There is a mysterious item on tonight’s agenda for the board of trustees of Eureka City Schools. 

That item — numbered M.33 — carries a long title. It is called:

“Adoption of Resolution 23-24-023 Approving Property Exchange Pursuant to Education Code Section 17536 and Directing District Superintendent, or Designee, to Finalize and Execute the Agreement for Exchange of Real Property”

The staff report for that item — read it here — contains a little bit more information. It is a memo from staff to the school board, asking the board to approve a property swap. The board is asked to trade 674 Allard Avenue — the long-disused Jacobs Campus — for another piece of property.

Which piece of property would the district be trading for? Who would they be trading with? For what purpose?

The district is not saying. The details of the proposed land-swap staff is proposing are contained in a draft contract attached to the staff report — they call it “Exhibit A” — which school district staff say will not be made public until the time of the meeting. 

This morning, the Outpost spoke with Micalyn Harris, the executive assistant to Superintendent Fred Van Vleck, who is scheduled to leave the job at the end of the month. Harris declined to provide the Outpost a copy of “Exhibit A,” on the grounds that the board was also dealing with the question of the Jacobs Campus earlier in the evening, during a closed session item.

Whether or not the board takes action on the staff’s proposed land swap will depend on what happens during that closed session discussion, Harris said.

“Depending on the board’s determination out of those confidential discussions, they may or may not decide to take action,” Harris said. “And if they do decide to have a conversation outside of closed session and take action on that item, those documents will be available for the public.”

One trustee on the Eureka City Schools board told the Outpost that they had received documentation about the proposed land swap, but that they could not discuss it with us, for similar reasons — that it would be discussed earlier, in closed session, and that fact precluded release of information about the deal scheduled to be heard later, in open session.

So the public goes into tonight’s meeting blind about the details. Despite that, the staff report asks the board to approve the property swap at tonight’s meeting. This, at the very least, is an unusual state of affairs in California, which has laws to ensure that the public’s business is conducted in public.

The Jacobs Campus has been much in the news of late, and not only for its squalor. Last year the City of Eureka attempted to purchase the property from the school district in order to build housing, but its bid was rejected. The California Highway Patrol has been in negotiations to buy the site for a new headquarters for well over a year. Most recently, proponents of the pro-parking “Housing for All Initiative” have touted it as an alternate site for housing development, which might theoretically allow for the preservation of downtown parking lots.

The staff report estimates the value of the proposed land swap at $6 million.

The Eureka City Schools Board of Trustees meets at at 5:30 p.m. at district headquarters — 2100 J Street, Eureka.

PREVIOUSLY

• Real-Life Grinch Breaks Into Toys for Tots Warehouse, Drives Off With Truck-Load Full of Christmas Gifts
• HUMBOLDT GRINCH PINCHED? EPD Makes Arrest in Connection With Toys For Tots Caper

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Press release from the Eureka Police Department:

On December 13, 2023 an Agent from the Humboldt County Drug Task Force (HCDTF), who has been actively involved in this investigation, authored a search warrant for several locations in response to the ongoing attempts to locate additional toys stolen from the Toys for Tots storage location.

The search warrants were executed by HCDTF, assisted by Detectives and an Evidence Technician from the Eureka Police Department. During the search of one of the locations, additional stolen toys were located and recovered. Also located was a stolen handgun, ammunition, body armor and two (2) digital scales with narcotic residue.

This is an ongoing investigation and additional charges are expected to be filed once reviewed by the Humboldt County District Attorney’s office.

The Agent who authored the search warrants shared that this theft hit close to home for him. He understands how these generous donations of toys have such a positive impact on the children of our community, and is committed to recovering as many of the toys as we can while bringing those responsible to justice.

Eureka Police Department release: 

We are pleased to share a bittersweet moment for our department, the retirement of Administrative Technician II, Suzie Owsley.

Suzie began her career over 32 years ago starting as a Police Services Officer and has worked in many different positions throughout the department. To say she has been a fundamental part in our operations would be an understatement. Suzie has provided a great deal of support to our goal of providing the best service possible to the citizens of Eureka.

On behalf of a grateful department, we want to congratulate Suzie on her retirement, and wish her well in her future endeavors. Thank you for the years of dedicated and unwavering service you have provided to the City of Eureka, citizens of Eureka, and the men and women of the Eureka Police Department.

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The Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District Board of Commissioners will receive a status update on the Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project during tonight’s regular meeting. Tonight’s report will include more information on the district’s recent decision to extend its “Exclusive Right to Negotiate” agreement with Crowley Wind Services, the marine logistics company that’s been selected to build a full-service facility to support offshore wind development on the West Coast. 

The agreement, which prevents the district from negotiating with other potential developers, was set to conclude at the end of this month. The extended agreement will end in March 2024.

The Harbor District has spent the last year working with Crowley to design the Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project, to be located at Redwood Marine Terminal 1 on the Samoa Peninsula, and come up with a lease agreement for the project site.

The proposed development has sparked controversy among some local stakeholders and tribal leaders who have asked the Harbor District to reconsider its partnership with Crowley following allegations of sexual misconduct among some company higher-ups. Others, including some local environmental advocacy groups, have questioned the legality of entering into a lease agreement before environmental review.

“Since signing the ERTN agreement in October of 2022, the District and Crowley have received numerous comments and questions from community members about the possibility of a lease,” the staff report states. “Both parties have been actively listening to Tribal governments, community members, interested parties, and affected communities. Both parties continue to work diligently to understand concerns and to evaluate how various interests could be reflected in a lease.”

Staff will also provide a general update on port development efforts during tonight’s meeting, including the project schedule, budget, tasks completed, tasks underway, upcoming tasks and the latest overall project strategy.

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The Harbor District Board of Commissioners will meet tonight at 6 p.m. in the Woodley Island Marina Meeting Room – 601 Startare Drive, Eureka. Remote viewing instructions and the agenda can be found here.

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California’s funding from gas taxes will drop by nearly $6 billion in the next decade due to the state’s electric car rules and other climate programs, “likely resulting in a decline in highway conditions for drivers,” according to a new state analysis released yesterday.

As California phases in major policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions — such as the mandates for zero-emission cars and trucks — consumers buy less gasoline and diesel, and consequently pay less taxes.

Those declines in tax dollars will be partially offset by the state’s road improvement fee, which drivers pay when they register their electric cars. But the Legislative Analyst’s Office stressed that overall the state will still see a $4.4 billion drop in funding, a 31% decline, over a decade, so the Legislature and governor must come up with substantial new funding sources.

Unless the drop is accounted for with new fees or other funding, there would be substantially less money for highway programs as well as local road maintenance, the analysts wrote. Work supporting buses, trains and other public transit options across the state also would face drops in funding.

“As the state tries to meet its ambitious climate goals through the adoption of zero emission vehicles, and greater fuel efficiency within conventional vehicles, the report finds that we’ll see a decline in fuel tax revenues,” said Frank Jimenez, a senior fiscal and policy analyst with the office.

Fuel taxes and vehicle fees fund about a third of state spending on transportation. This year’s budget, passed in June, includes about $14.2 billion in state funding for transportation.

The report projects declines of $5 billion, or 64%, in the state’s gasoline excise tax, $290 million, or 20%, in the diesel excise tax and $420 million, or 20%, in the diesel sales tax, over the next decade.

Highway maintenance is funded primarily by the fuel taxes “and therefore will face significant funding declines,” the report says. “…We project funding for these programs will drop by roughly $1.5 billion (26 percent) over the next decade, from $5.7 billion to $4.2 billion.”

Lawmakers could make up for the shortfalls in many of these programs by spending less on transportation, but that would likely mean worsening roads and highways, and also some public mass transit cuts. They might also consider further increasing gas taxes or vehicle fees. But that might have an outsized impact on the state’s lower-income communities, who are expected to adopt zero-emission vehicles more slowly as middle- or higher-income Californians.

Lawmakers also could consider using other state funds for transportation or implementing a road charge, which would tax people based on the number of miles they drive.

The report comes as California is bracing for a projected $68 billion budget deficit next year. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Finance Department on Tuesday ordered departments and agencies across government to reign in spending on everything from travel to office supplies.

California aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 85% below 1990 levels by 2045, when the state is expected to reach a statewide goal of net zero emissions. One of the most prominent ways the state is doing that is by banning the sale of all new gas-powered cars by 2035.

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

Lonnie Lee Wilson was born on May 1, 1977 in Hoopa. He was called by the creator to his eternal dance place on December 9, 2023 in Redding.

Lonnie was preceded in death by his siblings Crystal Wilson, Isaac Wilson & Michael Wilson; grandparents Benjamin and Donna Spencer, Carl Wilson Sr. and MaryAnne Charles; Uncles Lawrence Spencer, Marvin Spencer, Arthur Lewis Sr., William Wilson; Aunts Berdine Lewis, Carol Wilson, Jeanne Spencer; cousins Cedric Hostler III, and Bonnie Hostler. Lonnie was survived by his daughter Ki’Ge:ch Wilson, sons Lonnie Wilson II, Sebastian Ferris, and Lorenzo Rogers; parents Carl Wilson and Karen Spencer; uncle Robert & Aunt Susie Wilson, aunts Ina Wilson & Brenda Spencer, uncle Benjamin Spencer, Sister Kimberly Wilson; nieces Cautiposhon Wilson, Jennifer Beck, Tenaya Sorrell; nephews Ruben Williams, Ka-Muh Williams, Jerome Williams, Isaac Wilson II, Andrew & Ralph Sorrell, and his grandchildren Sebastian and Sah-Seep Ferris. Lonnie had many numerous friends and cousins, too many to name as there were so many close to his heart but held a special place in his heart for Tahsanchat and Chelsea.

Lonnie graduated from Hoopa High School and attended college at Arizona Technical Institute. Lonnie’s hobbies included camping, fishing, eeling, hunting, mechanicing, welding, wood burning, archery, spending time with family and most of all being a “Mr. Know-it-all” especially when it came to his big brown chevy when working on it with his kids. Lonnie enjoyed being a part of his daughter’s Flower Dance Ceremony and high mountain dance. He also participated in designing and building the Hoopa Soccer Field. Lonnie was previously employed at Hoopa Forestry, Plant Management, Hoopa Valley Housing Authority and the local school district KTJUSD. Lonnie’s favorite things to do was to spend time at his parents’ house visiting them along with his nephews, as well as small mechanic repairs for friends and family, babysitting both of his grandchildren, “mansplaining” things to his daughter, or helping his sons with their cars and small repairs in the garage.

The family would like to thank those in the more recent years for spending time with him even in the smallest ways of just stopping by to say hello.

Honorary Pallbearers: Lonnie Wilson II, Sebastian Ferris, Lorenzo Rogers, Carl Wilson, Robert Wilson, Kenny Lucas, Benjamin Spencer, Ruben Williams, Ka-Muh Williams, Isaac Wilson II, Victor Jones, Tim Hunt, Jr., Tashone Rice, Augie Montgomery, and Clinton Hoaglen.

Pallbearers: Louie Gamino, Duane Sherman, Sr., Glenn Moore, Melvin Farmer, Dakota Farmer, Tyler Hunt, Jr., Boyd Ferris, Sherman Norton, Thomas Mosier, Sr., Bob Campbell Sr., Bob Campbell Jr, Karl Norton, Quincy Masten, Rocky Colegrove, Francis Colegrove, James Rickaby, II, Nicholas Markussen, Jared Ammon, Anthony Bennett, Roger Bailey and Adam Robertson.

The wake will be held at his home on the BIA Campus in Hoopa: Friday, Dec. 15, 2023 @ 7 p.m.

Services will be at the NF Bldg. on Hwy 96 in Hoopa, CA 95546: Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023 @ Noon.

He will be buried at the Spencer Family Cemetery - Airport Rd in Hoopa.

The Reception will be held at the Hoopa Fire House on Hwy 96, Hoopa immediately following the burial.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Flowers and food donations are welcome.

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It is with great sadness that we mourn the death of Dr. Solon B. Holstein, who lost his long battle with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma on November 27, 2023. He died at home in Eureka. He is survived by his loving wife, Shelley Jaeger Holstein (née Wolk) of 50 years, his daughters, Jennifer and Julie Holstein (m. Noah Rosen) and his two stepchildren, Stephen Jaeger (p. Dayna Desmond) and Nicole Jaeger (m. Daniel Erlij). He leaves behind seven grandchildren: Ila and Miles Holstein-Rosen, Jonah Rosenblatt, Daniel and Audrey Jaeger and Alexandra and Elliot Erlij, all of whom he adored. He is also survived by his younger sister, Sharon Fingerhut (m. Lester Fingerhut) of North Carolina, his Brother and sister-in-law, Elliot and Nancy Wolk of New York his nephew Andrew Wolk and wife Jodi who held a special place in his heart, as well as several other nieces, nephews, and cousins about whom he had much love and respect.

He never missed an opportunity to talk about his community of loving and devoted friends, with whom he enjoyed long walks, lively conversation and a mutual love of classical music. They enriched his life with endless warmth, intellect, humor and compassion. A note of special appreciation goes to Steve Henry, John Gambin, and Ed Olsgard who were steadfast by his side throughout the long dying process. Solon was preceded in death by his parents, Morris M. Holstein (b. NY d. 2000) and Ester Holstein (b. Ukraine d. 1991), an older brother David Holstein, his first wife, Martha B. Holstein (d. 2022) and, of course, his beloved cat, Molly Gatto.

Dr. Holstein was born in the Bronx, New York in 1939. He graduated from NY University in Binghamton (Nee Harper College) with a degree in Psychology and received a Master in Arts in 1980 and Ph.D in Philosophy from the University of Missouri in 1983. He completed post-doctoral work in Neurophysiology at the Brain Research Institute of UCLA.

Solon began his career at the VA Hospital in Long Beach under the auspices of the Brain Research Institute. There he led a team of researchers studying the brain with an emphasis on understanding pain and how one compensates for sensory loss. He went on to obtain his Ph.D in Clinical Neuropsychology when recruited by his longtime friend, Dr. John Gambin, to set up a pain management clinic in Eureka. Together with his wife, Shelley, he opened a general psychotherapy practice called the North Coast Center for Pain and Stress Management in 1977, with an emphasis on neurological disorders. In 1993, he helped establish the North Coast Association for Mental Health Practitioners (NCCAMPH ), a non-profit organization of multidisciplinary mental health practitioners that provided continuing education, a collective to deal with the issues of managed care, and a general resource of professionals for the community.

Solon was a natural born artist, captivated by the beauty of the world as seen through his camera lens. At an exhibit of his photographs months before he died, Solon said, “When I was young, I was always in a hurry to get somewhere, photography taught me to stop and really look at the magnificence of nature.”

At home in Eureka, his creativity extended to designing and maintaining his beautiful garden where he spent countless hours in his yard among the Redwood trees. Solon spent most of his summers with Shelley at their special ‘camp’ on Great Pond in Maine.There he loved to kayak and photograph the intriguing Loons of the lake and the magnificent sunsets. He never failed to notice the tiniest details that distinguished each new composition. In addition, he loved sitting on the porch overlooking the lake while carving intricate wooden birds and fish. He traveled extensively and read voraciously. His curiosity, about the science of all living things, never ceased.

He and his family want to thank the outstanding Lymphoma team at Stanford Medical Center, headed by Dr. Ranjana Advani, who, for 20 years, treated him with compassion and allowed him to live his last decades to the fullest. We also have the utmost gratitude for the kind and gentle medical staff at Hospice of Humboldt. along with his wonderful team of private caretakers, who cared for him with love and dignity, kept him physically comfortable and supported him and his wife emotionally until the end of his life.

A memorial service is planned for April 7 at Temple Beth El, Eureka. For further information contact: TBE at 707 444-2846. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to Hospice of Humboldt, Temple Beth El, or an Environmental organization of your choice.

Solon Holstein was a soft-spoken, intelligent, loving man. His guiding principals in life were integrity (always be your word) and be kind (you can always be kind)!

He will be sorely missed.

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