Press release from the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office:
Today, Judge Kelly Neel sentenced Manuel Garcia Avalos, 45, of Fortuna, to 30 years in prison after he pled guilty to multiple felony sex offenses committed against three young girls.
In 2015, two of the girls disclosed the abuse to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. At that time, charges were not filed due to insufficient evidence. A significant challenge in the initial investigation was an adult family member who provided Garcia Avalos with an alibi.
In 2021, the case was reopened after a third victim — only 12 years old — was found to be communicating with Garcia Avalos via Facebook messages. The messages, discovered by her guardian, revealed the young girl was bravely attempting to document the abuse to ensure that she would be believed. Her efforts were instrumental in bringing the case forward.
Following this discovery, Garcia Avalos was arrested. Humboldt County District Attorney Investigator Ryan Hill interviewed Garcia Avalos and confronted him with the message evidence. Garcia Avalos admitted to sending the messages but denied they were sexual in nature.
During the course of the legal proceedings, the third victim passed away. The loss of her young life has profoundly impacted her family, the community, and everyone involved in seeking justice in this case.
Despite this tragedy, the two older victims showed extraordinary strength by testifying against Garcia Avalos. Their courage was critical in holding Garcia Avalos accountable.
“This case underscores the devastating and long-lasting effects of child sexual abuse — not only on the individual victims, but on their families and our entire community,” said District Attorney Stacey Eads. “We are deeply grateful to the victims for their bravery and resolve in helping bring this offender to justice.”
The Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office extends its heartfelt condolences to the family of the third victim and commends the strength and resilience of all three young girls.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Deputy District Attorney Whitney Timm, with assistance from District Attorney Investigator Ryan Hill and Victim Witness Advocate Keosha Chambers.
Eureka Police Department Makes It Easier for Community Members
to File Specific Police Reports by using Online Technology
Today Eureka Police Department is launching technology that
encourages our community members to file online police reports. As police departments work
to better allocate resources and personnel while proactively and positively working with the
community, utilizing this online service will increase efficiencies within the department and
enhance service to community members.
This service provides a fast and efficient way for community members to report a variety of
lower priority incidents such as, non-injury traffic collision, abandoned vehicles, identity theft,
vandalism, graffiti, etc. – there are 17 incident types to choose from. Rather than visit the
department in person or have an officer dispatched to you, community members can now
report minor incidents online.
“Online community reporting allows officers to stay focused on the immediate needs of the
community,” said Police Chief Brian Stephens. “The ability for community members to submit
police reports online enables law enforcement agencies with limited resources to concentrate
on critical public safety priorities such as crime prevention and investigation. This system also
provides the convenience of allowing residents to file reports at any time, which can reduce
wait times and improve overall service levels.” Chief Stephens emphasized, “If you would prefer
to have a Police Officer or Community Service Officer respond in person to take your report, we
are absolutely committed to providing that option.”
You can access information via the City of Eureka Website – My Government - Police
Department. At the following link you can access a step by step instruction on how to complete
a report, along with the types of reports that can be submitted.
Press release from the Humboldt County Fair Association:
The Board of Directors of the Humboldt County Fair Association (HCFA) will
host a public town hall meeting on Monday, June 9, at 7:00 PM in the Turf Club at the
Humboldt County Fairgrounds.
The purpose of the meeting is to gather community input and ideas for the 2025 fair
entertainment lineup, as well as future interim events and upcoming fairs.
While time is growing short for booking and planning 2025 entertainment, the Board and
staff remain confident that, with community involvement, we can discover new and
creative opportunities that may not yet have been considered.
All members of the public are encouraged to attend and share their thoughts. Every idea
matters — big or small!
For the first time in who knows how long, this summer Humboldt fish-eaters will be able to stroll around in an open-air market, browsing and purchasing fresh, local seafood products from local fishermen. It’s everything you love about the Farmer’s Market, but with fish. And other seafood products.
The Humboldt Dockside Market — a longtime brainchild of Ashley Vellis, of Ashley’s Seafood, who is teaming up with the North Coast Growers’ Association — makes its debut this Saturday, June 7, at Eureka’s Madaket Plaza, on the foot of C Street, at 9 a.m., and will run until 1 p.m. From there, it will continue every other week until late October or early November.
Though no one could have seen this in advance, it turns out not to have been an ideal date to launch the market. Though the weather on land has been gorgeous and is only forecast to get more gorgeous still, it’s rough out on those seas — meaning the fishing, this week, is somewhat hampered, Vellis told the Outpost.
“Options
will be limited, unfortunately,” she said.
Nevertheless, she says that she hopes that local fishermen will have California halibut available for sale. And there’ll also be locally grown oysters and seaweed vendors dockside, should you be tempted by those things. If you have your heart set on halibut, you might want to get there early, and stay for the official market ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m.
In the coming months, Vellis said, there should be a cornucopia of locally caught seafood available: crab, albacore, halibut, smelt, sand dabs, ling cod and multiple species of rockfish. Salmon is still a possibility: Even though the California season has been closed for the year, again, some local fishermen have Oregon licenses. Vellis said the market is trying to work through the red tape involved of letting those fishermen sell their catch at the market here.
If you’re liking what you’re hearing, maybe give the Humboldt Dockside Market a follow on Facebook and/or Instagram. They have a bunch of profiles of local fishermen up there, and in the future, Vellis says, they’ll post updates on where and what those fishermen might be selling dockside in between markets.
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In other what-a-great-time-to-be-alive news, Eureka’s beloved Friday Night Market returns this week! You know the drill — street vendors, adult beverages, live music and food trucks galore every Friday night in June, July and August, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. It’s a party.
Kicking us off this Friday on the Gazebo stage will be that’s-how-we-do-it-in-Humboldt musical darling Brett McFarland and his band.
As you know, every Friday Night Market has a dress-up theme, for those inclined to dress up. Here is this month’s schedule.
June 6: Coastal Creatures (with Humboldt Dockside Market): Celebrate the sea with
mermaids, sailors, and ocean-themed attire.
June 13: Myth & Mischief (with Dell’Arte): Goblins, fauns, tricksters, and local legends come
to life in this imaginative, theatrical evening.
June 20: Golden Hour (with North Coast Rape Crisis Team): A solstice-inspired “Yellow
Day”—be the sun, emit light, and shine bright.
June 27: Retro Rodeo: Think 70s cowboy—bell bottoms, fringe, and disco western boots.
Attendees at the California Democratic State Convention at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim on May 31, 2025. Photo by Ted Soqui for CalMatters
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At age 24, Alan Vargas wants to lead the California Democratic Party.
Sporting a beige cowboy hat and a pink shirt, the young progressive running for party chair evoked waves of cheers as he vowed to shake things up at the Democrats’ annual convention in Anaheim this weekend.
“I feel our party has moved away from its roots,” he told Democrats Saturday. “We cannot rely on fear to gain votes, nor can we assume the support of any minority, so we must act.”
It was a long shot: Incumbent Rusty Hicks, who did not even show up to make a campaign speech, secured another term swimmingly. Among 2,600 delegates, Vargas persuaded just over 600.
But Vargas’ attempt sends a clear message:Young Democrats are growingly frustrated with the party’s struggle to resonate with their peers, especially after Democrats hemorrhaged support from young voters, who either shifted toward President Donald Trump or sat out the November election altogether. Turnout plunged among young Californians, particularly Democrats.
Party leaders took notice. Hicks, who deemed the low turnout “gut wrenching,” said Democrats must speak up for marginalized communities and reach out to young voters year round.
The stakes are high: As California Democrats aim to retake the U.S. House in battleground districts next year, young voters could be key to their victory. Some candidates for governor are already courting their support: Veteran lawmaker Toni Atkins and former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra headlined the California Young Democrats reception at the convention. Both of them called young people the “now” — not just the future — of the party.
“You are my future, and I am counting on you,” Atkins told young Democrats Saturday night.
Others hope their affordability-focused policy proposals will resonate.
All the gubernatorial candidates pledged to build more housing faster to lower costs. Tony Thurmond, the state superintendent of public instruction running for governor, pointed to his push for students to attend college free and to pay back tuition later as well as his advocacy for paid internship programs and workforce training. Former state controller Betty Yee touted her experience managing California’s bank account and stressed her focus on making more reproductive options affordable. Becerra pointed to his effort negotiating with drug companies to lower medical costs.
But party officials delayed considering a resolution urging a mandatory retirement age for state and local politicians, to the disappointment of many young Democrats who feel disenfranchised and fear many elected officials are getting too old to be effective.
“When you have 70-year-olds and 80-year-olds running for office, how is that supposed to inspire us when we are living in a completely different world than they ever did?” said Lauren Hassett, an 18-year-old college student from Orange County.
To make inroads with young voters, party leaders and candidates must focus on making California affordable and not shy away from progressive issues that resonate with young people, according to a dozen young Democrats who spoke to CalMatters at the convention. Some stressed that campaigns must also reach young voters at town halls and on campuses and learn to use social media and podcasts to engage them.
But most importantly, the message must be simple.
“At the end of the day, politics is personal, and people want to vote for someone who’s going to make their lives easier,” said Carter Beardsley, 18, from Bakersfield.
Simplifying affordability
There’s a consensus among young Democrats that the party got pummeled on cost-of-living issues in November. Latinos, particularly young Latino men, flocked toward Trump, in part because of economic pain at the grocery store and at the gas pump.
Feeling like Democrats were absent on “working-class issues” was what inspired Vargas, a son of Mexican immigrants and a content creator from Corona, to run for party chair. While Democrats did try to address economic concerns, the messaging was too complex, Vargas argued.
“A lot of working people don’t have the time to do the research working two or three jobs,” he said. “I think we need a message in a way that is much easier and more digestible for our working communities, so they can listen to it on the radio rather than having to go on the phone and research five different articles.”
First: Alan Vargas, candidate for chair of the California Democratic Party, speaks during the California Democratic State Convention. Last: An attendee holds a sign calling to stop the United States from supplying weapons to Israel. Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim on May 31, 2025. Photos by Ted Soqui for CalMatters
Hassett said many Democratic politicians have been criticizing Trump’s economic policies, such as tariffs, without offering digestible policy alternatives. Nor have they successfully explained how their own policies would benefit voters instead, she argued.
Last November, there “was a lot of ‘Here’s what Trump’s going to do and we are going to do the opposite,’” Hassett said. “A normal voter is not going to know really what a tariff is, really how a tariff is going to impact their life.”
Affordability is still top of mind for many delegates, including young ones. Carter Beardsley, 18, from Bakersfield, said rising health care costs could deter young people from going to the doctor or having a child. And college students fear a hike in tuition, especially as Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed to slash hundreds of millions of dollars from public university budgets.
“Students who might be living off Top Ramen can’t afford that increase,” Beardsley said.
Despite polls showing that the electorate is shifting away from liberal social views, young Democrats this weekend said they want to see candidates take progressive stances on issues such as LGBTQ rights and the war in Gaza. Young Democrats in California are generally more liberal than their older peers.
Some grew frustrated at Newsom’s comments on his podcast, where he said allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ and women’s sports is “deeply unfair.” Trump is threatening to withhold funding from California for allowing trans athletes to participate.
“That’s not an area that I think there’s common ground to be found on,” Beardsley said. “We need to protect trans kids, period.”
And many want to see candidates who will fight to stop the United States from supplying weapons to Israel. At last year’s convention, pro-Palestinian activists flooded the venue as they called on Democrats to support a ceasefire in Gaza. This year’s protest was more muted, with just a dozen pro-Palestinian signs dotting the halls as speakers avoided mentioning the war.
Let’s talk about age
Though the topic of age was in the air, Democratic leaders postponed discussing a resolution backed by San Francisco Democrats to explore capping the age for state and local officials. The resolution’s author said it was born out of frustration that former President Joe Biden, 82, remained in the presidential race too long last year, and that some older Democrats — namely former U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein who died at 90 — held onto their seats instead of yielding to younger peers.
Hicks, the party chair, brushed aside concerns about age and defended the party’s decision to delay the discussion.
“At the end of the day, whether you are 25 or 75, the question is: Are you delivering for those that voted for you?” he told reporters.
Rusty Hicks, chair of the California Democratic Party, speaks during the California Democratic state convention at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim on May 31, 2025. Photo by Ted Soqui for CalMatters
Some young Democrats agreed, pointing to the success of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, 83, and former U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, 78, who was recently elected mayor of Oakland, in connecting with young progressives.
George Balan, 17, the chair of the California High School Democrats, said what ultimately matters is how much young people feel like they can benefit from someone’s policies.
Many Democrats running for governor argued that age is just a number. Becerra, speaking to a roomful of young Democrats on Saturday night, repeatedly defended Biden’s performance. “Joe Biden will tell you he’s old. But can you deliver?” Becerra said.
Becerra’s speech did not sit well with Annie Koruga, a Bay Area delegate in their early 20s. Being able to deliver is the “whole point of being in elected office,” Koruga argued, and old age could cloud a politician’s ability to do just that.
Koruga noted that several older Democratic members of Congress have died in office since 2022.
“I’m trying to be respectful, but when we have people who are 85, 90 years old in these offices, many of them are not able to effectively perform their functions,” Koruga said.
And other young Democrats told CalMatters they feel turned off when the candidate field is crawling with seniors.
“There are people in Congress right now that have been there since before the (smart)phone,” said Kelly Merchant, a 22-year-old from Indio.
A protester holds a sign on the steps of the state Capitol calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a bill that would require a human operator in all autonomous vehicles in Sacramento on Sept. 19, 2023. Photo by Fred Greaves for CalMatters
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The bill was dead. Twice dead, in fact: Two times in the past two years, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation to ban California companies from deploying driverless trucks.
Yet lawmakers have resurrected the idea and inserted it into a new bill — with the Teamsters union hoping the third time will be the charm.
There’s no indication Newsom has changed his mind. Still, Democratic Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, representing the Davis area, said she brought the autonomous trucking bill back because it’s good policy aimed at “protecting our public safety and our jobs.” She said it has nothing to do with the Teamsters’ large donations to lawmakers.
Assembly Bill 33 is an example of a phenomenon in the California Legislature: Even when a bill dies one year, and even if a governor kills it, there’s a strong likelihood it will return, especially if big money interests like labor unions and business groups want it signed into law.
A CalMatters analysis using the Digital Democracy database that tracks the more than 2,000 bills introduced this year found at least 80 measures that are similar – some identical – to legislation that Newsom or other governors have vetoed in previous years. Around a quarter of the resurrected bills had support from prominent labor groups; an almost equal number were backed by business.
CalMatters relied on the Legislature’s bill analyses to determine whether a measure had been vetoed before. If a previous veto was not noted in the bill analysis it wouldn’t show up, meaning the figure is likely an undercount. The analysis didn’t tally the dozens of other resurrected bills pending in the Legislature this year that already died before reaching the governor’s desk.
The number of failed bills returning year after year helps fuel one of the Legislature’s most troubling issues. The massive number of bills introduced each year contributes to lawmakers rushing through the democratic process and fosters a culture of secrecy at the Capitol. As CalMatters reported, lawmakers routinely silence members of the public during hearings in order to jam through the huge volume of bills. Lawmakers also regularly make their decisions behind closed doors, in part because there is so little time to debate their hundreds of bills in public.
Experts say that doesn’t necessarily mean bills shouldn’t come back after failing. Some good ideas take time to gain political support. Alex Vassar, a legislative historian at the California State Library, noted that it took decades of failed legislation to pass laws that eventually built the state’s highway system and that gave women the right to vote.
“You can keep an issue on the front of the public’s mind, keep it alive in Sacramento, by using the vehicle of the bill to advance conversations happening outside the capital,” said Thad Kousser, a former California legislative staffer who’s now a political science professor at UC San Diego. “Sometimes, it’s part of a longer-term strategy to move policy forward.”
‘Not here to serve the lobbyists’
The Teamsters union is a major funder in the California statehouse, contributing at least $2.7 million to lawmakers’ campaigns since 2015. Aguiar-Curry received at least $15,950 in campaign cash from the Teamsters and its affiliate unions in that time, according to the Digital Democracy database.
But she said that didn’t influence her decision to try again on autonomous trucking.
“I’m not here to serve the lobbyists,” she said.
Aguiar-Curry said she hopes that tweaks she made to the latest legislation could appeal to Newsom, who has tended to be friendlier to Big Tech companies than legislators are to big labor. The latest proposal would prohibit driverless trucks from delivering commercial goods directly to a residence or to a business, instead of barring all driverless trucks over 10,001 pounds as in previous legislation. Newsom’s press office declined to do an on-the-record interview for this story.
Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, representing the 4th California Assembly District, speaks at a protest led by The Teamsters calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a bill that would require a human operator in all autonomous vehicles at the state Capitol in Sacramento on Sept. 19, 2023. Photo by Fred Greaves for Cal Matters
“The governor’s veto messages speak for themselves,” his spokesperson, Izzy Gardon, said in an email. “And our office does not typically comment on pending legislation.”
Citing polling that shows Californians are leery of fully autonomous trucks, supporters say that if Newsom vetoes it again, they’ll just keep bringing it back until he signs it – or until the next governor does.
“We’re right on this issue,” said Peter Finn, the Western region vice president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. “The only person that’s wrong on this issue is the governor, and just because one person is choosing Big Tech over people and drivers doesn’t mean we should stop pursuing this issue.”
This year’s bill easily passed the Assembly floor on Thursday with only a handful of Republicans voting “no.”
Doctors again fight private equity
Business groups, meanwhile, are pushing at least 20 other bills that Newsom or other governors have vetoed.
A prominent example is Senate Bill 351, co-sponsored by the California Medical Association, which lobbies on behalf of the state’s physicians. The organization wants to regulate private equity groups and hedge funds when they try to buy medical and dental practices.
In vetoing the measure, Newsom said it wasn’t necessary. This year’s bill doesn’t go as far, but it contains nearly identical language that would prohibit investors from “interfering with the professional judgment of physicians or dentists in making health care decisions,” according to the bill’s analysis. The measure also would allow the attorney general to sue if an investment firm violates the rules.
“Private equity firms are gaining influence in our health care system, leading to rising costs and undermining the quality of care,” Erin Mellon, a spokesperson for the medical association, said in an email.
CMA has given at least $3.5 million to legislators since 2015, according to Digital Democracy. The doctors lobby also has donated at least $9,500 to this year’s author, freshman Democratic Sen. Christopher Cabaldon, the former mayor of West Sacramento.
Cabaldon said in an interview that he introduced the bill because it’s about “taking care of the patients.”
“Doctors and other health care providers,” he said, “are leaving their practices, or in some cases, leaving the industry altogether, because their ability to practice as clinicians and deliver the best possible care has been under threat by overly aggressive private equity operators who are putting the profits first.”
Cabaldon’s proposal passed the Senate last week with Republican opposition.
Lawmakers bring back passion topics
While wealthy groups push for their favored bills to come back, other pieces of legislation return simply because a lawmaker is passionate about the subject matter.
That’s why Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher, who represents the Chico area, reintroduced a bill Newsom vetoed last year that would have given families legal authority to visit loved ones in health care facilities during pandemics. Gallagher said he hated not being able to visit his dying aunt during the Covid-19 outbreak.
“It’s wrong, man, especially if it’s a loved one,” he said.
Newsom vetoed the first measure, saying that California’s pandemic visitation policies struck the right balance, and he was concerned Gallagher’s bill would “result in confusion and create different access to patients.”
For Assemblymember Tom Lackey, a Republican representing the Palmdale area, it bothers him that victims of the 2020 Bobcat Fire in his district have to pay state taxes on settlement payments they received from the power company whose lines started the fire.
“It’s brutal,” he said. “I mean, ‘Here’s your money to try to restore yourself, but, oh, by the way, you can’t have it all. We want some of it back.’ … It’s a second kick in the mouth.”
Lackey said he hopes his latest bill is unnecessary. Newsom noted in his veto message that the settlement tax provisions “should be included as part of the annual budget process.” Newsom’s proposed budget this year includes tax breaks for some disaster settlements. Lackey hopes that will include the Bobcat Fire.
Democratic Assemblymember James Ramos, representing the San Bernardino area, is the Legislature’s first Native American member. He believes that California’s first peoples have been silenced and marginalized for too long.
It’s why he’s authored two bills that have been previously vetoed. One would remove requirements from school administrators to approve the cultural regalia students wear at graduations. Former Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a similar bill, saying “principals and democratically elected school boards” should decide what’s appropriate to wear. Another previously vetoed Ramos bill seeks to expand tribal police forces. He’s also a co-author of a previously vetoed measure seeking to provide resources to locate missing Indigenous people.
“When the state became a state, they did not include the voices of California’s first people,” he said. “So these bills do a lot more than other bills in the Legislature. These bills educate, and they move forward for reckoning and atonement.”
Should Newsom decide to veto Ramos’ bills again – or any of the others he or other governors have previously killed – it’s unlikely lawmakers will push back.
As CalMatters reported, nearly all of the 189 bills Newsom vetoed last year had support from more than two-thirds of lawmakers — a threshold large enough to override the governor’s veto.
But that almost never happens. The last time the Legislature overrode a governor’s veto was in 1979 on a bill that banned banks from selling insurance.
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Digital Democracy’s data analysis intern, Luke Fanguna, contributed to this story.
