Clyde and Jeanine Matilton don’t understand why their son Eric had to spend more than two weeks on life support before Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal agreed to let his organs be donated, but three days removed from his death, they felt pride and relief this morning when they learned that Eric’s passing likely saved the lives of at least three other people.
Eric Matilton’s liver and both kidneys were recovered during an autopsy on Saturday, and they’ve been successfully transplanted into three organ donation recipients, according to Robynn Van Patten, chief legal and administrative officer/executive vice president of Donor Network West, a nonprofit organ procurement organization.
“I’m in awe of how much strength they had in the face of everything they’d gone through,” Van Patten said of the Matiltons. “Their strength and courage of conviction got the message about [the importance of] organ donation out, so who knows how many other lives have been saved or will be saved because of what they did.”
She also said that, despite the frustrating delays, she grateful to Sheriff Honsal, who maintained for 14 straight days that protocol precludes the possibility of organ donation when someone dies while in custody at the county jail — only to reverse course at the 11th hour. (In a press release issued Friday afternoon, his department said that after speaking with county counsel, the District Attorney, a forensic pathologist and subject matter experts, Honsal agreed that organ donation could, in fact, proceed without violating protocol.)
“And who knows how many more lives will be saved because the sheriff is revisiting this policy and has a new understanding?” Van Patten said.
Clyde Matilton said he gets that. “But I’m still really, really pissed about the whole thing,” he added. “Why did this have to happen? Why did we have to do this?”
Matilton with two of his kids, Kaydon and Cam.
Eric Matilton, a 38-year-old Hoopa Valley Tribe member and father of three, allegedly hanged himself in his jail cell at the Humboldt County Correctional facility on Friday, Nov. 17. His parents said they were in the Bay Area when they were informed the next day that their son had sustained non-survivable injuries and was on life support at St. Joseph Hospital.
Over the next two weeks, they said, they were unable to reach Honsal directly, but they heard from a number of people who had, including sheriff’s deputies, employees of Donor Network West and Hoopa Valley Tribal Chairman Joe Davis, that Honsal was steadfast in his refusal to allow organ donation.
Davis sent them a text he’d received from Honsal about the matter, which read, “Thank you for reaching out. Since Eric is considered an In Custody Death, we have a protocol that mandates a full criminal investigation, which includes an autopsy. Organ donation cannot be considered. We have told the organ donation people many time [sic] but they don’t want to listen. It is unfortunate, but there is no other way.”
Clyde and Jeanine believe Honsal only changed his mind due to public outcry after they went to the media, and they’re convinced that the two-week delay prevented a successful donor match for their son’s heart.
“I mean, that door was open the whole time,” Clyde said. “All [Honsal] had to do was walk through it and he wouldn’t. … By him not working with the donation team or me or anybody and wasting 15 days, my son was unable to give somebody else life. … It’s painful for me, but it also makes me mad.”
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Van Patten said it’s difficult to say with any certainty whether Eric’s heart could have been successfully donated if things happened sooner.
“There’s a super nuanced, interdependent ecosystem in donation,” she said. “There are many factors that play into that process. … When you are a transplant surgeon and a transplant recipient, there are so many factors that go into play in order for you to be able to receive a heart, and some of it has to do with your immune system, your antibodies, your blood type, your tissue match. There’s a lot of different elements that we look into to find the optimal candidate to make sure that it’s a successful transplant and that your body is less likely to reject it.”
The heart, in particular, is a delicate and intricate organ, and much of its viability for donation depends on the condition of the donor.
“In Eric’s case, he was being kept alive on a ventilator helping him to breathe, have circulation, etc. But he was not declared brain-dead,” Van Patten said.
That fact actually complicated the donation process. When a potential organ donor is declared brain-dead, medical staff know that the patient will die as soon as they’re taken off life support. In fact, they’ve typically already been declared dead, which means that organ recovery can proceed immediately after that patient is taken off of the ventilator.
In cases like Eric’s, on the other hand, where some degree of brain activity remains, doctors must wait after pulling the plug to see if the heart can still keep the body alive.
“They do wait a full five minutes [after the heart stops beating] before we would even begin any kind of procedure, because the heart can sometimes spontaneously resuscitate,” Van Patten explained. “And when that happens, obviously all of us are on the team of, ‘Hey, you can save this person; save this person.’ … Obviously we would never want to cut anyone’s life short.”
That’s true even when the person’s injuries have been declared non-survivable, as in Eric’s case. His was a scenario called “donation after circulatory death,” or DCD, which always involves a bit of uncertainty.
The question, Van Patten said, becomes, “Will this person pass in time so that the organ will remain viable? The heart doesn’t maintain viability for very long.”
When someone in Eric’s condition is pulled off of a ventilator, there’s an immediate reduction in the amount of blood and oxygen traveling through the body, and this lack of circulation can damage the organs.
Van Patten said Eric’s organs remained in good condition throughout his extended time on life support.
“He was a strong guy, a strong young man, which makes this all even more sad in some ways,” she said.
But for the organ recipient and their physician waiting in Los Angeles, the normal uncertainties associated with a DCD were compounded by the bureaucratic red tape here in Humboldt County.
“They were ready to go — all things great — but now, wait. It’s been how many days and [the patient] and their family are waiting for this heart on pins and needles: ‘Will this person pass in time?’” And in this case, Van Patten said, another question arose: “Will the sheriff even allow this to happen?”
During this period of uncertainty — “miraculously,” Van Patten said — another compatible heart became available for the patient in Los Angeles, and while she can’t say for sure, it’s possible that the other donor passed away via brain death, which would have simplified the donation process.
“I don’t know whether [Eric’s heart] was a better overall match than this new one, but they decided to go with the other one because it was more certain,” Van Patten said.
She understands the Matiltons’ frustration. “There’s no question that unnecessary delays in an already incredibly delicate ecosystem can create a problem,” she said. “But I want to be clear that I appreciate the fact that the sheriff’s department is looking into changing its policy, that they ultimately were sufficiently educated to understand that we could still preserve evidence and recover organs so that we can save someone’s life in accordance with Eric and his family’s wishes. And that I hope we will never face this issue in Humboldt County again.”
The Outpost reached out to Honsal via email this morning to ask why it took so long to speak directly with the Matiltons, to county counsel and to the subject matter experts he eventually contacted. We had not received a reply before publication time. We’ll update this post if we get a response.
Eric Matilton and his son Kaydon.
Meanwhile, Clyde and Jeanine Matilton said they think the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and the Coroner’s Office should be separate departments, as they were prior to 2016, to avoid conflicts of interest. And they’re annoyed by online comments celebrating Honsal.
“This thing could have worked from day one but he was hard-core ‘no,’” Clyde said. “Public pressure got to be too much. For me and my family it took 15 days, and going to the press was like the last thing we could do.”
“It was an unusual circumstance,” Van Patten said. “I’m sorry that in this case [Eric’s]heart could not be used. But we know that the other three transplants were successful and his life saved three other lives.”
She said she’s grateful to the Matiltons for their perseverance, and she’s also grateful to the community in Humboldt County for joining the fight.
“They brought it into the public light,” she said, “and there is no question in my mind that their bravery and courage and conviction is going to save even more lives because they’ve made the issue of donation really vivid in the public eye.”
At 0642 hours on Tuesday December 5th, 2023, Humboldt Bay Fire responded with three
Engines, one Truck, and a Chief Officer to the report of a structure fire at the 200 block
of Fifth Street.
The first arriving Truck was assigned fire attack for a fully involved vehicle in the parking
structure on the ground level of the building. The second arriving Engine secured a water
source and assisted with fire attack. The remaining two Engines arrived and checked for
extension into the hotel and provided smoke removal. There was no flame spread to the
interior of the building. Crews remained on scene for approximately two hours for
cleanup and smoke removal.
There were no Firefighter or civilian injuries. The fire was located and controlled within
five minutes of the arrival of the 1st crew. The property sustained damage only to the
ceiling of the parking garage, estimated to be approximately $15,000, with the vehicle
being a total loss. A fire investigation was conducted and the cause of the fire was
determined to be arson.
Humboldt Bay Fire would like to thank our allied partners for their assistance during this
incident; HCSO, and EPD. Humboldt Bay Fire would like to remind everyone to report
any and all suspicious activity by calling EPD’s non-emergency line at (707) 441-4044.
Senate President Designee Mike McGuire, for eight years in a row, has teamed up with Food for People, KHUM radio, and six local high schools for the Humboldt Holiday Food Drive. This year’s big event is happening this Thursday, December 7. The community is invited to stop by the Eureka Safeway and donate much-needed non-perishable foods and funds to help our community’s hungriest.
“Food for People is seeing record demand for food assistance this year,” said Senator McGuire. “Humboldt always steps up and takes care of our neighbors in need when times are tough, but this year in particular, we would be grateful if folks could chip in to help change a life. Food for People needs our help. Join us this Thursday from 3-6pm and give the gift of generosity or donate online at FoodforPeople.org.”
Last year, Food for People distributed over 2 million pounds of food to low-income households in every corner of Humboldt. The need is especially great for thousands of kids. A quarter of those served by Food for People are children who depend on others to have enough to eat.
To gather food and monetary donations, six local high schools (Eureka, McKinleyville, Arcata, Fortuna, Ferndale and St. Bernard’s) have held various kick off events and food drop-offs, produced videos, made commercials and rallied their classmates to participate through creative fundraising activities.
“We’re so incredibly grateful to the thousands of high school students who are mobilizing to help feed our neighbors in need this holiday season. It’s so inspiring to see. We’re excited to partner with Senator McGuire this Thursday for the Humboldt Holiday Food Drive and we hope the community will turn out to support the life-changing work of Food for People,” said Food for People executive director Carly Robbins.
The schools will be dropping off all of their collected food on Thursday, December 7th from 3 to 6 p.m. during the Humboldt Holiday Food Drive. Neighbors are also encouraged to drop off their own donations of food and funds at the Eureka Safeway or donate online.
McKinleyville High School has gone on lockdown three times today, as of this writing (1 p.m.). The school continues to receive anonymous threats, and law enforcement continues to clear them.
The school went on lockdown twice last week, on reports of a man with a firearm near campus. In neither case was such a person found.
Below are the updates to the situation as we receive them today.
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UPDATE, 1:36 p.m.: They’ve cleared the campus again, but they’re throwing in the towel for today. From NHUHSD:
Law
enforcement has given an all clear of the MHS campus. They have
continued to remain on campus today out of an abundance of caution.
Due to the disruption to MHS/MRHS families and students, we will be
releasing students from campus today at 2 pm. Buses will be on campus
to take students who ride home. Students are to remain in their
classrooms until that time. Students who need to wait for a ride
after 2 pm will be able to wait in the library.
We
realize this is a stressful time and we want to assure families that
we are working diligently with law enforcement to try to determine
the origin of these threats. We will continue to have support
personnel for students who need someone to talk to as well. We
will be sending out more information soon.
Once
again, please contact law enforcement if you have any relevant
information.
###
UPDATE, 1:02 p.m.:
MHS has received another anonymous threat and is on lockdown. Law enforcement is already on campus. We will keep you posted.
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UPDATE, 11:23 a.m.: Another message from NHUHSD:
Law enforcement has given an all clear of the MHS campus. They will remain on campus today out of an abundance of caution. Once again, please contact law enforcement if you have any relevant information.
###
UPDATE, 11:07 a.m.: Another message from NHUHSD:
Law enforcement will be checking the surrounding MHS campus due to an additional anonymous threat. MHS will be sheltering in place while LE investigates.
###
UPDATE, 10:32 p.m.: Another message from NHUHSD:
Law enforcement has not identified a threat on the MHS campus. The lockdown has been lifted. LE continues to investigate origin of threats.
###
Parents of students in the Northern Humboldt Union High School District just received the following message:
MHS is on lockdown due to an anonymous threat called into the office. Law enforcement is on campus. We will update when we have more information.
Ana Reyes, 33, with an elk drum, plays during the faculty strike at Cal State Pomona on Dec. 4, 2023. Photo by Lauren Justice for CalMatters
As far back as May the faculty at the California State University threatened to strike if management wouldn’t meet their wage and benefit demands.
That prophecy was on full display yesterday as the California Faculty Association began the first of four one-day strikes, starting at Cal Poly Pomona.
Tomorrow through Thursday the association is planning one-day strikes at Cal State campuses in Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco. The four campuses with walkouts this week together enroll about 105,000 students. The union vows to escalate the work stoppages early next year if university leaders don’t meet their demands.
“If that doesn’t work, we’ll be back,” said union president Charles Toombs. He spoke during an afternoon rally Monday.
“Nobody gives you nothing in this world and you are showing that what is important to you in the CSU is that you have working conditions where you can afford to live, where you can have class sizes that are just not outrageous,” Toombs said.
The union represents 29,000 professors, lecturers, counselors and coaches. It is demanding 12% raises this academic year to make up for the recent massive spikes in inflation. The union also seeks to extend parental leave fromsixweeks to a full semester, hire more therapists and set new baseline wages for the lowest-paid professors and other concessions.
“We don’t need sleep-deprived teachers being put in the classroom mid-semester,” declared Nick Von Glahn, a psychology professor at Cal Poly Pomona and the campus union president.
At one point a team of folklórico dancers performed to a live rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s foreboding hit song, Bad Moon Rising.
The Cal State system, the nation’s largest four-year public university with more than 450,000 students, says it cannot afford the raises.
“Any larger salary increases would force very difficult and painful decisions on our campuses.” — Leora Freedman, vice chancellor for human resources at the California state system
Instead, its leadership has proposed a 5% hike this academic year and 5% increases in 2024-25 and 2025-26 — contingent on Gov. Gavin Newsom fulfilling his promise of upping state support for the system by 5% for each of those two years, moves that require the Legislature’s approval. It’s a promise he’s kept the past two years despite a multi-billion-dollar deficit in June, but faculty labor leaders object to any future raises that aren’t guaranteed.
“Any larger salary increases would force very difficult and painful decisions on our campuses,” said Leora Freedman, vice chancellor for human resources at the Cal State system during a virtual press conference Friday.
The Cal Poly Pomona rally featured elected officials and candidates for state Assembly offices, some for the same Assembly seat.
“I’m a success right now because of Cal State L.A., because of the faculty, not because of administration,” said Sasha Renée Pérez, who attended Cal State L.A. and is now vice mayor of the city of Alhambra. She’s also running for a state Senate seat.
Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes, a Democrat from Corona, spoke in support of the faculty demands, telling them that “this is what collective action for justice looks like.” She’s chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus.
Professors at Cal State earn between $91,000 and $122,000 on average, full-time lecturers make $71,000 on average and the 23 campus presidents have an average base salary of about $417,000, according to 2022 data compiled by CalMatters. Most lecturers are part-time and earned the equivalent $64,000 on average in 2022. The union also wants pay bumps for the lowest-paid instructors on top of the 12% wage increases. Many earned less because they don’t work the full academic year.
A 12% increase for the faculty association’s members would cost Cal State $380 million in annual payroll commitments — an amount that exceeds the operating budgets of numerous individual Cal State campuses. That’s $150 million more than the system got from Newsom’s 5% increase in state support this summer.
Freedman on Friday also said that raises above 5% for the faculty “would trigger a reopening of salary negotiations with other labor unions.” She was referring to recent deals Cal State finalized with twoother unions representing 20,000 workers in which they agreed to 5% raises this year. Those contracts included provisions permitting those unions to bargain again over salary increases if another union gets more than 5%.
“If they come at us with seven (percent), I don’t think faculty would accept that,” said Kevin Wehr, bargaining team chair for the California Faculty Association and a professor at Sacramento State.
The union is also hesitant to accept a multi-year deal because it would override contract negotiations slated to begin next summer. Right now, the two sides are able to negotiate on just a few matters in the collective bargaining agreement, including salary and several benefits provisions. Accepting a multi-year deal now locks into place other contact details that the union wants to hammer out next year.
“The three-year nature of management’s proposal would mean that we cannot bargain over other workplace issues for three years!” union leaders wrote to members last week.
The picket line during faculty strikes at Cal State Pomona on Dec. 4 2023. Photo by Lauren Justice for CalMatters
“I can barely make basic living expenses on our current salary,” said Rachael Hill, a history professor at Cal Poly Pomona. She earns around $80,000 and has a son in college. “We’re asking to break even given the rate of inflation, right? And management has offered a 5% (raise), which is essentially a pay cut.” She’s one paycheck from being houseless, she said, and not only is she unable to pay down her student debt, but she’s accumulating other debt given her wages, she said.
She also wants to see more mental health counselors at her campus. “I’ve had students who were really in crisis, who couldn’t get an appointment, and I had to call the (campus) emergency response team to go in and to do a wellness check on them,” she said. “Knowing that their needs are being taken care of in a timely manner is going to alleviate a lot of stress and worry on my part,” she added.
Chelsi Dimm, a lecturer at Cal Poly Pomona and Fullerton, teaches 11 classes combined for the year, which yields an annual income of around $72,000, she said. She lives in Los Angeles and sometimes drives to both campuses on the same day, a commute of more than two hours.
“A lot of us lecturers are having to put together several jobs in order to make a living,” she said, “and that’s really just not conducive to student learning conditions.”
Complicating the revenue picture further is that the Cal State’s trustees in September approved tuition hikes of 34% across five years that will take effect next fall — actions the faculty union and student groups vehemently opposed. About 60% of students won’t be affected because they receive enough state and institutional financial aid to offset tuition charges. Prompting the trustees’ decision was the revelation in May that Cal State spends $1.5 billion less than it should to properly educate its students and needs more money.
But even with the revenue generated from the tuition hikes and the 5% increases in state support from lawmakers, Cal State officials said they won’t have enough to afford 15% salary increases over three years for all its employees. An official in September said that under that scenario, the system would be $322 million short over three years. Programcuts, layoffs, not filling positions and other approaches are all possibilities to close that gap. Individual campuses would have to decide “how they would address impacts to their budget and reallocate their already limited financial resources,” said Cal State spokesperson Amy Bentley-Smith.
“We’re asking to break even given the rate of inflation, right? And management has offered a 5% (raise), which is essentially a pay cut.” — Rachael Hill, history professor at Cal Poly Pomona
The faculty union argues that Cal State has more available money than it lets on, noting that the system in recent years has shifted end-of-year surpluses into cash and investment reserves. Cal State says it needs at least three months of operating cash on hand to hedge against financial shocks, like natural disasters or recessions. The cash reserves it has now equal just 33 days of its annual budget.
The fact-finder report noted that the two sides fundamentally disagree on the system’s financials and ability to shift more money from reserves and construction projects to ongoing expenses like salaries. CalMatters asked Freedman if the system is choosing to route more money to reserves than to faculty pay.
“It’s a balance,” she said Friday. “We need to be responsible and protect the university and our students and our operations. And at the same time, we also need to pay our employees fairly and competitively and we are in a very tough situation.”
Meanwhile, Cal State points to a faculty pay study a consulting firm produced this year that showed Cal State faculty are paid comparable salaries compared to similar out-of-state universities. The faculty union and various system trustees criticized that study for not considering California’s higher cost of living and for not including California universities in the comparison group.
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CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.
In
loving memory of, Gail Ruth Samuels, 76, of Panther Gap, who
passed away peacefully on October 18, 2023, with family by her
side.
Gail was born on April 2,
1947, in Portland, Oregon, to Robert Dale Johnson and Patricia Ruth
Johnson, as the second child in a family of six. She was creative and
outgoing from a young age, and after being the president of the art
club in high school, she graduated with an art scholarship and chose
to take classes at the prestigious Portland Art Museum. Gail always
looked back at this time fondly, as it was a catalyst for her
ever-expanding artistic drive.
She met her first husband,
Ronald Bauer, in Portland during the late 1960s. They both shared a
love of travel and an adventurous spirit. They went on to travel the
United States, drawing inspiration from the beauty of the landscape
and the people they met. It was during this time that they had their
first two children, and returned to Portland to have their third
child in the early 1980s. Shortly after, they traveled back down the
coast to Humboldt County. It was here that Ronald unexpectedly
passed away in his mid-thirties.
With its welcoming community and
beautiful rural terrain, Honeydew was a natural choice for her
to live with her three children. Gail inherited a love of gardening
from her mother, and began exploring her natural skills there in the
Mattole Valley.
Gail met her second
husband, Tom, in Honeydew, after having her fourth child. She shared
her life with him; they had two more children together and
homesteaded their incredible property in Panther Gap, together for
(thirty five years) while raising their six children. Gail also had a
love of reading, which led her into a job working as a librarian at
Triple Junction High School in Honeydew. Gail’s inspiring
presence and love of art was visible in so much of her life, as she
always shared her creations with the community. Her flower
arrangements could always be found at events such as the Roll on the
Mattole, birthdays, and weddings. Gail’s garden always flourished
as much as her inspiration, and she was also known for her incredible
gourd carvings on home-grown gourds, hand-drawn stickers, and beaded
jewelry. Gail put the same care into her family, and her love
continues to shine through everyone who knew her.
Gail is survived by her
husband, Tom Samuels, and their six children, Lila Rose Segesman,
Lima Bauer-Moseman, Lin Sun Bauer, Leland Richard Golden, Lars Thomas
Samuels, and Leona Ruth Samuels. She is also survived by her three
grandchildren, Morrain Ruby Bauer-Safonova, Lilian Ruth Segesman, and
Everly Maeve Samuels. She is also survived by her five siblings,
Susan Elizabeth Rodgers, Gary Louis Johnson, Robert George Johnson,
Philip Raymond Johnson, and Rodger Logan Johnson.
Memorial services to be
announced at a later date.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Gail Samuels’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.
Charles Anthony Didier (Chuck) was born on December 8,
1956, in Sidney, Nebraska. He died on November 25, 2023, in
Eureka.
Chuck grew up in Portland, Oregon, and attended
school there. In the 1980s, he moved with his family, their amazing
dog, Bruno, and his Harley, to Humboldt County. There, Chuck and
his wife, Laura, owned and operated Arcata Moving & Storage.
Then, in the 1990s, Chuck and his wife, Ronda, opened an antique
store in the historic “Eagle House.” Ronda named it “Sanford’s
Antiques and Collectibles” after her pet name for Chuck — “Sanford.” Later, they relocated it to the world-famous “Stump House” on
Broadway. Chuck and his friends had restored this landmark and it
remained “Sanfords” until it was dismantled and stored for museum
display.
Chuck was a lover of cool cars ànd had many. He was
well-known for his hot rods. He loved rock and roll music,
collecting marbles, his parrots and riding his Harley.
Chuck was
preceded in death by his father, George; his mother, Elena; his
sister, Mary; his second wife, Ronda; and, his great-nephew, Cody.
He leaves behind his brother, Robert and wife, Rosie; his sister,
Tricia and husband Mark; his brother, Mike; his stepchildren,
Anthony and wife Jennifer, and Sara and wife Emily; his first wife,
Laura; his third partner, Linda; his nephews and nieces; his close
friend, Mike; and his many friends.
Chuck was a strong man, a man
of high values and standards with a wicked sense of humor. He loved
people and helped so many. He lived a lot of life. Intelligent,
talented, and entertaining, he never slowed down and he ruled his
world. Chuck is well-loved and will be greatly missed. We will meet
him at the crossroads.
