Daniel H. Pedrotti
Born May 21, 1939
Passed October 16, 2023

Dan passed away peacefully at his home in Ferndale with his wife Dorene by his side.

Dan was born to George and Mary Pedrotti in Ferndale. He was the oldest of five children and grew up on the family dairy on Grizzly Bluff. He attended Grizzly Bluff School and Ferndale High School. He graduated in 1957. After graduation, he enlisted in the National Guard and went to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. While he was enlisted in the National Guard, he worked for the Humboldt County Roads Department and Rob Renner Logging as a caterpillar operator.

In January of 1964 he married Dorene Renner. They have two children, Grant and Karen.

In November of 1964 they decided to lease a dairy on Grizzly Bluff from the Keohan family, just in time for the 1964 Flood. In 1969 they purchased the dairy, which they operated until their retirement in 2004. Dan was very proud of his dairy and herd of registered Holsteins and Guernseys. They had award-winning cows for milk production and records through the Ferndale Cow Testing Association.

After retiring from the dairy business, he began making hay on their property. He enjoyed employing many hay haulers throughout the years and loved to talk with them and tell stories and jokes. He sold hay to many loyal customers throughout the years. He loved his garden, dahlias, and apple orchard. He also enjoyed making sausage with his family, and smoking salmon in his smokehouse for his friends. He enjoyed watching the Giants, 49ers and Warriors play. He loved supporting his grandchildren throughout their youth by attending every sporting event and fair event possible.

He was preceded into death by his parents, George and Mary Pedrotti, brothers Norman and Don Pedrotti, sister-in-law Mary Pedrotti and niece Vicky Grandy.

He leaves behind his wife Dorene Pedrotti, children Grant Pedrotti (Missy), Karen Hansen (Darren), grandchildren Danielle Hansen (Kyle), Nathan Hansen, brother Sid Pedrotti (Lorraine), sister Sylvia Grandy (Gary), brother-in-law Ed Renner, daughter-in-law Debra Pedrotti, along with numerous nieces and nephews.

At his request there will be a private, family service at the St. Mary’s Cemetery in Ferndale. His family would like to thank Dr. Douglas of Open Door in Ferndale and Dan’s cancer doctors, Dr. Fellows, Dr. Bernstein and Dr. Luh. Also, Jan Borges for her care in his final nights, and Hospice of Humboldt for their on-going care and support.

If you wish to make memorial donations in Dan’s honor, please remember the Ferndale Volunteer Fire Department, Church of the Assumption, and Hospice of Humboldt.

Rose Marie French, born on March 12, 1938, peacefully passed away on October 31, 2023. She was a beloved mother, grandmother, and friend to all. She graduated from Eureka High School and retired from Safeway, where she worked in the bakery.

She made Willow Creek her home and was a member of the Willow Creek Bible Church. Her kindness, grace, and warm smile touched the lives of all who knew her.

Rose Marie will be remembered for her unwavering love for her family, her passion for gardening, ceramics and all kinds of crafts. She leaves behind cherished memories that will forever live on in the hearts of those who had the privilege of knowing her.

She was preceded in death by her loving husband Richard “Dick” French. Her son Richard “Rick” French, her daughter Debbie French and grandson Ricky French; by her parents Herb and Julia McClung

She is survived by her son Robert French; by her grandchildren, Erica and Matt Gibson, Jessica Marks, Elizabeth and David Stoddard and Toni Ann French; by her great-grandchildren, Jessalyn Lewis, Joey Lewis, Michael Gibson, Mason Stoddard and Vera French; by numerous nieces, nephews and extended family.

A graveside service will be at Ocean View Cemetery in Eureka on Friday, November 17, 2023, at 3 p.m.

Arrangements are under the care of Sanders Funeral Home, Eureka.

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Doris McConnell was a woman who cared deeply for her family. She loved watching her daughter Lauren grow, as well as her granddaughters, all of whom eventually worked for her and Leo’s family business, Cement Hill Storage. She also enjoyed seeing all her great-grandchildren grow up around her.

Doris Mary Harpster was born on April 19, 1931 in Fresno, where she was raised, went to college and became a teacher. Doris and Leo were wed on July 1, 1953. Doris began her teaching career in 1953. In 1957, their only child, Lauren McConnell, made her debut. In 1959, Leo, Doris and Lauren all moved to Santa Barbara for Leo’s work in lath and plaster. All three soon moved to Portland, Oregon for Leo’s construction work. Doris continued teaching at an elementary school in in the Portland Oregon School District. Finally, in 1964, they all three moved to Fairfield, California where Leo began operating a construction and paving business.

While in Fairfield, Doris also taught at several schools in the Fairfield School District. Doris taught 1st through 3rd grade. She loved teaching 3rd grade students the most as they were always so excited to learn about cursive. After 15 years of teaching, Doris left the classroom to continue running the books for Leo’s businesses. Leo always reminded us that the smartest thing he did was marry a teacher. Doris was sharp as a tack, and always had a keen eye for details. Leo, Doris, and Lauren moved through several homes while living in Fairfield. Every time they would, it would be to a nicer home that Leo had spruced up through renovation. Leo and Doris started Cement Hill Storage in 1984. Between the two of them, they built a business that has spanned four generations of their family. With nothing but a warehouse and dirt lot, hard work, and a vision, they created one of the most successful small businesses in Solano County that is still thriving today.

Leo and Doris enjoyed traveling in their RV all over the state. They traveled to Yosemite several times. They spent many years attending the Rose Bowl in Southern California. Doris absolutely loved flying with Leo when he finally obtained his pilots license. Leo and Doris loved spending time with their Square Dancing club in Solano County, an activity that they both got to enjoy together. Doris enjoyed many fun games of Rummikub, dominoes and canasta with her beloved Leo.

After nearly 30 years at storage, Leo and Doris decided it was time to retire to enjoy their golden years. In 2007 Leo and Doris had had their forever home built in the quaint community of Fieldbrook, deep in Humboldt County. Their property was surrounded by towering redwoods. Leo even had a large garden area built where Doris spent many years growing a plethora of flowers, vegetables, and herbs. There was never a shortage of her favorite flower, the California Poppy, in her garden. Doris loved playing the piano which she spent several years playing for the Fieldbrook church.

Though she slowed down in her later years, taking it easy at Timber Ridge in McKinleyville, Doris always remembered her Leo, the funny stories of him learning to fly, all of her grandchildren and great grandchildren and the memories they made. We are forever grateful for the length of time we got to have with her and will always cherish all of the good times, life lessons, and knowledge we gained from her.

She will be laid to rest with her husband Leo McConnell on Nov. 9, 2023 in Fairfield, Calif. Services will be held at Bryan Braker Funeral home at 11:30 a.m.

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PREVIOUSLY:

•  Fatal Crash Near Henderson Center Closes I Street

Press release from the Eureka Police Department:

On November 07, 2023, at about 12:10 p.m., officers from the Eureka Police Department (EPD) as well as personnel from Humboldt Bay Fire (HBF) responded to the report of a two-vehicle traffic collision at the intersection of Henderson and I Streets in Eureka. It was reported that one vehicle had overturned and the occupants were still trapped inside.

HBF was able to remove the driver from the overturned vehicle who was then transported to a local hospital by City Ambulance for minor to moderate injuries. The passenger in this vehicle was determined to have suffered fatal injuries as a result of the collision.

A member of EPD’s Major Injury/Fatal Traffic Investigation Team responded to the scene to conduct the investigation. Additionally, EPD Detectives and Evidence Technicians responded to assist with the collecting of statements and evidence. The initial investigation has revealed the driver of the overturned vehicle was north on I St. and failed to stop at the red light at Henderson and was struck by another vehicle that was traveling west on Henderson.

Intoxication may have been a factor in this traffic collision.

The occupants of the other involved vehicle were uninjured.

The decedent has been identified and the Humboldt County Coroner’s office is working to notify next of kin.

This is an active investigation and EPD is asking if anyone witnessed the collision to please contact the department at 707-441-4044.

Yet another major car crash in Eureka has shuttered one lane of Broadway at the south end of the 101, and traffic is slow in the area while the city’s thin-stretched traffic cops try to sort this one out.

As you can see in the video below, a driver of one of the vehicles involved was detained by police — handcuffed and hauled away to a cruiser. The Outpost’s Andrew Goff spoke to the driver of the other involved vehicle, who was unharmed and in good spirits.

UPDATE: An EPD officer on scene confirms that the driver was detained on suspicion of driving under the influence

Not even two hours after a fatal two-car crash at the intersection of Henderson and I streets smack in the middle of Eureka’s residential core, two other vehicles collided down the street at the intersection of Henderson and Union.

Officer Andrew Endsley of the Eureka Police Department that three people were sent to the hospital. He added that officers are investigating, and are looking at excess speed as a factor in the collision.

Slow down, people.

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Facing pressure from the Humboldt Cannabis Reform Initiative (HCRI), an upcoming ballot measure that would place stringent and intractable new restrictions on commercial cannabis, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors today sought to preemptively address some public concerns about the existing county regulations on the industry.

Backers of the controversial HCRI, which will appear on March ballots as Measure A, have declined offers to work with county officials in hopes of finding some middle ground. They argue that their initiative is necessary to prevent large-scale cannabis operators from continuing to run amok at the expense of the environment and neighboring property owners. 

Opponents of the measure, including members of the Humboldt County Growers Alliance (HCGA), say it would institute draconian limitations that would harm even small-scale growers at a time when the local industry is struggling to survive, and they point to the difficulty of modifying rules passed through voter initiatives, which can only be changed or repealed through subsequent ballot measures.

Today, the Board of Supervisors (minus First District rep Rex Bohn, who is out of town attending a meeting of the National Association of Counties) discussed some possible changes to the county’s existing Commercial Cannabis Land Use Ordinance, changes that they hope might allay some of the public concerns that gave rise to Measure A in the first place.

Specifically, they discussed lowering the cap on the total number of cultivation permits available countywide, reducing the acreage of cultivation area allowed in each county watershed and limiting individual grow operation to no more than one acre, without exceptions for very large property owners or people taking advantage of the county’s Retirement, Remediation and Relocation (RRR) program.

Planning and Building Director John Ford explained that the supervisors have a variety of options, including placing a temporary or permanent moratorium on cultivation permits or modifying the existing ordinance either directly or via a voter initiative of their own design.

Staff’s recommendation was to develop a referendum to be presented to voters in March, alongside Measure A, one that offers some less drastic changes to the existing rules.

Namely, Ford explained, staff was suggesting a 60 percent across-the-board reduction on some current limits. For example, a 60 percent cut to the cap on cultivation permits would reduce the maximum from 3,500 to 1,400 permits. That mark is slightly below the current number of permits plus pending applications (1,578), though Ford said it’s reasonable to expect some attrition given the current state of the industry.

Staff also recommended a 60 percent cut to existing permit and acreage caps in each county watershed. Those caps are listed below, alongside the existing numbers of permits and applications, and total the permitted acreage contained within:

The Humboldt County Growers Association asked for a slightly higher limit on total cultivation permits — 10 percent above the current number of permits and applications.

Measure A, meanwhile, would establish a cap of somewhere around 1,200.

The four supervisors present at today’s meeting peppered Ford with questions about the options available to them.

During the public comment period, backers of Measure A, including Kneeland residents Mark Thurmond and Elizabeth “Betsy” Watson, accused the county of trying to sabotage their voter initiative. Thurmond described the proposal laid out in the staff report as “a deceptive attempt to undermine and defeat Measure A.”

Watson called it “a transparent effort to confuse voters.”

On the other side of the issue, HCGA Policy Director Ross Gordon argued that members of the public were misled into signing the Humboldt Cannabis Reform Initiative, and some of the county’s current ideas would do a better job of achieving that measure’s purported goals.

After a good deal more discussion among board members and staff, Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson wound up making a motion that sought to incorporate each of their concerns.

His motion directed staff to come back at a future meeting with some proposed language for a new referendum, one that would mostly follow staff’s recommendations. The rough outlines for this referendum, as hashed out during today’s meeting, would lower the cap on the total number of cannabis permits countywide, though the exact number will remain up for debate — likely somewhere between the 1,400 suggested by staff and the 1,600-plus advocated by the HCGA. (Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell said she’s onboard for that higher cap, but no other supervisors agreed.)

The referendum will likely also include a lowered cap on total cultivation acreage allowed in each watershed and the one-acre max for each grow operation. 

The board also asked staff to include language that would allow the rules ushered in through this referendum to be changed by the Board of Supervisors, but only through a four-fifths vote from their body, and only if the changes are based on sustained findings of fact, with sign-off from environmental regulatory agencies including the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, the State Water Resources Control Board and the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Per a suggestion from Wilson, the referendum may also include language directing the board to work on addressing some other problematic aspects of existing cannabis regulations, including water and energy use and the public notification process.

If the board does hope to get a competing voter measure on March ballots, it will have to work quickly. Draft ordinance language must be submitted to the Humboldt County Elections Office no later than December 9, which gives the board less than a month to craft and finalize a proposal.

The proposed referendum will be brought back to the board for further discussion and refinement at an upcoming meeting.

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PREVIOUSLY:

• An Initiative to Reshape Humboldt’s Cannabis Industry Qualified for the Ballot, and It Has Growers Worried
• Supes Agree to Put Controversial Weed Initiative on 2024 Ballot, Though They Hope to Work With Organizers on Alternatives
• Humboldt County Cannabis Farmers Blast ‘Misleading’ Ballot Initiative That Would Impose New Restrictions on Cultivators; Supervisors Form an Ad Hoc Committee to Work on Alternatives
• Proponents of the Humboldt Cannabis Reform Initiative Are Calling Out the Board of Supervisors, County Staff for Allegedly Distorting the Intent of the 2024 Ballot Measure
• Another Day of Cannabis Reform Initiative Panic at the Board of Supes; It’s Now All But Certain That Voters Will Decide on the Controversial Measure on the March 2024 Ballot
• Humboldt Supervisors Partially Reinstate Measure S Cannabis Cultivation Tax at 10 Percent as Market Shows Signs of Stabilization
• ‘Cannabis Reform Initiative’ Legal Challenge Filed: Small Farmers, Industry Reps Ask the Court to Kick Next Year’s ‘Measure A’ Off the Ballot
• Arcata City Council Unanimously Opposes Measure A, the ‘Humboldt Cannabis Reform Initiative’

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CORRECTION: This post has been corrected to reflect that the proposed referendum would reduce current caps by 60 percent, to a level 40 percent of the existing caps. The Outpost regrets the error.