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After less than a year on the job, Tabatha Miller, Humboldt County’s assistant county administrative officer and chief financial officer, is resigning to become finance director with the City of Arcata.

Miller came to the county from Fort Bragg, where she was city manager for nearly four years, and she has earned plaudits from county supervisors and others for her work organizing the county’s messy finances during her brief tenure.

“I think it’s a great loss for the county and a great win for the City of Arcata,” said First District Supervisor Rex Bohn. He credited Miller with putting the county back on solid ground financially and added that he often saw Miller working on the weekends. He suspects that Miller took the Arcata job because it has a much smaller budget, which will allow her to settle down a bit.

“She rolled up her sleeves and got us in a great place … ,” Bohn said. “She’s put us in a great position where she feels comfortable leaving us.”

When former Auditor-Controller Karen Paz Dominguez resigned at the end of June, per the terms of a separation agreement with the county, Miller stepped in as interim assistant auditor-controller under Paz Dominguez’s successor, Cheryl Dillingham.

At its regular meeting last night the Arcata City Council unanimously ratified a five-year contract with Miller, with her employment set to begin this next Monday, Jan. 23. Her initial annual base salary will be $125,361. With the county, Miller was a non-contract employee who earned $84.45 per hour when she started and $90.56 per hour after the latest round of wage increases.

“I’m going to miss her terribly,” Bohn said. “Aside from being a great asset, she’s just a really nice person. She’s so smart. Just wicked smart.”

Asked for a statement, Deputy County Administrative Officer Sean Quincey sent the following on behalf of his boss, Alishia Hayes:

Tabatha has been a wonderful partner and member of the county team, and we wish her and her family nothing but the best.

She did great work with other departments, including our Auditor-Controller, to help put us into a better position to close our books on prior years and have better vision into future years. And her leadership, experience and skill have helped our staff grow.

Chief Financial Officer is an important role at the county, helping to coordinate and oversee our overall budget, and she met those responsibilities and more. Our community will still get to benefit from having her in Humboldt County, she’ll just be in a new role with the City of Arcata.

Tabatha helped lay a stronger foundation for the county and we will continue to build on her successes as we move forward.

An email seeking comment from Miller was not returned by the time this post was published.

PREVIOUSLY:

• Fortuna Man Arrested After Police Suspect Him of Sexually Assaulting Juvenile Over a Period of Years

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Press release from the District Attorney’s Office:

Neiva.

Today, a Humboldt County jury found Miles Keola Neiva (39) of Fortuna guilty as charged on multiple child sexual assault charges.

In September of 2021, 13-year-old Jane Doe disclosed Neiva had been molesting her for several years. Neiva, a firefighter, was a trusted family friend who occasionally lived with the family.

Doe bravely testified at trial and gave impactful testimony.

Investigation led by Fortuna Police Department Detective Ryan Richardson uncovered evidence, including suspected child pornography, that corroborated Doe and tended to prove Neiva’s sexual interest in children. The Child Abuse Services Team (“C.A.S.T.”), and the Northern California Computer Crimes Task Force (NC3TF) further supported the investigation into Neiva’s crimes.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Whitney Timm with assistance from District Attorney Investigator Ryan Hill and Victim Witness Advocate Keosha Chambers.

Judge Greg Elvine-Kreis presided over the trial and is scheduled to sentence Neiva on February 15. Neiva faces up to 23 years to life in prison. Zack Curtis represented the defendant.

California is preparing to close dozens of state-run COVID-19 testing and treatment sites ahead of the planned end of the state of emergency in February.

Sites that are operating under 50% capacity are scheduled to close before the end of January. Forty-four OptumServe sites will be shuttered this week, and 48 mobile “mini-buses” will begin closing in two weeks, according to the California Department of Public Health. OptumServe, a health care operations company, runs 123 testing and treatment sites along with four vaccination clinics through state contracts.

The health care giant has at least four contracts, under its former name Logistics Health, with the state totalling $1.05 billion to provide testing and vaccination services though it has been criticized in the past for its bumpy rollout. Another branch of the company signed an additional $47 million contract to design a data management system for COVID-19 test results.

“A final plan for demobilizing the remaining sites is being prepared, but we have not set a completion date,” an unidentified department spokesperson said in a statement. The state health department would only answer emailed questions and did not attribute the statement to a person.

The state of emergency, which has provided extra funding and staffing flexibilities at medical facilities, is slated to end on the last day of February.

“We learned a lot through this COVID response, and we need to make sure we don’t lose those gains.”
— Dr. Mark Ghaly, State Health and Human Services Secretary

The closures come just one week after Gov. Gavin Newsom released his January budget proposal, which moves $614 million in unspent COVID-19 response funds to the state’s general fund and drastically reduced the amount of pandemic money for the upcoming year.

Last year’s budget included $1.8 billion for COVID-19 emergency response and the state’s long-term strategy, while the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year is only $176.6 million. The cutbacks come as the state faces a projected $22.5 billion deficit, according to Newsom’s proposal. State Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said in a budget call with reporters that the bulk of the proposed decrease comes from fewer state testing responsibilities, but he emphasized that the spending reductions are not “a statement about moving on from COVID in California.”

“We will continue to seek opportunities to support public health,” Ghaly said. “We learned a lot through this COVID response, and we need to make sure we don’t lose those gains.”

Demand for molecular COVID-19 testing has plummeted statewide since last January, when the omicron variant pushed hospitals to the brink of collapse. At the time, more than 800,000 PCR test results were reported for a single day and more than 15,000 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 at the peak of the surge. In comparison, less than 30,000 test results and 4,600 hospitalizations were reported on the final day of December (the most recent day with finalized tallies, according to state data).

Across the state, county health departments are preparing for the closures and absorbing the costs into their own budgets.

In Los Angeles County, OptumServe will stop operating four sites, but the county will contract with another vendor to keep the doors open, a county health services spokesperson said via email.

“It is important to underscore that the change will be seamless,” the health services communications office told CalMatters in an unsigned statement. “Community residents seeking a testing site will not experience any disruption to the existing services.”

During a media briefing last week, L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said the county was committed to ensuring there are “ample” testing and vaccination options.

In other areas of the state, health departments are unable to run the sites alone. All five OptumServe sites in Fresno County will close by Jan. 31. Only one of the sites is currently operating above 50% capacity, public health spokesperson Michelle Rivera said. The mobile test-to-treat buses will stop services the first week of February.

Community members will still have options, Rivera said. The county health department is continuing to work with community-based organizations, UCSF-Fresno and Fresno State’s nursing school to keep offering testing, treatment and vaccination services throughout the area. The Fresno County Board of Supervisors also approved funding for a rural mobile health program to deliver health care to farmworker and other rural communities.

Fresno County has been hit particularly hard by the latest post-holiday wave of COVID-19 as well as concurrent flu and respiratory syncytial virus surges, issuing emergency do-not-transport orders to EMTs for the sixth time since the start of the pandemic to combat overflowing emergency departments. Do-not-transport orders, also known as assess-and-refer, require ambulance personnel to determine whether a patient requires emergency transportation or if they are stable enough to be referred to a non-emergency medical facility like primary care.

“Unfortunately, it appears we will be dealing with COVID for the long haul.”
— Roger Ross, Santa Clara County Emergency Operations spokesperson

In Santa Clara County, state-run sites are also slated for closure in the coming weeks, emergency operations spokesperson Roger Ross said. The county will, however, continue to run three mass vaccination sites and has already begun folding COVID-19 response into the health department’s normal operations.

“Public health recently created a COVID Prevention and Control Program as part of our standard operations. Most of the work now resides here,” Ross said. “Unfortunately, it appears we will be dealing with COVID for the long haul.”

In Orange County, where COVID-19 health orders have at times drawn public ire, testing and vaccination strategies will largely move to “the open marketplace where individuals will self-manage COVID-19” through primary care and other community resources, the health department announced last month in a news release. County-run vaccine sites, which were serving about 200 patients per week, were closed in December, although the health department continues to offer vaccinations for vulnerable populations like unhoused individuals, said Obinna Oleribe, deputy chief of Orange County public health services.

The federal government requires health insurance plans to cover eight over-the-counter COVID-19 tests per person per month, including FDA-approved at-home PCR tests. Every household can also order four free rapid tests from the federal government. When used appropriately, at-home tests of all kinds are considered highly accurate, although data shows PCR tests are more reliable.

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

Diane Sommerhause Bent was born on Dec. 9, 1953 in San Diego. She moved to Eureka at age three, where she remained for the majority of her life. Diane attended Freshwater Elementary, Winship Middle and Eureka High (Class of ‘72). She looked fondly on her time working at Broken Eggshell, Big Loaf Bakery and Hilfiker Retaining Walls, where she retired in 2020.

Diane spent her life devoted to her family and the friends that she made family. She also loved going on adventures with loved ones and enjoyed traveling around and seeing family across the country and the world. She made her final trip in December 2022 on a cruise around Hawaii with her husband Patrick. She was also an avid member of the Eureka Moose Lodge for the past 20 years. At home, Diane enjoyed gardening and would ensure her oasis was filled with purple flowers. She also enjoyed reading murder mystery novels and watching the tenacious Judge Judy. She was a fan of all things supernatural and keeping her mind open to all possibilities. She was a great cook, and would get excited to try new recipes and have a nice family dinner. Her specialty dishes will be missed; including cabbage rolls, tamale pie, paella, pasta al limon, angel biscuits, ginger pickles, and pancakes (for the grandkids).

Diane is proceeded in death by her parents, Oma and Ralph, siblings Ruth and Jim, and many close friends that were family to her.

Diane is survived by her beloved husband of 31 years, Patrick, siblings Chuck and Ron, and children Chelsea, Courtney and Kylie. Diane loved being “Gam” and survives grandchildren Jerran, Basil “Isaac”, Payton, Mackenzie, Sophia, Gianna, and step-grandchildren Nick and Roman. Diane had a big heart and welcomed friends of the family into her home as if they were her own children, which lists too many to count.

Diane died suddenly on Jan. 13, 2023 in Eureka at the age of 69. She left this world in the company of her husband, Patrick, and ultimately died due to heart failure. A celebration of life will be held at a later date (TBD). At that time, immediate family will break away and spread her ashes at Diane’s chosen location. She found happiness with dragonflies, and may all that miss her find comfort in them.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Diane Bent’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

Richard Allen Griffith was born on July 3, 1955 in Eureka. He was the fifth child of seven born to Frank and Jewel Griffith. He passed on Thanksgiving night, Nov. 24, 2022 in Oroville of complications from heart disease.

Richard spent his early years in Eureka, where he attended Eureka City Schools. The family moved to Loleta in 1965. His early years were spent playing Little League baseball, participating in 4-H and running amok on the family farm. He’s credited with getting his sister Karen started in basketball by insisting that she be included in his 8th grade morning pick-up games when she was only six years old.

Richard graduated from Fortuna High School in 1973. He was an FFA member all four years, taking mostly livestock to the Humboldt County Fair. After high school, Richard joined the U.S. Navy and was a proud veteran. He served on the flight deck of the U.S.S. Enterprise and the U.S.S. Constellation. He enjoyed tours of duty that took him to South Korea, the Philippines and other places in Southeast Asia. Upon his discharge from the Navy he enrolled at College of the Redwoods, where he completed the welding program and graduated with honors. This led to several jobs in the area of heavy equipment repair, which he loved doing. Later he worked as a long-haul truck driver, which he also enjoyed a lot.

In his later years, he moved to Phoenix to be near his son, Dwight. He enjoyed the warm weather of Arizona, his dogs and being close to his son. Recently, he had moved to Oroville to be close to his daughter, Alyssa, and his grandchildren. He was a lifelong Democrat and always kept up on politics and enjoyed a lively discussion. He had a sharp wit and a great sense of humor.

Richard was a loving son, father, grandfather and brother. He loved his family deeply and enjoyed all the large family gatherings. With 24 aunts and uncles and a gazillion cousins there was always a lot going on in the family! He’ll be remembered fondly as the mechanical genius that he was — he loved anything with a motor.

Richard will be missed deeply, but will never be forgotten. The family would like to recognize and thank his daughter, Alyssa, for doing so much for him. He loved her so much and appreciated everything she did for him.

Richard was preceded in death by his son, Dwight (in 2021), his parents, Frank and Jewel, his brother, Donald, and his sister, Judy. Richard is survived by his children, Keeley Griffith (Ashley), Alyssa Hornsby and James Crist, along with grandchildren Peyton and Addie Hornsby, Aniyah Griffith and Garrett, Sawyer and Ingrid Crist. He is also survived by his brothers David (Susie) and Doug (Nancy) and sisters, K. Joan (Carol) and Karen (Marty) and a gazillion incredible cousins, nieces and nephews.

We will love and miss him forever. He truly was a “one of a kind!”

Services will be held at Sunset Memorial Cemetery in the chapel on Friday, January 27 at 2 p.m. with military honors. Cards may be sent to the family at P.O. Box 6732, Eureka, 95502. Memorial contributions can be made to the Judy Griffith Scholarship fund at the Humboldt Area Foundation.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Richard Griffith’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

Born September 27, 1937.

Passed away at the age of 85 on November 28, 2022.

Carlton Reid Carroll was the only child of Elizabeth Ellen Healy of Eureka and Max Wilson Carroll of Illinois.

Carl was born Sept 27, 1937 in Oakland and raised in Eureka.

Carl’s mother’s family were early pioneers of Humboldt County. When Carl was two years old, he and his mother moved to Eureka. to live close to his mother’s family.

He attended St. Bernard’s grade school and graduated from Eureka Senior High School.

Carl work career started as a mechanic, pulling and rebuilding engines, as well as other auto repair work. While working as a mechanic at one of his jobs, he realized that his passion was to drive a bus.

Carl achieved his goal and spent the rest of his work career driving buses for charter companies and city transit systems from Eureka to LA and San Diego, as well as driving charter buses to out-of-state destinations.

His driving passion didn’t stop with driving buses as a profession. He spent much of his time when not on the job driving all across the US many times in his VW bus, camping in his VW along the way, but sometimes driving his Goldwing motorcycle instead.

Carl thoroughly enjoyed a good long conversation talking of culture and politics while sipping on a beer. Carl had a network of friends that he truly valued. He had a kind of schedule where he would spend his time at Adel’s, Star’s Hamburger, Don’s Donuts and various other businesses between Arcata, Eureka and Fortuna to enjoy the food and the good company of those businesses that he had built his friendships.

Carl enjoyed multitude of musical artists. He enjoyed watching National Geographic and other nature shows.

He had a very good memory about his ancestral family history and sharing his travel adventures.

Carl served in the United State Coast Guard. Carl joined as a Seamen recruit on July 30, 1955 at the US Coast Guard Station Humboldt Bay, Eureka. Carl completed his military obligation with an honorable discharge on July 29, 1959.

Carl was laid to rest at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Igo, California.

Carl will be truly missed by all those who loved him.

Anyone wishing to make a donation to Hospice of Humboldt and or the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Igo would be welcomed and appreciated.

Thank you to Austin from Sanders Funeral Home in Eureka, CA and Kacy & Judy at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Igo for helping us make the burial arrangements.

Thank you from Hospice of Humboldt for all your support and caregiving.

And a special thank-you to his friend and companion Nancy Engel, who cared for Carl during his illness.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Carlton Carroll’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

Wesley Merlyn Ammer, age 60 years, passed peacefully on January 8, 2023. He was born March 12, 1962 in Eureka to parents Wesley & Jerri Ann Ammer.

Wes grew up in Humboldt living Fields Landing, Bridgeville, Carlotta and Fortuna. He went to school at Cuddleback Elementary and Fortuna High School, graduating in 1980. In 1983 he married Christie McNaughton. They were blessed with a daughter, Brooke, in 1984; a son, Travis, in 1986; and another son, Trent, in 1991. They later divorced in 2016.

Wes worked many jobs over the years in Humboldt. He was an equipment operator for Woody Murphy Logging for many years. He worked for Maple Plumbing and also for his father-in-law at McNaughton Plumbing. He worked at Humboldt Creamery, Scotia Power Plant and Tom Bess Asphalt. Many times he said he was a jack of all trades and a master at none! He moved to Oregon in 2018 to help his parents. In August 2019 he met Lori Shumate, who became the love of his life and caregiver.

He enjoyed golfing, hunting and camping with family and friends. Wes was an avid San Francisco 49er’s fan!

Survivors include his daughter Brooke (Ashley) Williams of Merced, son’s Travis (Mickelle) Ammer of Fortuna, and Trent (Lauren) Ammer of Grants Pass, mother Jerri Ammer of Central Point and sister Brenda (Brian) McKenzie of Carlotta. Proud Papa to grandchildren Tracy, Anthony, Cassidy, Rhett, Cadence, Brixton and another arriving in June. Christie Ammer his wife of 33 years Grants Pass and his fiancé Lori Shumate of Central Point. Many nieces, nephews, cousins and lifelong friends. And his beloved dog Bentley! He was preceded in death by his father.

Please join the family in a Celebration of Life at the River Lodge in Fortuna on Sunday, January 29, 2023 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. He will be interred locally.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Wes Ammer’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.