcion Solorio; husband Juan Rodriguez; grandson Jesse Rodriguez. She is survived by her children Ramon Rodriguez, Concepcion (Ron) Hernandez, Gustavo (Guadalupe) Rodriguez, Johnny (Sara) Rodriguez, Joaquin (Sheri) Rodriguez, Jose (Lea) Rodriguez; grandchildren Erica (Juan) Mendez, Monica Hernandez, Veronica Rodriguez, Anthony Rodriguez, Hunter Ocker, Ariana Rodriguez, Destiny Rodriguez, Natalie Rodriguez,Alex Rodriguez, Cecilia Rodriguez, Preslee Rodriguez, Cruz Rodriguez; great granddaughters Sophia Mendez and Jasmine Mendez.

She will be deeply missed by her family and friends, but her spirit will live on in the hearts of those she loved. Esther leaves behind a legacy of love, hard work, perseverance and devotion that will forever inspire her family and all who had the privilege of knowing her.

A rosary will be held October 11 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Goble’s Mortuary in Fortuna

Mass will be held October 12 at 11 a.m. at Sacred Heart in Eureka followed by burial at Sunset Memorial Cemetery in Eureka.

Reception to follow 1 p.m. at the Lost Coast Brewery Event room — 1600 Sunset Drive, Eureka

Rest in peace, dear Esther. You will always be in our hearts.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Esther Rodriguez’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

Jonah is a short story in the Bible consisting of four small chapters. If you’ve heard about this story, I’m sure you’ve known it to be about a guy and a whale, even inspiring Geppetto’s experience of Monstro, the enormous whale in Pinocchio’s story. It is often relegated to cartoonishly drawn nursery room walls in old Church buildings or into a beloved VeggieTale’s movie. But, as with most ancient stories, I believe this one has a lot to teach us beyond the familiar illustrations of a guy and a whale.

The story of Jonah starts with a prophet being called by God to go to Nineveh. While this might seem like no big deal, Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria and was known for skinning their enemy alive, flaying them in front of their sobbing families. They were known for making their enemy’s loved ones carry the decapitated heads of husbands and fathers on a pole, parading them around the destroyed city. More than likely, Jonah had literal friends or family members who’d been violently oppressed or murdered by the Assyrian army. This was not some simple ask.

God tells Jonah to preach against the great city of Nineveh. Most of us might assume the language of “against” would be a warning of terror with fire and brimstone raining destructively down on these evil peoples, but Jonah understands God’s heart better than most of us and assumes this message is one of undeserved compassionate mercy.

Jonah’s like, nope, and flees in the opposite direction on a boat.

A massive storm comes up and everyone on the boat thinks they’re going to die because someone must have done something wrong to make the gods this angry. After they discover it’s Jonah, Jonah jumps overboard. As he’s sinking under, he’s swallowed by a big fish. The story tells us he’s in this big fish for three days and prays to God, who has mercy on him, and the fish spits Jonah out on land. Jonah journeys toward Nineveh, where he says five words about God’s mercy. Everyone repents, and even the animals repent, and the people wear sackcloth. Jonah becomes furious with God’s mercy for these people, so he sits under a tree and asks to die.

And the story ends with God asking Jonah a question: “Should I not be concerned about these humans and animals?”

That’s it.

Four small chapters that we might easily assume is about a whale. This big fish is only mentioned twice in the first chapter, and yet it’s often the focal point in our imaginations. The whale is not even the point of the story! Unfortunately, I’ve found some church people make it the point of the story, creating some litmus test whether you believe in miracles or not. Like, if you don’t believe Jonah was swallowed by this whale, then you probably don’t believe Jesus was raised from the dead. The whole story, then, becomes about a whale. We do this a lot, don’t we? We tend to place our attention and focus on the parts of our life or the parts of our story that are not the point?

There are parts to our stories that feel insurmountable. Things we’ve been through that feel impossible, like being swallowed by a whale. I know you’ve been through some shit and you’ve survived or are surviving terrible things. But that’s not the whole story.

What if I focused all my attention on not being able to get pregnant and the deep sadness that infertility has caused? When we found out we would never have biological children, I was devastated. Infertility didn’t fit my plan for my life and it began to unravel any expectation for my future where I was angry and frustrated at God.

Infertility is forever part of my story, and while that’s sad, it’s not my whole story and it is certainly not what my story is about.

I am more than “Bethany and infertility,” just as this biblical story is more than Jonah and a whale. I think there’s a bigger story happening in our lives. When we get caught up on that one thing, we can miss the good stuff. Sometimes we don’t know what to do with such a compassionate God. We look towards the seemingly impossible parts of our lives and make them into the story. We take the big things—the things that aren’t meant to be overlooked but certainly not meant to be obsessed over—and we make them into a whale that is difficult to see past.

What whales in your story have you been focused on that have made it hard to see past? Infidelity? Divorce? Illness? Childhood trauma? Poverty? Bullying?

Friends, the whale is not the whole point of this story. The whale in your life that you’ve given so much attention to is not the whole point of your story. It’s in your story, but it’s not your full story. You are more than that whale. Your marriage is more than that whale. Your life and ministry and family and future are more than that whale.

And this story is so much more than Jonah and a whale.

It’s about a God who pursues Jonah, who pursues our enemies, who pursues you and me. It’s about a God who still chooses to work within the situations and contexts we find ourselves in or the ones we’ve made for ourselves. It’s about a God who never gives up and will always have a final word of compassion and grace in every person’s life.

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Bethany Cseh is a pastor at Arcata United Methodist Church and Catalyst Church. Follow her on Instagram.

I once heard a definition on a podcast that the stock market is a gauge of rich people’s feelings. Hyperbolic, but cute. 

My experience as a financial advisor has shown that the gauge of people’s feelings — be they rich or not — about the stock market’s performance is politics. 

I’ve been emailed to “SELL EVERYTHING” the night former President Trump stunned the  world and got elected, had others who refused to invest much in stocks because former President Obama was in office, and heard another regretfully admit that they moved entirely out of stocks under the current administration of President Biden. 

Historically, such predictive reactions, if translated into actual investment decisions, would not only have been inaccurate but also significantly hindered wealth accumulation. 

The stock market doesn’t care about your politics.  

Consider the following scenarios of investors with different political persuasions under the last three administrations: 

Let’s say in the midst of the financial crisis of 2008-2009 and right before Barack Obama’s election, you were 100% invested in the Dow Jones Industrial Average but pulled all of your  money out because you were convinced that his liberal policies would damage the stock  market. Over his two terms, you would have missed a total return of 149.4%.¹

On the other hand, if you were on the left or simply a Never-Trumper and had been 100% invested in the S&P 500 index, but concerned with his character and policies, you sold everything when Donald Trump was unexpectedly elected, you would have missed an  increase of 69.6% over the next four years.²

What if you had stopped investing in the S&P 500 upon Joe Biden’s inauguration because  you believed what Trump said during the 2020 debate that experts predicted the market  would crash if his opponent was elected? According to YCharts as of September 23rd, 2024, you would have missed a total return of 57.10%.³

Lest we be biased over the short term, let’s zoom out even farther. 

Your primary concern as an investor should not be the President’s political influence on the  stock market, but rather the power of compound interest over the long term. According to Bespoke Investment Group research, historical data shows that investing across  administrations—Eisenhower (R), Kennedy (D), Johnson (D), Nixon (R), Ford (R), Carter (D),  Reagan (R), H.W. Bush (R), Clinton (D), W. Bush (R), Obama (D), Trump (R), and Biden (D)— significantly outperformed investing under only one party.⁴

If you had invested $1,000 in the S&P 500 since Eisenhower’s inauguration only during  Republican presidencies, you’d have $27,400; while if you had done the same in the same time frame under Democratic presidencies, it would be worth $52,100. Before Democrats  start gloating over their Republican friends (different party participants can still be friends, right?), there’s a significant twist. 

If you had invested across all presidencies, the portfolio would be worth $1,430,000. 

This might be worth remembering as we all get caught up in the coming election fervor. I have no idea how the stock market will perform if Donald Trump or Kamala Harris wins in November, and it might be best to avoid financial advisors and pundits who claim they do. What I have observed, however, is that investing in American companies through both ups  and downs has far exceeded partisan investing. 

By about a million dollars, in fact. 

– 

Sources: 

1. Date from Investopedia, “Where Was the Dow Jones When Obama Took Office?” published July 16, 2023.  
2. Data from Investopedia, “President’s and their Impact on the Stock Market” updated  September 16, 2024. 
3. Data via YCharts on September 23rd, 2024. 
4. See chart from @bespokeinvest X account posted September 6, 2023. The rest of  the data in the article comes from there. 

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Brandon Stockman has been a Wealth Advisor licensed with the Series 7 and 66 since the  Great Financial Crisis of 2008. He has the privilege of helping manage accounts throughout  the United States and works in the Fortuna, CA office of Johnson Wealth Management which manages over $100,000,000 of assets under management. You can sign up for his  weekly newsletter on investing and financial education or subscribe to his YouTube channel. Securities and advisory services offered through Prospera Financial Services, Inc. | Member FINRA, SIPC. This should not be considered tax, legal, or investment advice. Past  performance is no guarantee of future results.

In late August, Russian Riverkeeper and the California Coastkeeper Alliance got what looks like a very significant ruling in their challenge to Sonoma County’s well permitting ordinance. The groups say that by allowing excessive and unmonitored groundwater extraction, the County is failing to protect surface flows in creeks and rivers that fish, wildlife, and recreation need. The court agreed, holding that under the Public Trust doctrine, Sonoma County has “an affirmative duty to take the public trust into account in the planning and allocation of water resources, and to protect public trust uses whenever feasible,” but that the County failed to do so, overlooking impacts on the public trust, including cumulative effects.

In this episode of the EcoNews Report, Friends of the Eel River Conservation Director Scott Greacen and EPIC Executive Director Tom Wheeler talk to three people deeply involved in these questions.

• Rue Furch is a former Sonoma County planning commissioner and veteran Russian River advocate.
• Don McEnhill is the Executive Director of Russian Riverkeeper.
• Drev Hunt is the Legal Director for California Coastkeeper, and one of the attorneys on the case, with Jaime Neary of Russian Riverkeeper, Daniel Cooper of Sycamore Law, and Amy Minteer and Michelle Black of Carstens, Black and Minteer LLP.

Further reading:

• California Coastkeeper Alliance 
• Russian Riverkeeper 
• Carstens, Black and Minteer 
• Sycamore Law 
• RussianRiverkeeper v Sonoma County Ruling (PDF link) 
• Press-Democrat editorial: Time to revisit county groundwater rules: Groundwater isn’t an unlimited resource, but it’s often treated that way 
• LA Times story 
• Friends of the Eel River Public Trust Litigation 

Editor’s Introduction (From the Humboldt Historian)

Ambassador Katsuji Debuchi is at left. Photos via the Humboldt Historian.

At the beginning of May 1930, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States, Katsuji Debuchi, together with his wife, set out on their first tour of our country since Debuchi had taken up his post in Washington, D.C. two years previously. The couple traveled by train from D.C. to Los Angeles. From Los Angeles, they would continue north up the coast to Vancouver, B.C., with stops in San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, to visit the significant Japanese communities in each of these cities.

Of course, good will celebrations were planned for them in each city. In Los Angeles on May 6, 7, and 8, the ambassador and his wife were feted by the Chamber of Commerce and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce, and while in San Francisco on May 11 through 14, Debuchi officiated at ground breaking ceremonies for the Japanese YMCA building to be erected on Buchanan Street, for which he had assisted in raising part of the funds contributed by Japan. The couple had made other stops on their way up the coast, too: they played golf at Pebble Beach and visited Stanford University. After leaving San Francisco on May 14, the Debuchis were no doubt looking forward to additional sightseeing stops as they drove through the redwoods. According to writings left by William McClure of Redway, however, the welcomes that the couple had enjoyed thus far did not await them when they entered Humboldt County. They encountered something else entirely.

Here is William McClure’s account, introduced by his daughter, Ruth McClure.

My Father, William McClure, and the Japanese Ambassador

A treasure left by my father, William McClure, are his writings about his memories of Humboldt County during his early years. William was an infant when his family came to Eureka in 1911. His father operated an optical shop at 417 G Street, but the family spent their summers at their family cabin in Redway. After graduating from Eureka High in 1928, William attended Stanford University, graduating in engineering. He worked for one year on the Sweasey Dam and pipeline, then was recruited to the airline industry by United Operations, and was ultimately appointed Station Manager at Bellingham, Washington just after December 7, 1941. In 1951 he brought his family back to Humboldt, to the family home in Redway, the place of his strongest childhood memories. Both he and his wife, Elenor, loved music and they spent the next decade and a half teaching music to children in logging families.

In his later years my father wrote his memoirs. In one of these writings, he recounts an incident in Garberville involving the Japanese ambassador as he was traveling through Humboldt County in 1930.

The following is my father’s personal account of what he witnessed. He was twenty years old. It was something which troubled him all his life, and he wrote this narrative to the Redwood Record newspaper in 1982, asking for their help in finding an article he’d seen in a magazine following WWII, which stated that the Garberville incident he had witnessed as a young man was in fact one of the reasons recorded by the Japanese government for wanting to declare war on the United States.

The Narrative of William McClure, Written in 1982

The following is a story I have been going to do for about thirty-five years, about an incident that happened in Garberville.

As far as I know, no one else in the Garberville area saw the incident, and I was just standing by watching. It will be all from my memory going back about 56 years.

About the summer of 1926 — it could have been 1925 or 1927 [May 1930] — I had walked from my home in Redway to Garberville. I had gone up to the bridge and sat down to loaf. No one else was around.

Suddenly about six or seven cars came up from the direction of Eureka — the bridge was on the old highway from Eureka to San Francisco. They parked their cars to block any traffic. The men got out — about fifteen to twenty of them. They were armed with clubs, ball bats, axe handles, and guns. They stood around on the south side of the bridge waiting.

After awhile about five or six cars led by a big limousine of those days, which was a Pierce-Arrow, came from the south toward the bridge. The Eureka men stopped the northbound cars in no uncertain terms — just like a lumber camp brawl of those days. The occupants were forced to get out.

One was the Japanese Ambassador to Washington, D.C.

Now, as far as the Eureka delegation was concerned an ambassador was not any better than any other person from the Orient. Using the racial slurs of the time, they ordered him to go back. Now in this delegation with the ambassador were some American officials — I believe from the State Department in Washington. They took over the argument with the Humboldt bunch.

They gave an argument the gist of which was something like this: Washington would raise hell about this.

The end result was that the ambassador and delegation would be allowed to proceed to Portland only if the ambassador and other Japanese would not get out of the cars to eat or even to use a bathroom until they got to Del Norte County, which was at least ten to twelve hours away in those days. In fact, it took at least four and a half hours to get to Eureka. What happened en route, I do not know. I am sure no one else in Garberville saw this. I was the only one.

During the war years and for about five years afterward, I was station manager for United Airlines in Bellingham, Washington. One day a man came into my office and put a magazine in front of me and opened it to a page that was titled something like Six Reasons Why Japan Declared War on the United States. He asked, “Aren’t you from Garberville?”

Later in the day when I was not busy I read the article. When General MacArthur’s occupation men took over some or all of the files of the various government agencies they found a paper or document listing the reasons why Japan declared war on the United States. There were six or seven of them, some of which I have forgotten. But I do remember some:

• USA was spreading economic influence into Japanese area.
• USA was spreading cultural influence into Japanese area.
• USA was spreading military might into Japanese areas including Pearl Harbor, Midway Island, Wake Island, Guam, Philippines, etc.
• An incident in Garberville, California — gave date — where the Japanese Ambassador and other Japanese officials had been stopped and insulted by a bunch of American hoodlums.

As I read the last reason my memory flashed back to the scene I had witnessed. The man picked up his magazine later that day. I was going to buy a copy in town. When I got around to it a few days later, the issue had been sold out.

— William McClure, 1982

A Daughter’s Unfinished Quest

Further writings from my father indicate that years later he searched as well as he was able for the magazine with the article mentioning the Garberville incident as a reason Japan declared war on the United States, but he was not able to find it. He writes:

William McClure’s Eureka High School graduation picture, 1928.

I hope some person interested can pursue this matter by researching magazines in the library system. I do not believe the item was in the Saturday Evening Post, but it is in some magazine. Someone get the proof. I hope this is added to the historical facts of Humboldt County.

I have searched for this article. Visiting several university libraries, I have looked in Liberty Magazine, Life, Time, Newsweek and the Saturday Evening Post. I have contacted the MacArthur Memorial Research Center, Hoover Institute, Japanese American Citizen League, Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco, the National Archives in D.C., the California State Library and have looked in several books about WWII, including those written by Gordon Prange, an authority on the war in the Pacific. I also have been unable to locate the article.

I did find references in two books to the incident my father witnessed in Garberville, in which the Japanese ambassador and his entourage were threatened by locals. The books are: California, Where the Twain Did Meet, by Anne Loftus, Macmillan, 1973, pages 177-178; and The Seven States of California, A Natural and Human History, by Philip L. Fradkin, University of California Press, 1995, page 184.

I would love to be able to locate the magazine article my father saw. This find would be a positive element to add to my father’s writings, and would be the final chapter of this story.

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The story above is from the Winter 2013 issue of the Humboldt Historian, a journal of the Humboldt County Historical Society. It is reprinted here with permission. The Humboldt County Historical Society is a nonprofit organization devoted to archiving, preserving and sharing Humboldt County’s rich history. You can become a member and receive a year’s worth of new issues of The Humboldt Historian at this link.

Having heard, perhaps erroneously, of a plan to hold a pro-Palestinian event in Arcata on October 7, I am writing to urge the organizers not to do so unless they intend the event to be an expression of sorrow for all the lives destroyed by intolerance in the region through the decades. Anything else would be a grave disservice to the Palestinian people.

Many of us agree that Palestinians of all kinds and Arabs more generally have been and continue to be the targets of racial-ethnic bias by European, U.S., and Israeli power-mongers and bigots. We also see the moral failures of our own government. However, those who designate themselves pro-Palestinian lose the moral high ground and trample on the bedrock idea of reverence of life when they limit those they grieve for to one “side.”

Do not confuse Hamas with the Palestinian people. That’s what the anti-Arab bigots do. Do not cold-heartedly deny the suffering of those killed or taken hostage on that day last year. That stance is no different from the worst pro-Netanyahu thugs. Please be a beacon of honorable action based on a reverence for all lives and, in that way, attract other good-hearted people to your cause.

Rev. Molly Cate
Unity of the Redwoods