Two winters’ worth of snow has already fallen in the Sierra Nevada since Christmas, pulling California from the depths of extreme drought into one of its wettest winters in memory.

But as a series of tropical storms slams the state, that bounty has become a flood risk as warm rains fall on the state’s record snowpack, causing rapid melting and jeopardizing Central Valley towns still soggy from January’s deluges.

The expected surge of mountain runoff forced state officials on Wednesday to open the “floodgates” of Lake Oroville and other large reservoirs that store water for millions of Southern Californians and Central Valley farms. Releasing the water will make room for the storm’s water and melted snow, prevent the reservoirs from flooding local communities — and send more water downstream, into San Francisco Bay. The increased flows in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta could help endangered salmon migrate to the ocean.

So what’s the downside? These same storms are prematurely melting a deep and valuable snowpack that ideally would last later into the spring and summer, when farmers and cities need water the most.

The storms have created a tricky situation for officials who manage state and federal reservoirs in California, since they have to juggle the risk of flooding Central Valley communities with the risk of letting too much water go from reservoirs. They must strike a balance between holding as much water in storage, as long as they can, while maintaining room in reservoirs for more water later in the season.

“Water management in California is complicated, and it’s made even more complex during these challenging climate conditions where we see swings between very, very dry, very, very wet, back to dry. We’re now back into wet,” said Karla Nemeth, director of the Department of Water Resources.

Rivers in the San Joaquin Valley are forecast to flood today or Saturday. Eleven locations are expected to reach the flood stage, although no “danger stage” flooding is anticipated, according to Jeremy Arrich, deputy director of the Division of Flood Management with the Department of Water Resources.

To make room for more water, state and federal officials who manage California’s major dams and reservoirs are releasing water. Some will flow into the ocean — which aggravates many water managers, Central Valley legislators and growers, who often say freshwater that reaches the bay or ocean is wasted. However, efforts are underway to divert much of the released water into depleted groundwater storage basins.

On Wednesday, the Department of Water Resources increased outflow of water from Oroville from about 1,000 cubic feet per second to 3,500 cubic feet per second. By Friday, total releases could be as high as 15,000 cubic feet per second, according to Ted Craddock, deputy director of the State Water Project.

Oroville is now more than 75% full, containing 2.7 million acre-feet of water — up from less than one million in the beginning of December. In spite of releases, the reservoir’s level will keep rising. Craddock said inflow in the next five days could hit 70,000 cubic feet per second. That’s about half a million gallons of water per second.

In 2017 Oroville’s levels reached so high that the overflow water damaged its spillway. An emergency spillway had to be used, eroding a hillside and triggering evacuation of about 200,000 people in nearby communities.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced a similar operational move for Millerton Lake, the reservoir behind Friant Dam on the San Joaquin River, which supplies water to growers throughout the Central Valley.

The two-day rainfall totals will be “quite astounding” and “will lead to some really significant runoff,” said State Climatologist Michael Anderson. More storms are expected next week and later in March.

Rain on snow

Today’s storm is creating what watershed scientists and weather watchers call a “rain on snow” event. Earlier this winter, freezing elevations hovered as low as 3,000 feet, meaning precipitation above that fell as snow.

That has changed, Anderson said. Freezing levels have risen to as high as 7,000 feet in the southern and central Sierra Nevada, where the bulk of the snowpack has accumulated. A National Weather Service forecast shows freezing elevations even higher, at 9,000 feet, and warned that “snow will melt easily below 5,000 feet,” since it is already approaching the melting point of 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

State officials say the premature snowmelt from this storm likely won’t have much effect on supplies this spring and summer.

“This winter, there has been an accumulation of snow at lower to mid-level elevations, which will experience melt during this storm and will generate runoff into foothill and valley communities,” said David Rizzardo, manager of the state water agency’s hydrology section.

“However, at higher elevations, where the vast majority of the snowpack is, we will not experience significant melt. Even with higher snow levels above 8,000 feet in these storms, we still anticipate seeing additional snow accumulation at the higher elevations that will add to our snowpack totals, especially in the Southern Sierra.”

John Abatzoglou, a UC Merced professor of climatology, said deep, soft snow has the physical capacity to absorb a great deal of rain. The snow may even freeze the rain, rather than vice-versa, effectively increasing the snowpack volume, at least for a while.

“As you add liquid to the snowpack, it gets denser, it gets warm, and it gets more apt to melt when the next storm comes,” he said, noting that more atmospheric river events are coming next week.

Diverting underground

While the latest storms flood river valleys, state regulators have taken action to capture as much stormwater as possible before it flows into the ocean and use it to recharge groundwater basins.

On Wednesday, the State Water Resources Control Board approved a petition from the Bureau of Reclamation to divert 600,000 acre-feet of San Joaquin Valley flood waters into wildlife refuges and groundwater recharge basins. Diversions can begin on March 15 and continue until July.

“Given the time it takes for water to reach the downstream point of diversion at Mendota Dam, the approval period will allow for floodwater capture following storms expected this weekend,” the water board explained in a news release.

The action is intended in part to help meet Gov. Gavin Newsom’s goal of increasing groundwater storage by over 500,000 acre-feet per year, spelled out in his Water Supply Strategy released last summer.

But environmental groups protested the water board’s action.

Greg Reis, a hydrologist with The Bay Institute, said it will allow the bureau to divert all of the San Joaquin River except for 300 cubic feet per second — what he calls “a very, very small” amount of water. Floodwaters, he said, are important for ecosystem function and survival of fish, including threatened spring-run Chinook salmon.

He compared floodwaters in a river to a person’s increased pulse when they exercise.

“If you don’t get your heart rate up when you exercise, you don’t get the health benefits,” he said. “Same thing for a river. You’ve got to get the flows up, and the 300 cubic feet per second is certainly not adequate for a river like the San Joaquin.”

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

Linda D. Parker (Lakey) was born Wednesday January 4, 1956 at Trinity Hospital in Arcata. Her parents were Doris & Greg (Pierce) Lakey Jr.

She had two brothers, Ronald (wife Renee) and David (wife Angela), and a sister, Patricia. She had three daughters, including Lacy Renee Ramey and Lauren Marissa Parker. Lacy lives in Arkansas and has three children: Quentin, Kennedi and Adalyn, along with new granddaughter Nova. Lauren lives here in Eureka with her husband Don; they have two children, Myah and Kyle, and Myah has two daughters: Effie and Gemma.

Linda loved spending time with family, especially at the holidays. Before her health stopped her she loved combing the beaches for agates.

She always had a shy nature to her, but once she opened up she was very funny. She had great stories from when she lived in both Alaska and Arkansas. She also lived in Los Angeles for a little while when joining the Job Corps. She bragged about the fact that she lived on the 9th floor with no elevator.

She loved video games — everything from Animal Crossing to slaying dragons in Skyrim, which she rocked at. She also had a cat named Boo who she loved very much. She loved the San Francisco Giants and 49ers. (4ever faithful). As we will always be to you. Luv u Mom — LMP.

If you see a stray animal in need, always do the best to help of your ability, even if it’s just a phone call to your local police department.

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

HUMBOLDT TODAY: It’s going to be a rough night, Humboldt. High winds and rain will batter the North Coast. Plus, dramatic testimony in former Arcata City Councilmember Brett Watson’s restraining order hearing. Those stores and more on today’s newscast with John Kennedy O’Connor.

FURTHER READING: 

• Drug Task Force Arrests Two After ‘Months-Long’ Investigation Into Trafficking at Downtown Eureka Building

HUMBOLDT TODAY can be viewed on LoCO’s homepage each night starting at 6 p.m.

Want to LISTEN to HUMBOLDT TODAY? Subscribe to the podcast version here.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On March 7, 2023, at about 7:39 p.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a residence on the 1600 block of Bartow Road in McKinleyville for the report of a home invasion armed robbery.

At the residence, deputies contacted an adult female victim. The victim told deputies that she had been inside the residence when an unknown man entered through the unlocked front door. The man reportedly brandished a firearm at the victim and then zip-tied her wrists together. The man reportedly demanded cash and struck the victim with his fist. A second suspect reportedly arrived and together, the suspects ransacked the residence, stealing a large amount of cash. The victim did not sustain visible injuries as a result of this incident.

The suspects remain outstanding at this time. The victim was only able to describe one suspect as a Spanish-speaking Hispanic male adult, approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall, heavyset build and a buzzed head.

This case is still under investigation. 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 Humboldt County Drug Task Force:

Cross.

On Wednesday, March 8, 2023, the Humboldt County Drug Task Force served a search warrant at a mixed-use residence on the 500 block of K Street in Eureka, following a several-month-long investigation of fentanyl sales occurring at this property.

At the residence, agents contacted and detained 37-year-old Kyle Cross and 80-year-old Victor Campos.

During the service of the warrant, agents located approximately seven ounces of fentanyl, a digital scale and drug paraphernalia. It was determined both Cross and Campos had free access to all parts of the residence. Based on evidence located on scene, both Cross and Campos were arrested on the following charges:

Campos.

Kyle Cross

H&S 11351- Possession of a controlled substance for sale

H&S 11366.5(a)- Maintaining a residence for purposes of narcotics

Victor Campos

H&S 11351- Possession of a controlled substance for sale

H&S 11366.5(a)- Maintaining a residence for purposes of narcotics

Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to contact the Humboldt County Drug Task Force at 707-267-9976

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For Marc Daniels-Aygagnax̂, owner of Mind’s Eye Manufactory & Coffee Lounge in Ferndale, building traditional Unangax̂ kayaks is not only a way to help preserve tribal history, but also to teach a craft and help build something that can be used by many people for many years. 

“Our goal is to be relevant,” Daniels told the Outpost in a recent interview at Mind’s Eye. “We’re not making something to hang up in a museum, to stare at and wonder about some past thing. We’re trying to make it a living thing – not a relic.” 

Daniels and a team of volunteers are currently building a nigilax̂ – a large, multi-person skin boat traditional to the Unangax̂ tribes of Unangam Tanangin (the Aleutian Islands), off the coast of Alaska – in the Mind’s Eye shop. The project is a part of Daniels’ nonprofit program, Make Access Iqyax̂ Apprenticeships, a DreamMaker Project of the Ink People that aims to preserve and bring awareness to Unangax̂ cultural heritage through building these traditional boats. 

Daniels has been building kayaks for 30 years, teaching the craft at schools and tribal organizations around Alaska, the Aleutian Islands and Washington. Daniels moved to Humboldt from Bellingham, Wash. about 10 20 years ago when his father bought a property in Ferndale that Daniels was helping fix up. Daniels and his wife had a lifelong dream of opening a creative space where “minds can come together and where ideas and the disciplines of craft can cross pollinate,” he said. When they found a space available in downtown Ferndale, they decided to stay in the area, start their dream business and raise their two children here. 

Daniels and some students in their iqiax̂ and ulux̂tax̂ | From the Make Access Facebook page

But Daniels still spends a great deal of time in Alaska, helping groups build nigilax̂, iqiax̂ (single kayaks) and ulux̂tax̂ (double kayaks) and taking them out on the water. With this specific project, Daniels and the team hope to bring some awareness to the Unangax̂ history in Northern California, something that is not widely known about. 

In the 1700s and 1800s, Russia invaded the Aleutian Islands and enslaved many Unangan people, taking them away from their islands and forcing them to help with sea otter hunts along the coast between the U.S. and Canada. Many of these Unangan slaves ended up at Fort Ross – a Russian fur trading outpost located in what is now Sonoma County. Many of the Unangan people stayed in the area and intermarried with other native tribes and some Unangan descendants still live in Northern California today. 

Like other Native tribes, Unangan people were forced to assimilate to white culture, convert to Christianity, and many of their own traditions were nearly lost. Daniels said he is happy to see a recent revival of cultural traditions among many native tribes.  

“There’s a huge cultural revitalization movement,” Daniels said. “A lot of the young folks are embracing [the culture] and becoming leaders.” 

Kanesia McGlashan-Price is an Unangan tribal member who grew up on Iliuliuk (Unalaska) – one of the Aleutian Islands. Having learned from Daniels during his visits to the islands, McGlashan-Price came down to Ferndale to work on this nigilax̂ build and to help document the process for the video she is making on the Unangax̂ cultural history. McGlashan-Price told the Outpost  that she has always wanted to be a part of a build and she loves to see how this process is helping Unangan youth be more connected to their heritage. 

“I like that this is becoming a regular practice and the fact that it’s something our youth are starting to grow up with,” McGlashan-Price said. “In the last 12 years, Marc has been coming to our Alaska culture camp and kids are starting to learn how to work on [the boats] from a young age. So I just love that it is common practice again.” 

For this project, Daniels said it was very important for him to also connect with the local tribes, the Wiyot and Wailaki (Kun-nes-t’e) people of the Eel River Valley, to invite them to be a part of the project and to ask for their blessing for this project to take place on their land. 

Marnie Atkins, cultural center manager for the Wiyot Tribe, told the Outpost that she was very happy to connect with Daniels on this project and that the tribe is looking forward to collaborating with Daniels on future projects. As coastal, seafaring tribes, Atkins said, the Unangax and Wiyot have a lot to share and learn from each other. The tribe also invited Daniels to join in a Wiyot canoe build – a process that is also very significant to the Wiyot Tribe as a way to preserve the tribe’s traditions and to build stronger community relationships. 

“There are the mechanics of [building a boat] that are being passed on – what wood you choose,  why you choose that piece of wood, how you make it into a boat…how you clean it,” Atkins said in an interview at the Wiyot Cultural Center. “But along with that, there’s building a relationship with that canoe or kayak. And through building a relationship with what you’re creating, you’re building relationships with the other folks who are creating it with you.  And that also deepens those relationships and those traditions and those protocols that you have. That’s all very important.” 

Daniels gathering wood for the boat on a local beach | From the Make Access Facebook page

Building a nigilax̂ is an involved process that usually takes between a month and a month and a half. The volunteers began by combing the local beaches for driftwood and downed trees. The boat is made entirely of found, native wood – a combination of Sitka spruce, cypress, Douglas fir and redwood. Daniels said that this process is used, instead of buying lumber, because it is more traditional and also because the type of wood they look for is not always very available for purchase. The Sitka spruce, in particular, is very special because it is strong, but also light and springy. 

After the wood is cut and sanded, the frame is built and “ribs” are placed throughout the vessel and are lashed into place with cord. The floorboards and seats are then added and secured. After everything is in place, the vessel is covered with a heavy nylon fabric that is then shrunk around the frame, then dyed and coated with sealant. Traditionally, the boats would have been covered with sea lion skin. 

When this nigilax̂ is finished, Daniels said, it will be taken down to Metini (the Unangax̂ name for the area known as Fort Ross) for an official launch as a part of Native Alaska Day – a celebration that takes place on the third Saturday in May. The boat will also be used monthly for  environmental education outings on Humboldt Bay and other local waterways. Daniels said that the nonprofit is still figuring out the details for this component of the project. The vessel will also be available for Unangax̂ tribal members to take to gatherings, like the tribal canoe journeys that happen in Washington.  

If you are interested in learning more about the nigilax̂ building process and seeing the impressive vessel for yourself, the builders are holding an open house event at Mind’s Eye Manufactory in Ferndale on Saturday, March 11 from 1 to 8 p.m. The free event will feature a hands-on workshop, guest speakers, food and music. 

“These inventions are really sophisticated,” Daniels said. “They’re not just a bunch of sticks pulled together. Even from a hydrodynamic, modern view of them – scientists and physicists marvel at how perfect they are. So, to me, by making [these boats] relevant and real again, that mindset can live again.”

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CORRECTION: This article previously misstated that Daniels is of Unangax̂ descent. It also incorrectly referred to the nigilax̂ as a type of kayak. The article has been changed from its original version to correct those errors. 

Anneisha Williams figures she has paid several hundred dollars in overdraft fees over the years, so when her last bank recently refused to refund about $500 a hacker stole from her checking account, Williams decided she was done with banks.

Williams, 38, works full-time at a Jack-in-the-box in the Los Angeles area and is an in-home care provider. She also is raising six children; she doesn’t have time to hassle with a bank she no longer trusts, she said.

“They told me they couldn’t refund my money, basically, that it was just a loss,” she said. “It was just highway robbery.”

Now Williams does banking online through a financial tech company. It doesn’t charge her monthly fees and offers her free overdraft protection. But state law says such companies aren’t banks and can’t call themselves that.

Williams has joined California’s “unbanked” — some 7% of Californians who don’t have checking or savings accounts at traditional banks.

Another 18% have bank accounts but end up using higher-fee financial services, such as payday lenders or check-cashing businesses. They are considered the “underbanked,” according to banking experts.

In total, 1 in 4 Californians lacks full access to banks, studies say. Many are low-income and minorities who pay high fees to access their cash.

Lawmakers say they’re preparing to help. The state Legislature passed a law in 2021 creating a commission to explore a public banking option called CalAccount. Its report is due to the Legislature July 1, 2024.

CalAccount would be a state-run public bank, but the state would likely involve another bank or financial partner. It would offer such services as free checking, overdraft protection, ATM cards and savings accounts to people who are underserved by banks, state officials said.

Assemblymember Miguel Santiago, a Democrat from Los Angeles who authored the law, said it would bring back into the economy people pushed out by high financial fees.

Financial options

“We can’t create a stable economy when financially underserved households spend an average of 10% of their take-home pay in fees and interest, just to access their own money and pay bills,” Santiago said. “Creating a public option for banking and closing the racial wealth gap isn’t only a moral imperative, but it also creates greater financial security for all of our communities.”

CalAccounts would offer “a voluntary, zero-fee, zero-penalty, federally insured transaction account,” says the California Public Banking Option Act. People could access their accounts in person at post offices, rather than at bank branches.

California has one of the highest concentrations of unbanked families in the nation, according to the Federal Reserve. Workers earning less than $15 per hour make up 81% of unbanked individuals in the state, a study said.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which regulates banks, says to be unbanked means no one in a household has a checking or savings account at a traditional bank or credit union. Underbanked means they have a bank account but still lack access to many financial services, such as credit cards and loans.

Not enough cash

Critics of CalAccounts say there aren’t enough of the unbanked or underbanked to justify a state-run financial alternative. Many Californians don’t lack access to bank services, they said; they just lack cash.

“This is a critical distinction that must be made; individuals who utilize payday lenders and other high-cost loan products do so because they have inadequate cash flow, not because they lack access to banking services,” a coalition of business and banking groups wrote to legislators.

Other experts voiced misgivings about public banking.

James Hamilton, an economics professor at University of California San Diego, said where a public bank gets its money to lend and how transparent it is will be important. A public banking system could mask lending practices that deserve public oversight, he said.

“Expenditures of taxpayer dollars should be approved by the legislature and open to public review,” he said. “If the bank’s loans were funded entirely with legislatively approved allocations of tax revenue, I would have no problem with it. But if they are funded by borrowing, this can mask the losses and procrastinate handing the ultimate bill to taxpayers.

“That is how the federal student loan program became a trillion-dollar public loss. California should not repeat the same mistake.”

Banking on minorities

Being unbanked greatly impacts people of color and low-income families. Nearly 1 in 2 Black and Latino households in California is unbanked or underbanked, state officials said.

One reason: low-income consumers are often burdened by bank fees that others with higher balances don’t have to pay. Black households are almost 2 times more likely to pay overdraft fees than white households, and Latino households are 1.4 times more likely, says a study by the Roosevelt Institute, a liberal think tank.

In 2021, 11% of U.S. adults with bank accounts paid at least one overdraft fee, but 20% of Black and 14% of Latino account holders paid such fees, according to the Federal Reserve.

Banks charge overdraft fees — typically around $35 — for each transaction. Some banks charge a single customer multiple times for the same error and charge them each day their account remains overdrawn, the Roosevelt Institute said.

Frequent overdrafters generate about half of banking companies’ checking account profits, according to a 2020 study by the global consulting firm Oliver Wyman. Overdraft-related fees generated $17 billion for banks in 2019, and among the 25 largest banks, about 9% of annual pre-tax profits.

Due to public pressure, some banks in 2021 reduced fees. But by third quarter the fees were back up and banks collected $11 billion that year, the Roosevelt Institute said.

Add that to what unbanked customers pay check cashers and payday lenders and Californians are losing hundreds of millions of dollars a year in fees, Santiago said.

Customer service test

Julia, a 61-year-old McDonald’s employee in Richmond, Calif., said her bank takes a $12 fee from her account every month her balance is below $1,500.

“That $12 is important,’ said Julia, who did not disclose her last name because she fears deportation as an undocumented immigrant. “For a poor person, every single dollar is important. We have to pay for lights, gas, trash service, and buy food. You have to work two or three jobs just to get by.”

Online banking through a financial tech company, like Williams did, is an option. But those companies aren’t registered banks. They often partner with banks to offer their services. And some have attracted hundreds of complaints.

If the state operates a public bank, people could get their paychecks, public assistance benefits and tax returns directly deposited, proponents say.

This option may be years away, however. After bank industry lobbying, lawmakers amended the public banking bill. Instead of creating a bank, the bill created a Blue Ribbon commission to conduct a market analysis to determine if it’s feasible.

So far that commission has held few meetings. It is just beginning the process of hiring a market analysis consultant.

Meanwhile state and federal governments should more actively regulate banking and protect consumers, wrote Emily DiVito, author of The Roosevelt Institute’s report.

To back that up, her study includes research purporting to show how staff at some California banks treat minority or low-income customers.

Researchers posed as potential customers and went to 80 bank branches, requesting information about opening accounts. Bank staff turned away minority canvassers nearly a third of the time, DeVito wrote, but turned away white canvassers once out of 23 visits.

The staff gave various reasons: customers needed to make appointments, staff was too busy or at lunch, or relevant information about bank accounts was on the bank’s website.

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