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Big changes are coming to the old Brainard Mill Site. This week, Sequoia Forest Products LLC — which is in the process of buying the site from the California Redwood Company — got the green light from the California Coastal Commission to revamp the 78-acre property, located along the eastern shoreline of Humboldt Bay across Highway 101 from Mid-City Motor World, to make way for industrial development and manufacturing.

The project proposal includes demolition and removal of 16 industrial buildings, as well as several improvements to the existing lumber mill “for continued use in lumber production as an ultra-high fiber recovery sawmill producing redwood fence boards,” according to the staff report. “Internal modifications are planned within Building FF to support use of the site, including remodeling of a restroom, and the installation of a lunch/break room, a programmable logic control (PLC) room, and small office spaces. These improvements require no additional foundation work or expansion of the building envelope.”

The project will not interfere with the construction of the Humboldt Bay Trail South, which will connect the gap between the Eureka Waterfront Trail and the southern end of Humboldt Bay Trail North, near the Bracut Industrial Park. One of the conditions attached to the application – Special Condition 9 – stipulates that the Coastal Development Permit for the project will “not waive any public rights or interest that exist or may exist on the property or on adjacent public access trails and public waters.”

The Coastal Commission reviewed the Coastal Development Permit application during Wednesday’s meeting, held in the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors Chambers in Eureka.

Before closing out the brief discussion, Commissioner and Humboldt County Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson said he looked forward to seeing the improvements at the new mill site. 

“I think there’s some great mural opportunities there,” he added. “Looking forward to the new owner maybe considering that for the future.”

The item was moved to the commission’s consent calendar at the beginning of the meeting and was approved with conditions in a unanimous vote.

Ongoing Closure of Van Wycke Trail

The commission also considered an appeal to a four-year-old decision by the City of Trinidad to temporarily close a 165-foot-long segment of the Van Wycke Trail. The city implemented the six-month closure in January 2019 after reviewing the findings of a risk management assessment report prepared by the city’s insurance provider that found increased erosion had led to unsafe conditions along the trail. Nearly five years later, the trail is still closed to the public.

Speaking during Wednesday’s meeting, the appellant, Trinidad resident Kimberly Tays, criticized the city for failing to fix the trail in a timely manner. “We want the trail repaired and reopened so we can continue to enjoy the trail without worries of being harassed, which is what has happened in the past with property owners coming out and chasing people off the trail,” she said.

To avoid the closed section, trail users must deviate from the path and walk along Edwards Street, which, Tays said, can be extremely dangerous for pedestrians.

“Who wants to give up the beautiful coastal trail for a busy road?” she asked. “We have to worry about getting hit and injured – or even killed – by a speeding or distracted driver. … Many of the vehicles on Edwards [Street] are oversized trucks. Studies have shown that pedestrians are more likely to die if struck by a truck.”

Local attorney Bryce Kenny added that the City of Trinidad “has already abused the concept of a temporary closure for over four years.”

“Over four years! That’s not a temporary closure,” he said. “I’m afraid that if the appeal’s not given a hearing, it will be another four years, another temporary closure, and pretty soon nobody [will] even remember there was a trail there.”

Trinidad City Manager Eli Naffah explained that the city tried to find a way to reopen the trail immediately following its closure but was unable to come to a consensus with community members. 

“We were able to secure a $700,000-plus grant [from Caltrans] for what was called the ‘Van Wycke [Bicycle and Pedestrian Connectivity] Project’ that … would have made Van Wycke accessible to pedestrians and bicyclists by doing a retaining wall, and then also would have made improvements on Edwards [Street],” Naffah said. “In January 2020, at a council meeting to address this issue, a number of people came and spoke against the project … and a number of them were from either the Tsurai Ancestral Society or from the Yurok Tribe. … They said that they didn’t want the retaining wall because it would be on, I guess, sacred ground.”

The Trinidad City Council agreed to explore alternatives to the retaining wall, Naffah said, but wasn’t able to come to a consensus. Eventually, the city decided to return the grant funds to Caltrans.

Shana Gray, deputy director of statewide planning for the commission, acknowledged the complexity of the issue but spoke in support of staff’s recommendation to find “no substantial issue” and deny the appeal.

“To either open the trail or to formally close the trail [the City of Trinidad] need[s] to come back with an actual permanent action or inaction, something,” she said. “This really is just for the six months from today. … We are recommending no substantial issue in this case.”

Gray added that Edwards Street “is not a comparable alternative” to the Van Wycke Trail. “I don’t want anyone to walk away thinking that’s what we’re saying,” she said

After a bit of additional discussion, Commissioner Roberto Uranga made a motion to approve staff’s recommendation, which was seconded by Commissioner Wilson. The motion passed unanimously.

Last Chance Grade Project Update

The commission also received a brief update on the Last Chance Grade Project in Del Norte County. If everything goes according to plan in the next couple of weeks, Caltrans will be able to open both lanes of Highway 101 at Last Chance Grade, between Klamath and Crescent City, for the first time in nine years.

“While we take a pause on the short-term job, the long-term project continues,” Last Chance Grade Project Manager Jaime Matteoli told commissioners.

Caltrans has sought a permanent fix for Last Chance Grade for years. In recent years, Caltrans has whittled its ideas down to two alternatives: an inland tunnel bypass (Alternative F) and end-to-end re-engineering of the highway (Alternative X).

“Based on criteria that our stakeholders gave us in 2021, we were able to reduce those [options] to focus on the alternatives that were performing the best and using our resources the best way we could. Both those alternatives improve access for cyclists and pedestrians,” Matteoli said. “Next year, we will select the preferred alternative and we begin coordinating with all of the permitting agencies, including Coastal Commission. We expect to apply for a coastal development permit early in the design phase, which would begin in 2026.”

The commission agreed to accept the report but did not take further action on the item.

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Some lucky person who was recently in Fortuna — maybe a resident, maybe not! — woke up today a whole lot richer.

We don’t know this freshly minted millionaire’s identity, but the winning ticket from last night’s SuperLotto Plus drawing, worth a whopping $15 million, was sold at the Shell gas station on Riverwalk Drive, according to the official California Lottery website. 

Winner winner!

The lucky winner managed to match all five regular numbers, which was good enough to win $32,147, but they also matched the elusive Mega number, making that little strip of paper worth enough to buy the world’s most expensive Formula 1 race car, a Ferrari F2003. 

Which brings us to the owners of this particular gas station. Per the rules of the California Lottery, the owner of the Riverwalk Shell station is eligible for a bonus of 0.5 percent of the jackpot winnings, which, in this case, comes out to $75,000. 

The Riverwalk Shell is owned by Humboldt Petroleum, which is a subsidiary of the Andretti Group, owned by auto-racing legends Mario and Michael Andretti.

Congratulations go out to the Andretti brothers duo [father and son, oops] for their latest windfall.

Meanwhile, an email from a friendly PR person this morning reminds us to mention that the sole purpose of the California Lottery is to raise supplemental funding for public education.

“This includes more than $142 million for schools in Humboldt County since 1985 and nearly $5 million” in the 2022-23 fiscal year, the email notes.

If you are the lucky winning-ticket holder and would like to get tell us about your plans, shoot us an email! news@lostcoastoutpost.com. We promise not to ask for a loan.

UPDATE, 2:40 p.m.: City of Eureka planning staff lets us know that the original designs for two of the projects, which we published this morning, have since been changed, due to feedback from both funders and city advisory committees.

The new, far more boring designs — the buildings we will actually get — are below. We’ll leave the originals in the text of the article below to remind ourselves of what could have been.

But here’s the new Sixth and M:

And here’s the new Eighth and G:

What a world.

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ORIGINAL POST:

Note: Two of the projects covered in this grant — the ones at Sixth and M and Eighth and G — are specifically included in the list of projects that the “Housing for All” initiative, sponsored by Rob Arkley’s Security National company, seeks to stop.

Press release from the City of Eureka:

On August 30, 2023 the California Strategic Growth Council awarded $30.1 million to the City of Eureka and Linc Housing to support the construction of 90 homes in three affordable housing communities at 8th and G Streets, 6th and M Streets, and Myrtle and Sunny Avenues, called the Eureka Scattered Site Project. The City and Linc Housing have been working together on the project since the Eureka City Council approved Linc Housing’s proposal in October 2020, after a Request for Proposals (RFP) process was completed with the aim of building affordable housing on City-owned parking lots as required by the City’s 2019-2027 Housing Element to meet State housing requirements. The AHSC funding will be used to leverage other funding in the coming months to complete the project.

The grant includes funding for amenities at each housing site including short- and long-term bicycle parking, service offices, community rooms, laundry facilities, and playgrounds, as well as 3 years of no-cost transit passes and five years of no-cost broadband internet for resident households. The grant also provides over $9.2 million in funding to the City and Humboldt Transit Authority for significant public transportation, infrastructure and active transportation (bicycle and pedestrian) improvements, as well as approximately $750,000 in funding for impactful programs, including a workforce development program with Westside Community Improvement Association, a transportation safety/encouragement program with Redwood Community Action Agency, and homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing programs with Uplift Eureka.

Community input was essential in shaping the AHSC application, which was submitted on April 4, 2023. From attending meetings, to submitting survey responses and offering letters of support, the AHSC grant would not be possible without the community’s input! Below is the final AHSC application scope in written form. You can view the Project Area Map displaying the various improvements at this link.

The AHSC grant is administered by the California Strategic Growth Council in partnership with the California Department of Housing and Community Development, and funded from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, an account established to receive Cap-and-Trade auction proceeds. The AHSC Program aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by funding compact, affordable, infill housing, in conjunction with sustainable transportation improvements. This is the second time Linc applied for AHSC; the project narrowly missed out on funding during the previous 2021-2022 grant cycle.

This funding will provide the following benefits for all of our community along with a momentous economic boost to our economy:

• Partial construction costs for three affordable housing communities - $20,154,639
• Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure (“STI”) - Pedestrian and Bicycle Amenities - $2,974,042
• Public Transportation Amenities - $4,705,410
• Transportation-Related Amenities (“TRA”) - Bus Stop and Intersection Improvements - $1,575,750
• Programs - $756,600

PREVIOUSLY:

• Local Group Announces Intent to Stop the City of Eureka’s Conversion of Downtown Parking Lots Into Housing With New Ballot Measure
• Group Circulating Eureka Housing Petition Says the Wiyot Tribe’s Projects Are OK, Clarifies That Parking Lot Conversions Will Be Allowed So Long as Developers Build Even More Parking Than Before
• Open Letter Urging Eureka Voters Not to Sign the ‘Housing For All’ Petition Endorsed by 100+ Humboldt County Residents, Including Local Leaders in Politics, Business and Culture
• GUEST OPINION: Like Eureka, McKinleyville Also Has an Excess of Parking Spaces That Could Be Housing
• Former Eureka Mayors Come Out in Support of Pro-Parking Initiative
• Eureka Council Requests Informational Report on ‘Housing for All’ Initiative to Clear Up Confusion for Voters, Discusses Guidelines for ADUs, and More
• Backers of Eureka’s Pro-Parking ‘Housing for All’ Initiative Say They’ve Gathered and Submitted Enough Signatures to Get It On the Ballot

Sequoia Park Zoo release: 

We are sad to announce the passing of Joy, the American Guinea Hog.

At 15 years old, Joy was considered quite elderly for her breed and unfortunately in her older years had developed an inoperable mass that animal care staff along with our vets had been monitoring.

Ultimately, as her health declined due to the mass, the decision was made to humanely euthanize. She was surrounded by animal care staff who scratched her belly (a favorite spot of hers) as she went to sleep.

Pigs often have big personalities and Joy definitely knew how to sweet talk, or sass talk, her way around the barnyard - she will be missed.

California is eliminating its popular electric car rebate program — which often runs out of money and has long waiting lists — to focus on providing subsidies only to lower-income car buyers.

The Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, in existence since 2010, will end when it runs out of money this year. In its place, the state will expand a program next year that provides subsidies only to low-to-middle income residents — those who have more trouble affording electric cars.

The income limits will be much more restrictive. Californians who earn more than 300% of the federal poverty level will no longer qualify for a state subsidy when they purchase an electric car, according to the California Air Resources Board. Currently, that level is $43,740 for an individual and $90,000 for a family of four, with sliding scales for household size.

In comparison, under the existing program that is being eliminated, individuals earning up to $135,000 and joint filers earning up to $200,000 qualified. The rebates for battery-powered cars varied from $7,500 for lower-income households to $2,000 for higher incomes.

“The goal here is not to eliminate options for one group of motorists at the expense of another, but to assist those who’ve been unable to purchase a cleaner vehicle.”
— David Clegern, California Air Resources Board

Experts say the old program has been a key driver for helping Californians transition to electric cars. But now that the vehicles have become mainstream, the state will shift the emphasis to helping people who can’t afford their high price tags.

“The goal here is not to eliminate options for one group of motorists at the expense of another, but to assist those who’ve been unable to purchase a cleaner vehicle and to broaden and deepen the state’s ZEV (zero-emission vehicle) fleet. We need everyone possible to afford a ZEV, and this has been part of the plan to do that for a number of years,” said air board spokesman David Clegern.

The program called Clean Cars 4 All will be expanded statewide next year; it currently is available only in the five largest air districts. The revamped program will give people statewide who meet the income requirements up to $12,000 to scrap and replace their older gas-powered cars with cleaner alternatives. Those not getting rid of an older car can qualify for up to $7,500 in purchase grants.

Car buyers also may qualify for a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 for some vehicles, with income restrictions of $150,000 for individuals and $300,000 for married couples filing jointly.

Bill Magavern, policy director of the Coalition for Clean Air, a Los Angeles-based advocacy group, said the state will “democratize clean transportation” with its more targeted subsidies.

“It is time for (the state rebate) to go away,” Magavern said. “When EVs were considered to be exotic and strange and out of reach for most people, it was important to have this broad-based rebate. But now EVs have gone mainstream.”

But some car dealers worry that ending the rebate for middle-to–higher income Californians might discourage people from buying the cars.

Jessie Dosanjh, president of the California Automotive Retailing Group, a network of dealerships in the San Francisco Bay Area where about 20% of sales are electric vehicles, said the cars are still relatively expensive compared to other options.

Still, he said he understands why the state is shifting its focus to low-to-middle-income consumers.

“As we’re moving into more mass adoption, I think it’s critical to have that income-based structure, because it opens up the market to some people who might be on the fringe, and not be able to afford it due to income limitations,” Dosanjh said.

The average price of an electric car was $53,469 in July, about 18% lower than a year earlier. The industry average for all 2023 cars in July was about $48,300.

“When EVs were considered to be exotic and strange and out of reach for most people, it was important to have this broad-based rebate. But now EVs have gone mainstream.”
— Bill Magavern, the Coalition for Clean Air

The Clean Vehicle Rebate Project has issued half a million rebates worth $1.2 billion. And the program remains wildly popular, hitting a record 14,000 applications in July, the air board said.

Now its website announces: “Funds for CVRP are nearly exhausted. Applications received on or after September 6, 2023, will be placed on a standby list and are not guaranteed a rebate.”

“While it is disappointing to see the most successful incentive program in history end, the march toward eliminating traditional (rebates) and directing the very limited funding to equity programs has been clear for several years now,” said Steve Douglas, a vice president at the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an auto industry group.

The goal: Making electric cars affordable for everyone

California is trying to electrify its 25 million cars, clean up its severe air pollution and reduce the state’s reliance on fossil fuels. To do so, the state is mandating that 35% of new 2026 car models sold in California must be zero-emissions, climbing to 68% in 2030 and 100% in 2035.

For the mandate to succeed, the government has to ensure that people throughout the state, in all income levels, can afford electric cars.

But a CalMatters’ statewide analysis of ZIP codes earlier this year showed extreme disparities in electric car ownership. Communities with mostly white and Asian high-income residents have the state’s highest concentrations of zero-emission cars. In stark contrast, California ZIP codes with the largest percentages of Latino and Black residents have extremely low proportions of electric cars — many with no electric cars at all.

Income seems to be the main driver of the disparities, according to CalMatters’ analysis. Most median household incomes in the top 10 ZIP codes for electric cars exceeded $200,000, much higher than the statewide $84,097.

Dosanjh, from the Bay Area car dealership group, said early adopters were often higher-earning people who worked in the technology industry, or at least technology enthusiasts. But these days he said he sees more people buying electric cars to replace their gas-powered vehicles, rather than having them as novelty and luxury items.

More than 1.6 million zero emission vehicles have been sold in California; one out of four cars sold during the second quarter of this year were zero emissions.

Erich Muehlegger, a professor of economics at UC Davis, said the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project has been “the main workhorse to encourage people to buy zero-emissions vehicles.”

But the rebate program has been subject to inconsistent and inadequate funding, according to CalMatters reporting. Last year the program was flooded with requests for the money, resulting in long waits.

In addition, the various state programs were confusing to Californians. Now they can apply in one place.

“Closing out the (rebate) program has been the plan for some time, and in 2015 the decision was made that when ZEVs reached 16% of new vehicle sales would be the point where that would happen. We let it run longer (25%) just to ensure we had a healthy market,” Clegern said.

“The state concluded that shifting financing to Californians who may have been left out of the ZEV market because of their income is the right thing to do and also deepens the market,” he said.

The program that will be expanded, Clean Cars 4 All, has assisted low-to-middle-income households as well as families who live in what areas designated as “disadvantaged communities,” with low socioeconomic status as well as environmental risks.

The new program will be rolled out with a revamped financing assistance program for buyers.

The money comes from the state’s greenhouse gas reduction fund, which raises money by selling carbon allowances to pollution-emitting businesses, as well as money from the state’s budget.

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

David Allen Fisch
Oct. 20, 1963 – Sept. 5, 2023

David Allen Fisch — known by friends and family as Dave, Papa and Big Fisch — passed away surrounded by his loving family after a short and sudden battle with cancer. Dave left an impact on everyone he met and will leave a large hole in many hearts. He is well known for his involvement in the community including his advocacy and efforts towards water accessibility for all, volunteering with the Innovate program, serving on the Hydesville School Board, and generally encouraging all young people and entrepreneurs he met to work hard to attain their goals.

Dave was always ambitious and did everything to the extreme. He never backed down from a challenge and took on every role thrown his way. Dave was not only a business owner, but a pilot, a weekend chef at his restaurant, a pioneer in the Geoprobe industry, a softball coach, a soccer coach, a dream home builder, a Civil Air Patrol volunteer, a mentor, a Board member, a community leader, and a geo-proctologist (water well driller). His personality was larger than life and matched only by his tall and comforting stature and always loving heart.

Dave found and married the love of his life, Chris in 1986 and recently celebrated thirty-seven (37) years of marriage. They lived and traveled all over the Country making friends and memories along the way. Dave and Chris enjoyed seeing the world and having new adventures. They had recently purchased a motor home to travel with their best friends, Susan and Leonard Neuman. They had trips scheduled for Puerto Rico in January and Hawaii in February. Dave was never still and always looking for the next fun memory making trip.

Dave is survived by his wife, Chris, father John Fisch (Michaelle), stepdad Jimmie Newberry, mother-in-law Judith Kochheiser, children David J. Fisch (Carmen), Melissa Shifflett (Ryan), Anastacia “Staci” Neuman (Andrew), grandchildren Azucena, Logan, Kendra, Daniela, Brice, and Arlo, his lifelong friend, Richard Bertolino, and estranged yet always loved children Christopher and Christine Fisch. He is preceded in death by his mother, Patricia Newberry, and grandson Gunnar Neuman.

To honor Dave’s wishes, no formal services will be held. The Fisch family would ask that in lieu of casseroles, anyone who knew Dave please share their favorite “Fisch” stories and photos so that we can create a memory book of his impact and legacy. Stories and photos can be emailed to office@fischdrilling.com.

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

Ilene Theresa Capoeman Colegrove
March 22, 1950 – August 31, 2023

Ilene Colegrove was an enrolled member of the Quinault Indian Nation, as well as a Tribal Elder. She was born on March 22, 1950, in Aberdeen, Washington to Stanley Capoeman Sr., and Jacqueline Jean (Simmons) Capoeman.

Ilene was a quiet, sweet, humble, creative, and hard-working lady. She grew up along the Quinault River in Washington state and attended Taholah Grade School and Moclips High School.

Ilene was the eldest of ten children. She took on the role of caring for her younger siblings when she was 10 years of age with the passing of her mother, and 6 years later after a tragic drowning accident and the loss of her father and young sister, Ilene fought, to no avail, to keep her siblings together. Unable to keep her siblings together, she moved to California.

Ilene married Lionel Colegrove in August of 1967, and they were near celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary when he passed in 2017. Together they were an enormous influence in young people’s lives. Lonnie was a Ceremonial Dance Leader of the Me Dil Din Village and worked diligently to bring back the ceremonial brush dance to that village in the 1970s, Ilene worked right beside Lonnie and was for years the sole head cook for the dance camp which is no easy feat even with a host of helpers. Ilene was Lionel’s right-hand person in everything he accomplished. He coached girls’ softball, taught young males to play sticks, and mentored nephews, all whom they both had special bonds with. Ilene set a prime example for young people to follow with her kind and gentle demeanor. Ilene wove Hoopa style baskets, made crocheted caps and Christmas ornaments, created beautiful beadwork, and hand-tool stamped flowers and designs onto leather belts. Ilene favored listening to music by Little Big Town and other artists, and especially liked the song “Girl Crush.” She loved a good cup of tea and made the best candied apples and popcorn balls for Halloween. She had a special little furry companion, a dog named Allie.

She was preceded in death by her husband Lionel Colegrove, mother Jacqueline, father Stanley Capoeman Sr, sister Freda Lynn Capoeman, brother Stanley Capoeman Jr, and stepmother Leah Crossguns, maternal grandmother Theresa Underwood Capoeman, maternal grandfather Joseph Capoeman, paternal grandmother Edna Lane Ebling, and paternal grandfather Jack John Simmons.

Ilene is survived by her sisters; Helen Jones (Dallan), Henrietta Sharp, Stephanie Capoeman, and Mabel Running Fisher (James). Stepbrothers; Douglas “Muncie” Osborne, Ramone Osborne, and stepsister; Iralene Osborne. Numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles, and other family members.

There will be a viewing 1-4 p.m., Thursday, September 7, 2023, Paul’s Chapel, Arcata, before Ilene’s final journey to her homelands.

There will be a candlelight service 7-8 p.m., Tuesday, September 12, and funeral service at 10 a.m., Wednesday, September 13 at Coleman’s Chapel, Hoquiam, Wash.. Graveside will be at Sunset Memorial, Hoquiam, Wash., and a dinner shortly following at the Taholah Community Center, Taholah, Wash.

Arrangements are by Paul’s Chapel, Arcata, and Coleman Mortuary, Hoquiam.

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