Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) Major Crimes Division (MCD) is seeking the public’s assistance as part of an ongoing investigation involving a missing person last known to be in the Southern Humboldt area in August 2023.

With the 2-year anniversary of John’s disappearance upon us, investigators are asking anyone who may have seen or had contact with John Starr Vang, age 36, around mid-August 2023 to come forward. John is described as a Hmong male adult approximately 5’2”, 165 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. John was reported missing by his family and loved ones in March of 2024 and was believed to be working on a marijuana grow at a rural property in the Panther Gap area near Honeydew in the Southern Humboldt area during the time of his disappearance.

As part of this effort, the Sheriff’s Office is also attempting to identify three adult Hmong females (shown below) who were seen in the company of John at the Walmart in Eureka on August 14, 2023. The HCSO is also attempting to locate a Hispanic male known only as Mateo who used to work with John on the same farm. These individuals may have important information that could assist in the investigation.

Anyone who may have interacted with John during the summer of 2023 or who may have knowledge of individuals residing or working in the Panther Gap area of Southern Humboldt during that time is urged to contact Investigator Buihner with the HCSO Major Crimes Division at (707) 445-7251 and reference case number 202401065.

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A new California law aims to keep more short children in booster seats for longer, imposing fines if they can’t properly wear their seat belt.

Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a watered-down version of Assembly Bill 435 that originally proposed to ban smaller teenagers from sitting in the front seat and to require short-statured youth to use booster seats into their middle school years.

But enough of the Democrats who control the Legislature balked at ending the time-honored tradition of teens calling “shotgun” to ride in the front seat.

Instead, they settled on changing the standards police officers use to determine if a child is tall enough to safely wear a seatbelt while riding in a vehicle. Currently, California law requires children to use booster seats until they turn 8 or reach a height of 4 foot 9 inches.

That won’t change under the law Newsom signed. But beginning in 2027, children from 8 to 16 years old will have to pass a five-step test to be considered properly restrained by a seat belt under California law.

If the driver of a vehicle can’t answer “yes” to all of these five questions about their seat-belted child passenger, the driver could get a ticket and fines of $490.

1. Does the child sit all the way back against the seat?

2. Do the child’s knees bend comfortably at the edge of the seat?

3. Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm, resting on the collarbone?

4. Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs?

5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?

The bill’s proponents said the point is to encourage children and their parents to stay in booster seats until they’ve grown tall enough for a seat belt to fit them properly. The new rules are in line with recommendations public health officials and the California Highway Patrol have for years encouraged parents to follow.

Advocates cite numerous studies showing that small children in car wrecks are more likely to be severely injured or killed because seat belts aren’t designed for their small frames. It’s also especially dangerous for small-framed children to sit up front.

“The longer the child can be using a booster if they do not meet the test, the better, because it is so important to have the belt in the right place,” said Stephanie Tombrello, the former executive director SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. and a longtime proponent of seat belt laws.

Original bill was a tough sell

The original version of the bill would have banned teens up to 16 years old from sitting in the front seat if they couldn’t pass the five-step test.

The bill also would have required all children younger than 10 to use booster seats and bar all those under 13 from sitting in the front seat. The measure also would have required children as old as 13 to use a booster seat unless they passed the five-step test.

But even with child and automotive safety and health care groups supporting the bill, it proved to be too tough a sell in its original form for its author, Democratic Assemblymember Lori Wilson of Suisun City.

Her bill sailed through its first two committees. Then, in May, the bill died when Wilson brought it to the Assembly floor. It needed 41 votes to pass. It got 35, with 25 Democrats not voting, which counts the same as voting “no.”

As CalMatters reported, Democrats almost never vote “no” on their colleagues’ bills. Instead, they typically don’t vote at all. In the Capitol, it’s seen as a more polite way of saying “no” and less likely to lead to retaliation. Not voting also allows politicians to dodge accountability for controversial votes since it’s difficult for a member of the public to determine if a particular lawmaker was actually there to vote that day.

Wilson told CalMatters that part of the resistance from her Democratic colleagues was fallout over controversial legislation that sought to increase penalties for teen sex solicitation. That legislation raised difficult questions in the Democratic caucus about how hard to crack down on those accused of soliciting sex from minors, based on whether the victims were younger or older teenagers.

Then along came Wilson’s bill soon after. Wilson said conservative media outlets made comparisons between the bills, since hers sought to have the state treat some teens like small children. That was seen as hypocritical given the resistance from progressive Democrats to increasing penalties for those soliciting sex from older teenagers.

“It then started getting eyes on it,” she said. “And people started talking about, ‘Well, actually, I have a 10-year-old, and they don’t want to sit in a booster seat. I don’t want them to sit in a booster seat.’”

None of the Democrats who didn’t vote on the bill in May spoke during the bill’s brief Assembly floor hearing.

Of the Assembly Democrats who didn’t vote that day, CalMatters requested interviews this week with five of them, all of whom have children.

Spokespeople for Cottie Petrie-Norris of Irvine, Maggy Krell of Sacramento, Rhodesia Ransom of Stockton, Jesse Gabriel of Encino and Christopher Ward of San Diego did not make them available for interviews.

The following month, Wilson brought the bill back to the Assembly. Noting that many of her colleagues were leery of the bill, she promised to fix it in the Senate.

With her assurances, the bill squeaked by with 42 votes. Then, after the most controversial provisions were removed, it passed the Senate unanimously.

Wilson said she’s satisfied with the version of the bill that Newsom signed and has no plans to resurrect the more controversial measures in future legislation.

“I think just changing the culture, and now it being required by law to properly restrain your child,” she said, “I think that’s enough to push parents to make the right choice for their kids.”

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

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On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a set of bills meant to recognize incarcerated firefighters, including a historic measure to raise their pay to meet the federal minimum wage during active fires.

The wage increase, funded through the state budget, follows years of advocacy to improve pay and working conditions for incarcerated labor. That effort took on a new urgency after hundreds of incarcerated firefighters were deployed to battle deadly wildfires that hit Los Angeles in January.

State lawmakers this year introduced a seven-bill “Firefighting to Freedom” package to protect incarcerated firefighters and support job opportunities upon their reentry. Five of those bills were signed into law today, marking the most comprehensive changes to incarcerated firefighting in the state’s history.

Incarcerated firefighters previously earned between $5.80 and $10.24 per day, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. During active emergencies, Cal Fire pays them an additional $1 per hour. Now, they will earn $7.25 per hour when they’re on a fire.

Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, a Democrat from Culver City who authored the bill, said Californians should feel proud about the sense of moral clarity that crossed party lines.

“​This is a historic and momentous day,” said Bryan. “​The governor signing the bill is an incredibly powerful reminder that all labor is dignified and anybody who is willing to put their lives on the line deserves our gratitude.”

Bryan initially set out to raise wages for incarcerated firefighters to $19 per hour, but settled on the federal minimum wage after budget negotiations. The bill was opposed by the California State Sheriffs’ Association over concerns of its potential fiscal impact on counties, which administer jails and could also face pressure to increase pay for incarcerated labor.

It received bipartisan support from nearly two dozen lawmakers.

“A number of years ago, when I worked for Cal Fire, you have never seen men work harder than with these crews,” said Assemblymember Heath Flora at a legislative hearing in September, a Republican from Ripon who co-authored the bill. “There is not a system — there is not a program — better than the fire camps with Cal Fire and the state of California.”

Bryan introduced the bill after voters last year rejected a ballot measure that would have ended forced labor in prisons and jails. It would have amended the state’s constitution to repeal language that allows involuntary servitude as a form of criminal punishment, making work assignments voluntary.

California’s incarcerated firefighters have long provided critical support to state, local and federal government agencies in responding to various emergencies, including wildfires and floods. They’re voluntary assignments.

Over 1,800 incarcerated firefighters live year-round in minimum-security conservation camps, also known as “fire camps,” located across 25 counties in California, according to the corrections department. Those numbers have dwindled in recent years due to a declining prison population.

Two of the proposals did not pass, including one that would have required Cal Fire to create more opportunities for incarcerated firefighters to secure firefighting jobs upon their release. The proposal, Assembly Bill 1380, did not reach Newsom.

That was disappointing to Royal Ramey, a formerly incarcerated firefighter who co-founded the nonprofit organization Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program, which sponsored the measure. But he said the other five bills signed by Newsom are “huge progress.”

“For me, transitioning from fire camp into a career was one of the hardest challenges of my life, and I know too many people who never got that chance,” said Ramey. “With these laws, we can change that story.”

The package of bills Newsom signed included:

• Assembly Bill 247: Requires incarcerated firefighters be paid $7.25 per hour while actively fighting a fire.
• Assembly Bill 799: Requires the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation pay a death benefit of $50,000 for the death of an incarcerated firefighter.
• Assembly Bill 812: Requires the corrections department to create regulations around referring incarcerated firefighters for resentencing.
• Assembly Bill 952: Requires the corrections department to establish and expand the Youth Offender Program Camp Pilot Program as a permanent program.
• Senate Bill 245: Streamlines and expedites the expungement process for formerly incarcerated firefighters.

“It’s incredibly heartening to see that the Legislature has taken the issue of protecting incarcerated firefighters seriously,” said Taina Angeli Vargas, executive director of the nonprofit organization Initiate Justice Action, which co-sponsored most of the bills. “It’s about time that the state of California began to treat them with more respect and dignity.”

Assemblymember Sade Elhawary, a Democrat from Los Angeles who authored the law to establish and expand the youth pilot program, said it’s an opportunity for the 13 other states that have incarcerated firefighters to “follow in the footsteps of California.”

“I hope this is the beginning of what will be a national movement to elevate the rights and opportunities for incarcerated firefighters,” she said. “All of these folks deserve more love and support.”

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PREVIOUSLY

• Claiming Infringements on Free Speech Rights, Northcoast Environmental Center Staff Members Strike
• Striking Northcoast Environmental Center Staff Issue Statement

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It’s been almost a month since staffers for the Northcoast Environmental Center (NEC) went on strike, and no progress has been made towards a resolution. 

Larry Glass, the NEC’s public lands director and secretary for their board of directors, said the staffers haven’t responded to any of the NEC’s letters, phone calls, or emails. 

Glass said the NEC was not planning to punish them for forming a union, but the rest of their demands (which include editorial control of the NEC’s publication EcoNews, ceasing contact after work hours, and the right to “self-direct [their] own labor”) were “impractical or impossible to meet.”

“They wanted us to turn the organization’s assets over to them and stop telling them what to do,” Glass told the Outpost in an interview. “That’s the best way I could describe it…There’s no way we could function as a 501(c)(3) if we agree to those demands.”

The strikers have not responded to requests for comment sent to their email or to their Instagram account. 

The union did start a crowdfunding effort on GoFundMe Oct. 1 to replace their lost incomes. It’s raised $309 out of a goal of $4,000 as of publication.

The union’s silence has halted negotiations to a stalemate, though they also claim on social media that the NEC also hasn’t responded to any of their attempts at outreach. An Instagram account claiming to represent the strikers posted an update on Sept. 25 claiming that the board hadn’t told the strikers its views on the strike, nor the five staffers’ unionization last month. 

In the meantime, Glass said the NEC was soldiering along. Their annual Coastal Cleanup Month was left unfinished, and October’s EcoNews wasn’t published. Many members who had set up automatic donations ended them, drastically lowering the NEC’s income — but with all of their staff on strike and no paper to print, their overhead is also low. 

It’s been a struggle to get things going again. According to Glass, a dissection of the EcoNews office after the strike started revealed a trove of uncompleted work and uncashed checks. Office computers had been password protected and were difficult to access. 

He’s not overly optimistic about the possibility of a simple end to the ordeal.

“They’re going to have to really rethink their demands before there could be any forward movement,” Glass said.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On Oct. 11, 2025, at approximately 5:04 p.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a welfare check in the 800 block of Mad River Road following reports of an intoxicated adult female walking in the road with two small children. 

Deputies arrived at the scene and located the woman, later identified as 38-year-old Mary Elizabeth Miller, along with three children.   

During their investigation, deputies learned that Miller and her children gone to a local pumpkin patch where witnesses reported she was drinking alcoholic beverages while at the event. Upon leaving the event on foot she was observed falling down several times while holding one of the children. One of the children had visible injuries that did not require immediate medical attention.  

Child Welfare Services (CWS) was notified. Following their contact with the children’s father, the children were safely released into his custody.

Based on their investigation and witnesses’ statements, deputies arrested Miller and transported to her to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility.

She was booked on the following charges:

• P.C. 273d(a)– Child Abuse (Infliction of corporal punishment or injury)
• P.C. 273a(a)– Child Endangerment
• P.C. 647(f) – Public Intoxication

Anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.

Press release from the Northern California Community Blood Bank: 

The Northern California Community Blood Bank is sounding the alarm as supplies of O+ blood have reached critically low levels. This urgent shortage is attributed to increased local use, highlighting the pressing need for donations from individuals with this vital blood type.

O+ blood is essential for numerous medical treatments and emergencies, as it is one of the most commonly needed blood types. Its versatility allows it to be used for patients with multiple blood types, making it a crucial component of our healthcare system.

In light of this urgent situation, the Northern California Community Blood Bank calls upon all individuals with O+ blood to step forward and donate. Your contribution can directly impact the lives of patients in need, ensuring they receive the critical care and transfusions that can save lives.

Donating blood is a simple yet powerful way to give back to the community. We invite you to make a difference by donating today!

Please visit the Northern California Community Blood Bank’s website at nccbb.org, or call 707-443-8004 for more information.

Thank you for your immediate attention to this urgent matter and for your generosity in helping to replenish our O+ blood supplies. Together, we can ensure that patients receive the care they deserve.

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This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

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Gov. Newsom today announced that he has signed Senate Bill 243, legislation that adds guardrails to AI-powered chatbots that operate in the state.

The legislation had divided tech industry representatives and child safety advocates. Newsom left unsigned another bill regulating such bots, Assembly Bill 1064, which child advocates argued better protected kids.

Under SB 243, companies that offer chatbots, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, would be required to institute specific safeguards. Among those would be requirements to monitor chats for signs of suicidal ideation, and to take steps to prevent users from harming themselves, such as by referring them to outside mental health assistance.

Makers of the chatbots would also be required to remind users that responses are artificially generated, and to create “reasonable measures” to prevent children from seeing sexually explicit content when using the bots. Kids using the bots would also get reminders to take breaks.

The legislation, among the first in the nation regulating chatbots, comes after a series of disturbing reports. Stories around the country have highlighted how the chatbots can seemingly feed delusions, or fail to pick up on signs of suicidal ideation. Meta, Facebook’s parent company, faced backlash this year after a leaked copy of its chatbot rules revealed the company allowed its bots to have “sensual” conversations with children.

SB 243 received support from a changing mix of backers, with tech industry group the Computer and Communications Industry Association ending up supporting it. After initially opposing the legislation, the group said after changes that it would “provide a safer environment for children, while also not creating an overbroad ban on AI products.”

But child safety advocates, after initially supporting SB 243, soured on the legislation after those changes, saying they had conceded too much to the tech industry. Two groups, Tech Oversight and Common Sense Media, instead threw their support behind AB 1064, saying the bill “establishes critical regulations for the development and use of artificial intelligence systems that interact with children.”

Under AB 1064, chatbots would not be allowed without tech companies showing they are “not foreseeably capable” of harming a child, such as by encouraging self-harm.

“We’ve seen some truly horrific and tragic examples of young people harmed by unregulated tech, and we won’t stand by while companies continue without necessary limits and accountability,” Newsom said in a statement announcing his signing of SB 243.

The statement did not mention any action on AB 1064. The governor has until the end of the day to veto or sign the bill, although it going unmentioned suggested his office was unlikely to move forward with that legislation.