PREVIOUSLY

• Lawsuit Accuses Humboldt County Judge of Drunkenly Attacking an Attorney, Throwing Him Off a Boat, and Says County Employees Tried to Cover It Up
• Through Attorney, Judge Denies Assaulting Deputy Public Defender at Lake Shasta Celebration
• TODAY in COURT: Date Set for Attorney’s Suit Against Judge for Alleged Abuse
• BREAKING: At Re-election Campaign Launch, Judge Kreis Says Lawsuit Against Him Has Been Settled

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Mendocino County Judge Ann Moorman on Monday granted a summary judgment dismissing former Deputy Public Defender Rory Kalin’s lawsuit against the County of Humboldt and his previous bosses, former Public Defender Marek Reavis and current Public Defender Luke Brownfield.

Kalin’s allegations, which date back to traumatic brain injury and an alcohol-fueled Memorial Day celebration on Shasta Lake in 2019, included wrongful termination; racial, religious and disability discrimination; retaliation; and harassment. 

The dismissal comes on the heels of news that a connected lawsuit against Humboldt County Superior Court Presiding Judge Gregory Kreis has also been dismissed, though details of that resolution have not yet been made public. 

You can read Judge Moorman’s ruling in its entirety via a link at the bottom of this post, but we’ll summarize it here. According to the document’s statement of facts, Kalin suffered from clinical anxiety and was taking a variety of medications for the condition, though he initially didn’t tell any of his colleagues in the Public Defender’s Office.

In April 2019, while visiting Southern California, Kalin was struck in the head by a golf ball, suffering a concussion that triggered bouts of dizziness, queasiness and trouble focusing. However, a doctor cleared Kalin to return to work and he did so, but within a matter of days then-Public Defender Marek Reavis sent him home “due to concerns about his head injury and how it may be affecting his work performance,” the ruling says.

Shortly thereafter, several Humboldt County Superior Court judges voiced concerns about Kalin’s behavior. Judge Kaleb Cockrum, for example, described Kalin’s performance in his courtroom as “horrible” and opined that he was not a very good lawyer. Judge Kelly Neel shared her concerns with Reavis, telling him that during a jury selection hearing Kalin was “combative and hostile” and gave probably the worst performance she’d ever seen, making “entirely unsupported” arguments and badly misstating the facts of the case.

Judge Christopher Wilson said these accounts tracked with his own experiences of Kalin, and fellow attorneys complained as well, saying Kalin “argued with judges over unimportant matters and was unable to read the room.” A juror complained to Brownfield that Kalin had been rude and demeaning to the jury. Brownfield himself saw Kalin badly mishandle a case, according to this recitation of facts.

Shortly before the fateful Memorial Day camping trip/pontoon-boat party at Shasta Lake, Reavis and Brownfield decided to demote Kalin, though Kalin wasn’t informed of this fact until the following month. 

The inflammatory allegations of what happened on Shasta Lake have been widely reported. Kalin alleged that a drunken Kreis called him “Jew-boy” and pushed him off the boat into the lake, though Judge Moorman’s ruling says such lake-tossing was part of the day’s general revelry. 

In mid-June of 2019, more than a month after those events, Kalin was informed of his demotion, and matters quickly got worse. The DEA revoked Kalin’s doctor’s license to prescribe controlled substances, and so Kalin went on prolonged medical leave. While he was out, the Public Defender’s Office uncovered further evidence that his job performance had been poor, and Reavis decided Kalin needed to be put on a performance improvement plan (PIP), which is a prerequisite to termination at the county.

Kalin returned to work on January 13, 2020, but when Reavis and Brownfield informed him that he’d be subjected to a PIP, an argument ensued — according to his lawsuit, anyway — and Kalin immediately went back on medical leave, remaining off work for more than a year. During much of that stretch he collected employee benefits from the county while also collecting Social Security benefits for his disability, which had now been classified as permanent. 

On March 15, 2021, the county asked Kalin to participate in “an interactive process meeting” and when he refused, he was “medically separated,” aka terminated from his employment with the county.

In analyzing Kalin’s numerous allegations, Moorman repeatedly cites a lack of sufficient evidence. For example, Kalin alleged that all the punitive actions taken against him at work — his demotion, the performance improvement plan, etc. — were motivated by Reavis and Brownfield’s allegiance to Judge Kreis, which would make them complicit with Kreis’s alleged antisemitic insult.

But Moorman says there’s no evidence that Reavis, Brownfield or anyone else heard the alleged “Jew boy” remark, and besides, “there is little evidence to support the claim that either Brownfield or Reavis would be beholden to [Kreis] in such a manner.” In fact, she writes, “there is no evidence that anyone at the Public Defender’s office even knew about [Kreis’s] behavior at the Memorial Day event.”

Furthermore, Moorman concludes, Kalin’s poor job performance gave his bosses plenty of legitimate reasons to demote him. So she rejects the allegations of racial or religious discrimination.

She also rejects Kalin’s claim of disability discrimination because he didn’t inform the county of his condition until May of 2020, by which point he’d already begun collecting disability benefits. And Kalin presented no evidence that his demotion was connected to his golf-ball-induced health problems.

Kalin’s other claims, including harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination and intentional infliction of emotional distress are similarly rejected for lack of evidence.

Brownfield was not immediately available for comment on the dismissal.

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DOCUMENT: Order for Summary Judgment

Press release from the Hoopa Valley Tribe:

The Hoopa Valley Tribe announced today the acquisition of 10,395 acres of land bordering the western boundary of the Tribe’s Reservation. The return of the Hupa Mountain property brings the Tribe’s landholdings to a total of over 102,000 acres. When the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation was created, the Hupa people lost access to and use of more than two-thirds of their ancestral lands. The Tribe’s $14.1 million purchase of the land rightfully returns management, conservation and use of the land to Hupa People.

“Today is a day of intense celebration for our Tribe,” said Hoopa Valley Tribal Chairman Joe Davis. “As a tribal nation that has long led the way in self-governance and self-determination, the Hoopa Valley Tribe worked hard to secure this once-in-a-generation opportunity to reclaim a meaningful portion of our ancestral lands. Many thanks to our Tribal Council for their leadership, our Tribal staff for their dedication and creativity, and the many public and private partners who helped make this possible.”

The acquisition of 10,395 acres previously held by New Forests, an Australia-based forestland manager, constitutes the Tribe’s largest reacquisition of land since the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation was established in 1864. The newly regained land includes the headwaters of Pine Creek, which flows into the Klamath River and is a spawning stream for sacred salmon. The land also provides gathering sites for food and basketry materials, along with a variety of plant and wildlife species that hold great importance in the Tribe’s culture.

Of special significance for a Tribe that has historically interwoven the health of its people with the condition of its land, this restoration is poised to improve both. The Tribe will use its expertise to restore the historic salmon run in Pine Creek, building on the inter-tribal and inter- agency efforts underway to restore the Trinity River and remove the dams on the Klamath River. Additionally, the Tribe’s wildlife managers have plans to rebuild the elk population — a traditional food source — by creating a network of high-elevation meadows. And tribal forestrystaff will expand their work to aggressively fight sudden oak death, which affects the acorn crop and creates hazardous fire conditions that threaten both homes and the Tribe’s drinking water supply.

“There is still a lot of work to do — but we continue to make progress in getting back to where we need to be. There is hope in what we celebrate today,” Davis said. “Managing the land is an integral part of our identity and culture. Acquiring our ancestral territory allows the Hoopa Valley Tribe to sustain our traditions and improve the health and well-being of our people.” The opportunity for the Tribe to regain these 10,395 acres emerged after New Forests put the land up for sale in 2022. Tribal leaders worked with The Conservation Fund, a leading nonprofit in U.S. land and water protection, to negotiate the deal and secure the necessary public and private funding to close on the purchase. The Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit focused on improving access to the outdoors, also provided vital support in securing funding. “We celebrate the Hoopa Valley Tribe’s historic achievement in regaining these 10,395 acres for the benefit of their people and the wildlife that inhabit this land,” said Ben Fryer, The Conservation Fund’s Northern California project manager. “It has been an honor to work with the Tribe to secure this outcome, and we thank the state of California, the private funders and the many other supporters who made this acquisition possible. We look forward to seeing this land thrive in the Tribe’s hands.”

For providing financial support for the acquisition, the Tribe thanks the California State Coastal Conservancy; the California Natural Resources Agency’s Tribal Nature-Based Solutions Program; Resources Legacy Fund; the Indigenous Communities Program of the Schmidt Family Foundation’s 11th Hour Project; Patagonia’s Holdfast Collective; and the Wyss Foundation. For their advice, support, and in many cases, long-standing partnership, the Tribe thanks the Indian Land Tenure Foundation; the Native American Environmental Protection Coalition; the California Department of Fish and Wildlife; the U.S. Bureau of Land Management; Redwood National Park; The Conservation Fund; The Trust for Public Land; State Sen. Mike McGuire; State Assemblymembers Jim Wood, James Ramos, and Cecilia Aguiar-Curry; U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman; Humboldt County Supervisor Steve Madrone; and Misti Schmidt of Conservation Partners LLP. The Tribe additionally thanks those entities and individuals not named here who made the acquisition possible.

Amy Hutzel, Executive Officer California State Coastal Conservancy, said, “the Conservancy is honored to support the return of this important conservation land to Hoopa Valley Tribal stewardship. The Tribe’s work to restore and enhance fish and wildlife habitat, wildfire resilience, and public and tribal access to this property will benefit the land, the Tribe, and all the people of California.”

“We are proud to support this land acquisition of the Hoopa Valley Tribe. Through the Tribe’s stewardship, the lands and waters, salmon, elk, humans, and other beings will be supported. This land purchase is also significant because it will demonstrate to others – through things like salmon restoration and fire management – what is possible when lands are returned to Tribalmanagement,” said Hester Dillon (Cherokee Nation), Indigenous Communities Program Director at the 11th Hour Project.

“We are honored to join in celebration with the Hoopa Valley Tribe in the return of more than 10,000 acres of their ancestral land,” said Greg Curtis, Executive Director of Patagonia’s Holdfast Collective. “While more work remains to restore wild salmon and protect this critical ecosystem, today marks an important milestone. We are pleased to be working alongside such committed partners in the conservation of this area.”

“From salmon runs, to black bears, and majestic forests, the Pine Creek Watershed is home to some of the true wonders of the American West. Today’s announcement demonstrates the importance of expanding opportunity for tribal-led conservation efforts, which will play a major role in protecting America’s wild places and meeting the 30x30 target. We’re extremely proud to support this purchase, and to help restore the Hoopa Valley Tribe’s traditional homeland.” – Molly McUsic, President of the Wyss Foundation

“Today we celebrate a historic milestone with the Hoopa Valley Tribe’s resuming their relationship with their ancestral lands,” said Christina Snider-Ashtari, Tribal Affairs Secretary to

Governor Gavin Newsom. “The Tribe’s reclamation of the Hupa Mountain [property] is a major step toward restoring balance in the region and the state will continue to support efforts like this in the spirit of truth and healing.”

“California Native American tribes are leading the way conserving California’s lands for future generations,” said California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot. “We are proud to support this leadership and help to enable the return of Hupa Mountain property to the Hoopa Valley Tribe. Ancestral land return like this is not only the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do as tribal communities have cared for these lands since time immemorial.”

“We are honored to have the opportunity to partner with the Hoopa Valley Tribe for the return of the Hupa Mountain property,” said Geneva E. B. Thompson, California Natural Resources Agency Deputy Secretary for Tribal Affairs. “This return of ancestral lands is the first of many to be funded from the new $100 million Tribal Nature-Based Solutions grant program. We look forward to continuing to partner with California Native American tribes on their ancestral land return priorities.”

“Trust for Public Land is deeply honored to have played a pivotal role in jumpstarting the remarkable conservation success achieved by the Hoopa Valley Tribe with the acquisition of the 10,395-acre Hupa Mountain property,” said Dr. Ken Lucero, Tribal and Indigenous Lands Director for Trust for Public Land. “This collaboration exemplifies the positive outcomes that can result from shared dedication to environmental conservation and cultural heritage. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the Hoopa Valley Tribe and express our gratitude for the opportunity to contribute to this incredible land preservation initiative.” The Hoopa Valley Tribe was one of the first Nations the Bureau of Indian Affairs selected to participate in the Self-Governance Demonstration Project; is among the few Tribes in the United States with developed Tribal Business Codes; was the first Tribe in California granted treatmentas a state under the Federal Clean Water Act; and is a Tribal Nation on the forefront in the areas of forestry management, conservation and education.

The Tribe’s work to regain and restore ancestral lands is ongoing.

About Hoopa Valley Tribe

The Na:tinixwe, the Hoopa Valley Tribe, since time immemorial has recognized and prioritized the exercise of our inherent rights to provide opportunities for our people, ensuring a safe and healthy environment for all. Hupa people have a deeply rooted traditional and cultural connection with the land that is integrally related to our citizens’ wellbeing. The Hoopa Valley Tribe’s ability to protect, conserve and control the use of lands and natural resources within our unceded ancestral territory and within the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation strengthens the integrity, economic security and health and welfare of the Hoopa People.

UPDATE, DEC. 22: A representative of the Mattress Recycling Council checks in with the Outpost to say that Caltrans erred when it said that futons would not be accepted at this event. In fact they are, said the representative.

Presumably this mistake was the result of ambiguous language on the Bye Bye Mattress’ FAQ. Under the heading “What types of mattresses and box springs are accepted for recycling?” we see the answer:

Futons: Except in California, a futon mattress is eligible, but the base is not.

This reporter — and presumably Caltrans — reads this as: “You can bring in a futon anywhere except for California, but don’t bring us the base.” But this representative assures us that its intended meaning is: “You can bring us futons anywhere, but if you’re in California don’t bring us the base.”

Also this representative would like to let you know that Bye Bye Mattress is a program of the Mattress Recycling Council.

— Ed.

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Press release from Clean California (Caltrans):

Caltrans is excited to announce a Clean California Dump Day in McKinleyville, providing an opportunity to dispose of unwanted mattresses and box springs free of charge.

The event will take place at Pierson Park in McKinleyville on Saturday, January 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. While mattresses and box springs will be accepted, it’s important to note that futons will not be accepted. [Lies. — Ed.]

Caltrans and Bye Bye Mattress are pleased to offer the community a convenient and cost-free solution to dispose of large items responsibly. This event helps residents clear out their homes, encourages environmentally conscious waste disposal practices, and reduces illegal dumping.

The event is made possible through the collaboration of Caltrans Clean California, McKinleyville Community Services District, Humboldt Moving and Storage, and the Mattress Recycling Council. Their support underscores a commitment to community well-being and environmental sustainability.

• Who: McKinleyville residents
• What: Clean California Dump Day (mattresses and box springs)
• When: Saturday, January 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (or until capacity is reached)
• Where: Pierson Park, 1608 Picket Road, McKinleyville

Tips for securing your load:

Completely cover loads with tarps or cargo nets. Debris can escape from gaps.

• Remove loose material and trash before driving.
• Don’t overload – keep materials level with your truck bed.
• Put light items lower, and tie large items to the vehicle for traffic safety.

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Press release from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management:

Supporting the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030 and 15 GW of floating offshore wind energy capacity by 2035, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) today announced it will conduct a regional environmental review of potential development activities on the five offshore wind lease areas off California’s central and north coasts. A Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) will publish in the Federal Register on Dec. 20, 2023, initiating a 60-day comment period. The input gathered during the comment period will inform the scope and alternatives of the PEIS. 

“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to responsibly harnessing the clean energy and economic potential of offshore wind in California,” said Doug Boren, BOEM Pacific Regional Director. “This regional environmental analysis will help ensure that timely decisions can be made to advance offshore wind while protecting the ocean environment, marine life, and other ocean uses. This approach also ensures both a comprehensive review of the California areas and improved efficiencies for future offshore wind project reviews.”

The PEIS will describe the potential impacts of federal offshore wind energy development activities off the coast of California, as well as the change in those impacts that could result from adopting programmatic mitigation measures. BOEM will conduct subsequent site-specific NEPA analyses and consultations for individual proposed wind energy projects as construction and operations plans for those projects are received.

Additional information on the California Offshore Wind Energy PEIS and scoping webinars is available on the BOEM website at https://www.boem.gov/caoffshorewindpeis.

The five offshore wind energy lease areas off the coast of California were awarded through BOEM’s December 2022 auction that brought in over $757 million and will result in over $117 million for workforce training programs and U.S. domestic supply chain investments for the floating offshore wind energy industry.

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DOCUMENT: Notice of Intent to file a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement

By the time the 2,000-plus domestic violence survivors come to the Family Violence Law Center, both their safety and housing are often at risk.

A survivor who’s successfully gotten an abusive partner ordered out of their shared apartment must next shoulder the rent on their own, said Erin Scott, executive director of the Oakland nonprofit. Moving out on their own brings them face to face with a daunting Bay Area housing market. Becoming homeless would exacerbate everything for a client already recovering from trauma.

Scott’s organization uses a grant program that pays for anything a client may need to stay housed, such as renegotiating leases with landlords, covering missed utility bills, or fixing their car so they can get to work.

“We are doing mostly homelessness prevention,” Scott said.

But the nonprofit’s program, Domestic Violence Housing First, sees a grim financial future on the horizon: Federal funding cuts are likely in 2024, which will affect the more than 17,000 households across the state who get those services, and the more than 13,000 people who visited domestic violence shelters in 2021-22.

Across California, similar shelter and housing programs for survivors are bracing for cuts next year. Also affected are a range of operations including county law enforcement’s victims’ services, court-appointed child advocates, rape crisis centers and legal assistance for victims of sexual assault and human trafficking.

The federal funding that pays for the services has been on the decline, prompting Congress to restrict the amount of money distributed to the states. Advocates for the programs, including the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence and the anti-sexual violence group Valor, are hoping California will backfill an expected 30-40% loss with the state’s own funds.

The last time the state did that, in 2021 with a $100 million supplement, California was flush with cash. Now, the advocates’ request for $200 million a year comes at a tight time for the state’s finances. Amid lower-than-expected tax revenues, state budget analysts have projected a record $68 billion deficit next year.

Cuts from the federal government, reflected in President Joe Biden’s budget and bills in both the House and the Senate, won’t be final until Congress passes and Biden approves a spending bill in early 2024. California, anticipating it will receive less, is considering reducing its grants to counties and nonprofits beginning in the next state fiscal year, which begins July 1.

A spokesperson for the state Department of Finance declined to comment on California’s plan to address the federal cuts, which is expected to be included in the state budget that Gov. Gavin Newsom will propose in January. Brian Ferguson, a spokesperson for the Office of Emergency Services also did not comment, saying only that funding levels for the grants are controlled by the federal government. Nor would the agency release minutes from July and August meetings in which officials discussed the funding, saying the minutes have not been finalized.

Domestic violence, homelessness linked

Among those facing the higher cuts in California are the housing and shelter programs for domestic violence survivors, a group particularly vulnerable to becoming homeless. That could mean cuts to services as California’s record homelessness continues to worsen. The Housing First program at Scott’s organization, among other housing services facing cuts, is funded entirely by the federal grants.

In California, state data for the first half of 2023 show 21% of those seeking homeless services reported having experienced domestic violence — outside of some shelters specifically serving survivors. A survey last year of unhoused women in Los Angeles County found 44% said domestic violence caused them to become homeless, and 29% said they left a permanent housing placement because of it.

“For a lot of our clients, domestic violence is the last straw,” Scott said. “They were already kind of on the brink of homelessness just because of the high cost of housing. They were in a two-income situation and for their own well-being and safety, they aren’t, all of a sudden.”

The nonprofit has already lost out on the renewal of a legal assistance grant this year because of the cuts, she said. That amounted to the cost of one staff attorney, who stayed on only because another staff member left.

The dollars in question come from the federal Victims of Crime Act fund, a pot of money maintained by the U.S. Department of Justice. Going into the fund are fines collected from people convicted of federal crimes. Every year, Congress decides how much of the fund goes out to states.

For years, the fund grew while the amount going to states remained mostly flat, below $1 billion. In 2015, Congress allowed more than $2.3 billion to be released. But the fund balance has been falling since 2017, as changes in federal prosecution strategies have netted less in fines for the fund. Though Biden in 2021 signed a law allowing more sources of money to go into the fund, it hasn’t yet grown back.

The Department of Justice did not respond to requests for comment.

Versions of the congressional spending plans being considered by both the U.S. House and the Senate include a $700 million reduction going toward states in the federal 2024 fiscal year, compared to the year before. That would amount to a 36% cut.

In California, the state from 2020 to 2023 distributed an average of $230 million a year in crime victims grants. Next year, it’s expecting to get between $105 and $132 million from the federal government.

Krista Colon, senior director of public policy strategies at the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, said the seesawing federal funding shows the state should help keep these programs funded on its own.

“We think it’s really essential to provide that stability,” she said.

Without it, the hundreds of organizations across the state that receive the grants are scrambling to keep their services afloat.

In southern California, the crime victim grants make up about half of the East Los Angeles Women’s Center’s budget. They pay for services such as a 24-hour, bilingual rape crisis center that responds to calls from three local hospitals, a transitional housing service where survivors can stay for two years as they get back on their feet and services tailored toward sexual assault or human trafficking victims in low-wage industries commonly reliant on immigrant labor. There already is a 100-person waitlist for therapy, and beds in the housing programs are “always filled,” said executive director Barbara Kappos.

“I am desperately looking at other ways to fund these programs,” Kappos said.

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

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Representatives of the local tourism and business sector showed up to today’s Humboldt County Board of Supervisors meeting to urge the board to preserve the county’s relationship with the Humboldt County Visitors Bureau (HCVB) or risk adverse impacts to the local tourism industry and economy.

Following nearly three hours of deliberation, the Board of Supervisors agreed to wait until May 2024 before making any changes to its contractual agreement with the HCVB to provide more time for the Tourism and Travel Ad Hoc Committee time to reevaluate the county’s tourism assets and discuss the issue with local municipalities.

The board approved the formation of an ad hoc committee back in October 2022 to oversee some of the revenues and expenditures associated with the visitors bureau, which is funded through the county’s Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), and look for ways to improve the county’s overall travel and tourism marketing strategy. The ad hoc committee’s report, presented during today’s meeting, expressed “concern for the HCBV’s use of county funding” and questioned whether the bureau was capable of fulfilling its agreement with the county. 

“The agreement covers tourism and marketing services with a total payable amount equal to 18% of TOT received by the county annually from July 18, 2018, through June 30, 2024,” according to the staff report. Of the TOT paid to the HCVB under the agreement, 42 percent passes through “gateway organizations,” including the Southern Humboldt Visitor’s Bureau (SHBVB) and the Arcata, Garberville, Orick and Willow Creek chambers of commerce.

Adair | Screenshot

A significant portion of the HCBV’s allotment is “eaten up” after the gateway organizations get their piece of the pie, said Economic Development Director Scott Adair. Most of the funding covers rent, utilities and staff salaries, leaving “very little funding to actually perform an efficient and effective marketing campaign for Humboldt County.” 

The ad hoc offered up two potential solutions to address the HCVB’s financial issues: Allocate additional funding to the organization or terminate its marketing contract with the county and develop a new marketing fund.

“It’s important to identify and recognize that HCVB is the lead agency charged by your board with the overall success or failure of marketing, travel and tourism initiatives in Humboldt County,” Adair told the board. “It’s important to state that what we’re discussing today is not about the who; this is about a programmatic decision that sits before your board.”

Speaking during the public comment portion of today’s meeting, HCVB Executive Director Julie Benbow sought to “clarify – on record – some misinformation presented” in the staff report, which, she said, focused on the bureau’s shortcomings “without acknowledging the tremendous national and international marketing successes that we’ve accomplished with a small budget … .”

Benbow | Screenshot

“In 2022, travel-related spending brought in half a billion dollars to the county – over $49 million in tax revenue into the General Funds,” Benbow said. “Tourism is the only consistent, non-resident source of revenue coming into the General Fund. If the [HCVB] is defunded, there would be a critical adverse effect on revenue and loss of support from businesses throughout the county. … We urge the Board of Supervisors to increase funding and not endanger the quality of life for the people of Humboldt County.”

Several others echoed Benbow’s comments, including Marc Rowley, a former HCVB board member, who urged the board to seek more information from tourism industry experts before deciding on the matter. He also asked for more collaboration between the HCVB and the Humboldt Lodging Alliance (HLA). “Those are your travel professionals,” he said.

Similarly, Alex Stillman, local mover and shaker and Arcata City Councilmember, urged the board to think about the tourism industry as a whole rather than several separate components. 

“I don’t know how to pull it all together,” she admitted. “We’ve always had tourism. We have gone through many other things … where we’ve had fisheries and lumber and so forth, but we’ve always had tourism. I think it’s one of [the] most [important] economic development tools that we can have.”

Early on in the board’s discussion, Fifth District Supervisor and Board Chair Steve Madrone suggested the board table the discussion and do some more research before deciding on the matter. 

“I think no matter what we’ve got more work to do and I think we need to keep the ad hoc working together to bring forward some more concise recommendations,” Madrone said. “We’ve got some good ones here today, but I don’t know that we’re gonna get all this resolved. … I think we’re going to need to reevaluate the gateways and where that money goes and how that works.”

Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson emphasized the importance of adopting modern tourism marketing strategies. “We’re really talking about the future,” he said. “Where we came from is some relevance but really, it’s about the future. It’s about the future of what people want to do. It’s about the future [of] how people communicate and receive information and how we direct that.”

Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell noted that today’s discussion was not meant to determine whether or not the HCVB has done a good job at marketing, but whether the bureau has adhered to its contractual obligations with the county. 

“If we’re not going to hold people to contracts that are signed, then we need to rework those contracts,” she said. “I think it’s super important that we, as an organization, hold people to that and if it’s not working, it’s adjustable. Let’s sit down at the table with them and go over the contract and figure out why it’s not working or why it’s not achievable.”

Bushnell made a motion to return to the subject in six months to allow time for staff and the ad hoc committee to go over the county’s contract with the HCVB. She also requested that the ad hoc committee discuss the county’s marketing strategies with gateway organizations. Madrone seconded the action.

After a bit of additional discussion, the motion passed 5-0.

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After announcing last year the launch of the Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot Program, the McKinleyville Family Resource Center (McKFRC) announced today that the program is now accepting referrals for eligible individuals and families to receive $920 per month for a year and a half. 

The program, which McKFRC has locally named the Humboldt Income Program, is one of seven Guaranteed Income Pilot Programs funded by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) across the state. Out of the seven selected nonprofits, McKFRC is the only one that serves a rural area, Robin Baker, co executive director of McKFRC, told the Outpost, and was awarded nearly $2.5 million for the program last year. 

The pilot program is designed to help pregnant individuals and young adults who have  aged out of the foster care program, and each of the participating nonprofits has a different set of criteria for accepting applicants. The Humboldt Income Program is geared toward people within their first two trimesters of pregnancy. 

The program is available to anyone who is at least 18 years of age, lives in Humboldt County, is currently within their first 27 weeks of pregnancy and is at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Here are the current income levels by family size to qualify.

Image from McKFRC’s website

Applicants must be referred by one of MckFRC’s referral partners, including United Indian Health Services, Open Door Community Health Centers, North Country Prenatal Services and Redwood Community Health Center Pregnancy Services, Hoopa TANF, Redwoods Rural Health Center, Providence Medical Group, K’ima:w Medical Center, CalWORKs, or Providence St. Joseph Hospital Paso a Paso and CARE Network programs. If you would like to apply, you should call whichever of those agencies you use. Once you’re referred, you will receive a text or email with a little bit of paperwork to fill out, but it is very easy and should take about 15 minutes to complete, Baker said. 

If you read the Outpost’s previous story about the program, then you might have noticed that the amount of the payments has decreased from the monthly $1,000 that was initially promised. Baker said this was because each recipient of the grant had to also match one third of the funds through their own fundraising efforts, and, unfortunately, McKFRC did not meet their goal. But the nonprofit was still able to round up more than $1 million through local donations and worked with CDSS to lower the monthly payment amount to $920 for 18 months. 

The referral period started on Dec.4, and Baker said that they have already enrolled 39 people in the program, which means there’s still space for 111 more. Enrollment will continue until all 150 people have enrolled. 

Baker said that she is very excited to be launching this program, especially at a time when financial assistance is badly needed. McKFRC is a part of The Center, a multi-agency facility that provides assistance with many assistance programs, including WIC, CalFresh, MediCal, Child Welfare Services and more. Baker said that since opening in early 2022, the Center has seen “a higher need” recently for all of its assistance programs. 

Though the Humboldt Income Program is only able to help people through pregnancy and very early parenthood, Baker hopes that if the pilot program is successful, it can be extended to help more people in the future. Unlike many other assistance programs, which only provide assistance for specific needs, such as groceries, the guaranteed basic income program has “no strings attached,” Baker said, and can be used by the recipients however they see fit, which aligns with McKFRC’s mission. 

“The McKinleyville Family Resource Center holds the belief that people are experts in their own lives and their own needs,” Baker said. “We’re not going in and telling them how to spend the money.”

You can find more information on the Humboldt Income Program on McKFRC’s website.