Local Environmental Groups Celebrate Harbor District Resolution Commiting to ‘Green Terminal’ for Offshore Wind
LoCO Staff / Friday, Jan. 12, 2024 @ 10:20 a.m. / Local Government
Image adapted from the Harbor District’s preliminary overview of Humboldt Bay, including general project site, federal navigation channel, candidate sites for wet Storage, and coastal dependent lands.
###
Joint press release from the Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC), Humboldt Waterkeeper and the Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities:
EUREKA, Calif. — On January 11th, 2024 the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District committed to developing a green terminal strategy for the new offshorevwind terminal. This is a significant win for the climate and Humboldt Bay.
Traditional port operations rely heavily on diesel fuel, a known contributor to the climate crisis which pollutes the air and ruins the quality of life in port communities. A green terminal would use electricity instead of diesel wherever possible by purchasing state of the art electric equipment, constructing on-site solar panels, and providing shore power for vessels that would otherwise need to run their engines while docked.
Local environmental advocacy organizations have advocated for a green terminal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants associated with offshore wind turbine assembly in Humboldt Bay. This would protect workers, local communities, and the planet.
“Green terminal development not only means fewer greenhouse gas emissions while building our renewable energy future. It also means quieter port operations for neighbors and a healthier work environment for terminal employees,” said Matthew Simmons, an attorney with the Environmental Protection Information Center.
“Electrifying the offshore wind terminal is critical to protecting our air and water quality,” said Jennifer Kalt, Executive Director of Humboldt Waterkeeper. “Since the pulp mills closed, we have some of the cleanest air in the country, and we’re thrilled that the Harbor District agrees we need to keep it that way.”
At the meeting, the Harbor District passed a resolution committing to a “green terminal” and directed staff to develop a green terminal strategy and roadmap no later than March 2025. This will include appointing an advisory committee from members of the public to help guide the development of the strategy and roadmap. The environmental community applauds the Commissioners for embracing the green energy future and encourages the public to participate in this opportunity.
BOOKED
Today: 3 felonies, 10 misdemeanors, 0 infractions
JUDGED
Humboldt County Superior Court Calendar: Today
CHP REPORTS
No current incidents
ELSEWHERE
Governor’s Office: And the Emmy goes to….California!
NCJ: Last Boarding Call for Avelo in December
Governor’s Office: Governor Newsom announces new public outreach campaign with LA Rises and launch of new AI permitting tool
RHBB: Butler Fire Expands to 8,156 Acres with No Containment; Red Fire Nears Full Control
With Tighter Budgets, Police Seek Less Time in Court
Ryan Sabalow / Friday, Jan. 12, 2024 @ 8:12 a.m. / Sacramento
Redding Police Chief Brian Barner has long thought it was odd that community service officers are allowed to interview witnesses to crimes, but state law prohibits them from testifying about what they were told.
Instead, gun-carrying officers with arrest powers, he said, have to get pulled off their beats to reinterview each witness and then go to court to recount what the witnesses said.
“It just takes that officer off the street and from doing proactive enforcement and responding to emergency calls,” Barner said in an interview with CalMatters.
So last year Barner and his colleagues around the state turned to Barner’s state senator, Republican Brian Dahle, who challenged Gov. Gavin Newsom in the 2021 recall election, running on a platform that included slamming Newsom on crime.
Barner asked Dahle to ease the burden on the state’s shrinking police forces by allowing community service officers — uniformed police department civilian employees who don’t have arrest powers — to testify at preliminary hearings.
On Tuesday, the Senate’s Public Safety Committee grudgingly passed Dahle’s second attempt at a bill, over opposition from the ACLU, police-reform advocates and criminal defense attorneys. The opponents expressed fears that it would lead to shoddy testimony used to keep innocent people behind bars.
“We’ve gotten it wrong way too many times,” said Ignacio Hernandez, a lobbyist for California Attorneys for Criminal Justice. “This bill moves us in the wrong direction.”
Bill would change ballot initiative
Dahle’s bill, SB 804, would amend Proposition 115, the “Crime Victims Justice Reform Act, passed by voters in 1990. The proposition included a provision that allows for changes with a two-thirds vote of both the Senate and the Assembly, according to a legislative analysis.
Among other things, the proposition allowed sworn police officers to testify about witness statements in preliminary hearings. Previously, witnesses were required to appear in court for preliminary hearings because police testimony about their statements was considered non-admissible “hearsay.”
“Prelims,” as they’re often called, are mini trials in felony cases at which authorities present evidence to a judge who decides whether to move ahead with a full trial. Witnesses or victims are still required to testify in a trial.
Supporters of the proposition wanted to speed up the pre-trial process and prevent victims and witnesses from having to show up multiple times to court. Now, proponents of the legislation, including the California Police Chiefs Association, hope they can relieve police officers of the court appearance as well.
In 1990, when the initiative was passed, it wasn’t as much of an issue for an officer to get pulled off the beat to testify at a preliminary hearing, given that staffing levels of the state’s police departments and sheriff’s offices were higher.
But since 1990, the state’s population has grown by nearly 10 million people, yet the numbers of California’s sworn patrol officers have dropped to below where they were in 1991, according to a recent report from the Public Policy Institute of California.
Sworn officer staffing shortages are particularly prevalent in rural areas such as those in Dahle’s sprawling senate district in northeastern California. There, police chiefs and sheriffs say they struggle to compete with big cities that offer higher salaries to new officers. Regularly, entire communities don’t have an officer on the clock for parts of the day.
At the same time, in the wake of high-profile cases of unjustified police violence against people of color, including the 2020 murder of George Floyd, social justice advocates have been urging California lawmakers and local governments to scale back the numbers of armed police patrolling communities of color. Instead, some communities are deploying unarmed social or mental-health workers trained to defuse confrontations in situations where armed officers used to be the sole respondents.
Two abstain in committee vote
Dahle testified Tuesday that his bill would help ease the burden on understaffed police departments and ensure that community service officers taking witness statements are held to the same standards police officers are. His legislation mandates that non-sworn officers who testify at prelims are required to undergo the same hearsay testimony training as a sworn officer or have at least five years of experience in their role. To address concerns about shoddy testimony, he said he amended the bill to place community service officers who are caught lying on the same “Brady List” that’s used to prevent sworn officers who lie or who have integrity issues from testifying in court.
“This change helps hold the witnesses accountable and ensures that only the best, most reliable testimony is admissible in court,” Dahle said.
The bill passed the five-member Senate Public Safety Committee without a single “no” vote, despite more than 20 defense attorneys and social-justice and police-reform activists – influential groups among the Democratic supermajority – speaking out against it.
Oakland Democrat Sen. Nancy Skinner and the committee’s chair, Sen. Aisha Wahab of Fremont, abstained from actually voting, however.
After opposing the bill last year, they said that they were beginning to see the benefits of having community service officers take witness statements, instead of armed police officers.
“I can see a role for these individuals,” Skinner said. “And the thing that gives me a little more comfort is the requirement of these people having been in such a role for at least five years or having had the equivalent training. This is still tricky, but I don’t have the same opposition.”
Dahle’s bill now moves to the Senate floor and then, if it passes, to the Assembly.
Any Republican-authored bill faces a troubled future in the Democrat-controlled Legislature.
In the last full legislative session, only 23% of Republican-authored bills were signed into law, according to a CalMatters analysis. Democrat-authored bills, by contrast, had a 43% success rate.
###
CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.
REGGAE RETURNS! Mateel Community Center Announces Revival of Reggae on the River Festival
Stephanie McGeary / Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024 @ 4:19 p.m. / Our Culture
The crowd at Reggae on the River in 2017 | File photo from the Mateel’s Facebook page.
###
Get ready, all you reggae fans! Humboldt’s long-running music festival Reggae on the River is returning from its dormancy to once again bring three days of camping, dancing and other festival things to SoHum for the first time since 2018.
On Wednesday, the Mateel Community Center announced this year’s return of the festival, which will take place, as is tradition, on the first weekend in August.
“It’s back! @reggaeontheriver 2024 Will be held on August 2, 3, & 4!!,” the Mateel posted to its Facebook page. “There have been some obstacles along the way but we, the volunteers, staff, and Board of Directors of the Mateel Community Center, in conjunction with Hot Milk Entertainment, are so excited to announce that Reggae on the River will be returning again this year. So please come join us in celebrating this gift of music and togetherness!”
Reached by the Outpost on Thursday afternoon, Elena Worley, office manager for the Mateel Community Center, said this is the first time the Mateel is working with Hot Milk Entertainment, a production company based out of Mendocino County.
“We’re keeping it local this year,” Worley said, adding that she is very excited to work with a smaller, local partner, rather than some of the bigger, non-local companies the Mateel has tried to work with in the past.
Folks might remember the huge conflicts between the Mateel and previous event partner People’s Productions in the early 2000s – often referred to as “the Reggae Wars” – that eventually led to People’s Productions taking over the event under the name “Reggae Rising.”
The most recent partnership was penned in 2018 between the Mateel and High Times Magazine’s production company, which had agreed to assume all responsibility for the festival’s artist lineup, marketing and monetization efforts. But High Times canceled the event in 2019, due to “the extraordinary expenses of trying to put on an event in such a remote location.” The company said it would focus on bringing back the festival in 2020, but we all know what happened that year, and Reggae has not happened since.
Now, after the county approved a five-year permit extension for the festival earlier this year, the 2024 event will take place on Dimmick Ranch (also known as County Line Ranch) near Garberville.
As far as details of the festival, Worley couldn’t provide much (she suggested we reach out to the Mateel’s media manager, who didn’t get back to us before publication). As far as we can tell, no entertainers have been announced yet, but the poster promises multiple stages at the event. Tickets go on sale on Jan. 17, with “rude boy special pricing” starting at $249.
There is also an opportunity to win two free VIP tickets on the festival’s website and it looks like all you have to do to enter is send in your own “dream lineup for Reggae on the River.” Fun!
Providence is Closing All of Its Outpatient Labs, Including Those at St. Joseph and Redwood Memorial Hospitals
Ryan Burns / Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024 @ 3:54 p.m. / Health Care
St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka. | File photo.
###
On Wednesday the Outpost started receiving messages from employees of both Redwood Memorial Hospital in Fortuna and St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka saying that Providence Health & Services, the not-for-profit Catholic health care outfit that merged with St. Joseph Health in 2016, planned to close down all of its outpatient lab facilities across California.
“Ever since Providence took over, they have outsourced and/or centralized services that used to be local,” wrote one employee, who asked to remain anonymous. “Microbiology is now sent to Napa, pathology and cytology are sent to Santa Rosa. Now, all [Providence-owned] outpatient labs in California (where people have their blood drawn for testing requested by doctors) are closing. Where will patients go to have their blood drawn? This is an outrage!”
This afternoon, Providence issued a press statement confirming its plans to close its outpatient lab service line throughout the state.
“They decided this 2 weeks ago and just let the phlebotomists know today that they will be closing March 15th,” the anonymous source told the Outpost via email.
As of the time of publication, Providence’s own website still boasts, “Providence is committed to providing efficient and convenient laboratory services. Throughout our system of medical centers, phlebotomists and clinical laboratory scientists provide prompt and comprehensive laboratory and radiology services to patients of all ages.”
According to the press release, below, all local employees at the outpatient lab will be retained by Providence and won’t lose any wages or benefits, though the statement doesn’t say what jobs those employees will have after the labs close.
Here’s the press release from Providence:
Following a thorough assessment, Providence has announced that it will close the outpatient lab service line, which supports community outreach at several hospitals throughout California. This change will help us focus on our strengths of delivering care and partnering with other organizations whose primary business is lab services.
In Humboldt County, St. Joseph Hospital and Redwood Memorial Hospital will close our outpatient service line. We will maintain outpatient testing services that support care in the hospitals. We will also continue to provide inpatient and emergency department testing, as well as lab testing associated with our hospital outpatient departments’ patient care.
All employees who support the outpatient lab service line at affected locations will be retained by Providence and continue working as Providence employees with no changes to their wages or benefits.
Providence recognizes the importance of laboratory services for members of our community. We did not enter into this decision lightly and are confident that other providers of these services will be able to support our community’s future needs.
###
PREVIOUSLY:
- A Driver Carrying Pathology Specimens From St. Joe’s Patients Crashed in a Recent Winter Storm. The Samples Have Not Been Recovered.
- Lab Specimens Lost in Recent Car Crash are Byproduct of a Larger Problem, Former Hospital Employees Say: Providence’s Corporate-Style Consolidation is Causing Longer Turnaround Times and Lower Quality
Missing SoHum Woman Identified in Surveillance Footage; Search Ongoing
LoCO Staff / Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024 @ 3:43 p.m. / Missing
Still image from surveillance video captured on morning of 12/31/23 | HCSO
PREVIOUSLY:
Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
![]()
On the afternoon of 01/09/2024, as part of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office’s on-going investigation into the missing persons case of Myers Flat resident Zoe Penrod, a deputy was able to positively identify video of Zoe in surveillance footage obtained from a Myers Flat business. This footage showed Zoe, wearing a light-colored housecoat (bath robe), walking northbound, along the edge of Hwy. 254 (Avenue of the Giants) just before 8:30 a.m. on 12/31/23, consistent with the time frame she was reported last seen in the area of her residence by the reporting party.
After initial searching of that area on the evening and night hours of 01/09/24, on 01/10/2024 a thorough ground search of this area, continuing north along Hwy. 254 was conducted. This effort did not result in locating Zoe or any clues that may help direct the search. A ground search is continuing in that area again today. Additionally, a request made through the California Office of Emergency Services for overflight of the area by an aircraft specially equipped to assist in the search and locating of lost persons was granted and that aircraft was on scene over the search area as of mid-morning today.
A team prepares to make a ground search on Wednesday, Jan. 10
Continued search efforts will be based on efforts that are completed today along with the consideration of any new or developing information that may help guide the search and/or investigation.
A still image from the surveillance footage has been included below in the hopes that the updated image with the clothing Zoe was last seen wearing may assist with help from the public in reporting any possible sightings of Zoe since the date she went missing. Additionally, the HCSO would like to thank the volunteers from multiple volunteer fire departments within the county, members of the California State Parks, and the volunteer members of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue for their assistance with the search efforts. The HCSO would also like to thank the Miranda Market for their donation of bottled water for the search personnel.
Anyone with information for the Sheriff’s Office regarding Zoe’s possible whereabouts should call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251.
Harbor District Board to Consider Adopting ‘Green Terminal Strategy’ for Offshore Wind Infrastructure Development
Ryan Burns / Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024 @ 3:08 p.m. / Local Government
Image adapted from the Harbor District’s preliminary overview of Humboldt Bay, including general project site, federal navigation channel, candidate sites for wet Storage, and coastal dependent lands.
###
At tonight’s meeting of the (deep breath) Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District’s Board of Commissioners (exhale), members of that body will consider adopting a resolution that would commit the district to adopting an environmentally friendly “Green Terminal Strategy” in its planned development of a new heavy lift marine terminal to support the offshore wind industry.
Local environmental advocates have been pressuring the Harbor District to make such a commitment, which would involve using zero-carbon energy sources whenever possible for the ships and heavy machinery operating in and around the port facility.
Electrified shore power stations can reduce pollution from idling ships by 95 percent, according to the Port of Long Beach, and Crowley Wind Services, the multinational maritime company working with the Harbor District to develop the facility, is developing the country’s first fully electric tugboat.
“When the wind turbines are constructed and start generating electricity, the green port could become doubly effective by storing energy during peak production,” a coalition of local environmental group leaders wrote in a recent opinion piece. “By relying heavily on these evolving technologies, Humboldt Bay could be uniquely positioned to become a trailblazer and a worldwide leader in green port development.”
There’s not a lot of information on the agenda for tonight’s meeting, but staff is recommending that the board sign the resolution, which would commit the district to developing and adopting the Green Terminal Strategy by March of 2025.
The meeting is scheduled for tonight at 6 p.m. at the district’s headquarters on Woodley Island, 601 Startare Drive. Members of the public can attend in person or participate via Zoom by clicking this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6917934402.
###
DOCUMENT: Agenda for the regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners
If You Did Not Have a Chance to Enjoy Our Monster King Tides Today, You Will Have Another Opportunity Tomorrow
Hank Sims / Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024 @ 2:49 p.m. / How ‘Bout That Weather
King Tide at the Boardwalk this morning. Photo: Andrew Goff.
How high’s the water, mama? Eight feet high and rising.
There was a hellacious King Tide this morning. The biggest one of the year, we are informed. At the North Spit station the tide was a full eight and a half feet above the height of the average low tide, which is how weather people measure that sort of thing.
Did you miss it? Well, we’ll get just about as good tomorrow — 8.43 feet, as opposed to today’s 8.44 — and that’ll happen at about 11:30 a.m.
Taking your camera to view the high high-water spots? The California Coastal Commission would sure like you to cc: them on those things. Instructions here. As we know, the big Kings are a premonition of what we’ll be seeing in the future, as mean highs continue to rise and rise over at least the next few decades. The Coastal Commission wants to track that.
Also: Along with the highest high tides, of course, come the gnarliest lows. There’s a -1.6 tide forecast for about 6 p.m. tonight, and again tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. It’s not the ideal time to tidepool, of course, being dark and all, but if you must go bring flashlights and friends. And bundle up! It’s cold out there.