Dorothy Yvonne Gates was released from the disease of dementia and passed peacefully away on November 11, 2023. She was born in Red Bay, Alabama in 1941. Her family moved to California’s San Joaquin Valley when she was 10. She was the youngest of six. She grew up in a hard-working family of agricultural workers who chopped cotton, picked fruit, and drove tractors.

In 1959, she married Bobby Kurtz and they had two children, Vicki and Daryl. In 1969, they moved to Willow Creek and took over the Standard Oil plant, delivering gas and diesel to a booming mill community. Yvonne worked at Bob’s Shopping Center, cleaned and cared for local homes, and started her own business as a seamstress. She was an artist in diverse mediums and took pleasure in painting and creating things for her family. She was a proficient bowler, card player and an avid golfer who achieved a hole in one over the Bigfoot Golf Course infamous #9 lake. She married Bernie Gates and learned to hunt and drive fast cars. They brought each other lots of joy as they hiked and drove mountain roads together. A few years after losing him to cancer, she began to spend time with her best friend, Gene Gates. They were married and began an adventurous life together seeing places they both had always dreamed of. They drove to Alaska and camped along the way. They drove across the country to Alabama where she spent some time with cousins that she hadn’t seen since she was a kid. They were camp hosts at Boca Campground in the Tahoe National Forest and docents at the Yankee Fork Dredge and Custer Ghost Town in Idaho. They worked at the Michael David Winery in Lodi driving the hay wagon and setting up the haunted maze for the annual pumpkin patch extravaganza. They made many friends along the way and joined them as snowbirds in Quartzsite, Arizona.

Yvonne was vibrant and full of positive energy, always full of laughter and the joy of living; she met everyone with a smile. She leaves behind her beloved husband Gene; daughter Vicki; niece Melissa Kurtz (Brooklynn, Jaiden, and Lincoln); nephews Christopher Kurtz (Lindsay and Ryan) and Devon Kurtz (Sylvia); daughter-in-law Shellee Kurtz; many nieces, and nephews; as well as her Gates stepchildren, nieces, and nephews, all of whom she also loved.

There are no services planned at this time.

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From Senator Mike McGuire’s office:

Sacramento—Across California, small-family licensed cannabis farmers are struggling to make ends meet amidst historic market instability. Many can’t even afford to put plants in the ground, only to harvest a product that won’t make a profit. 

Yet, growers are required to pay full freight for their state cultivation license—up to tens of thousands of dollars annually—even if they don’t plant that year. This harsh economic reality, paying for a license they may not even use, doesn’t make any sense and it’s helping drive instability into the market.

That’s why Senate President Designee Mike McGuire advanced SB 833, the Cannabis Licensing Reform Act, this year.

The process for an inactive or downgraded cultivation license already exists at local levels but currently there is no statewide equivalent that allows cannabis farmers to pause or reduce their crop size without paying the full annual fees. The state cultivation license for a 10,000 square feet to one acre farm is $40,000 to $50,000 annually.

McGuire’s legislation will allow cannabis farmers to either pause their license fee, but maintain an inactive license, or reduce their license [fee] based on crop size, saving the farmer money.

Under current state regulations, cannabis farmers have to pay full freight even if they don’t grow for the year or reduce their crop size. This new law will now provide family cannabis farmers flexibility and the ability to pay less when they grow less.

“SB 833 is all about common sense. Just like with other agricultural crops, cannabis farmers shouldn’t go under from one bad season, whether it’s from a tough market, drought, or even a wildfire. Right now, cannabis farmers must pay their state license fees regardless—or forfeit them all together. This is nuts and that’s why we advanced this legislation. Farmers need flexibility in this erratic market and if they grow less, they should pay less. It’s that simple,” Senator McGuire said. 

SB 833 was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom and will go into effect January 1, 2024.

Press release from Humboldt Bay Fire:

On Sunday November 26th 2023 @ 1400 hours Humboldt Bay Fire was dispatched to a Water Rescue in Humboldt Bay near the Wharfinger Building located at 1 Marina Way.

Humboldt Bay Fire responded with 1 Chief Officer, 3 Engines and 1 Truck. While responding HBF units were advised a subject was reported in the waters of Humboldt Bay between the Wharfinger Building and Samoa. HBF requested the United States Coast Guard also respond to assist.

HBF Truck 8181 arrived at the Wharfinger Building and confirmed a subject was in the water approximately 300 yards off shore drifting south in Humboldt Bay with the outgoing tide. The swimmer from Truck 8181 immediately deployed into the water with a rescue board towards the victim. Other HBF units staged at locations along Humboldt Bay south of the Wharfinger Building including the Schnieder Dock, Del Norte Pier and Bulk Fuel Plant. The swimmer from T8181 contacted the victim who was conscious, hypothermic and in distress. A second swimmer from HBF Engine 8115 deployed into the water from the Del Norte Pier and assisted the swimmer from Truck 8181 with bringing the victim back to shore. A USCG Boat arrived and the 2 HBF swimmers and the victim were assisted onto the USCG Boat and taken to the Eureka Public Marina.

The victim was removed from the USCG Boat to the dock and treated by HBF Paramedics and City Ambulance. The victim was suffering from hypothermia and transported to St. Joseph Hospital by City Ambulance.

As California’s fund to fix crumbling schools dwindles to nothing, lawmakers are negotiating behind the scenes to craft a ballot measure that would be the state’s largest school construction bond in decades.

But some beleaguered school superintendents say the money will not be nearly enough to fix all the dry rot, leaky roofs and broken air conditioners in the state’s thousands of school buildings. And it won’t change a system that they say favors wealthy, urban, left-leaning areas that can easily pass local bond measures to make needed repairs.

“The big question is, why can’t our kids have school buildings that are safe and as nice as other kids’ schools, just a few miles away?” said Helio Brasil, superintendent of Keyes Union School District, a rural TK-8 district in a low-income area south of Modesto. “This school is in such bad shape it can feel like a jail. … I’m speaking up about this because I feel the system needs to be fixed. I don’t want the next generation of students to have to experience this.”

Two bills are currently under consideration in the Legislature, both of which would bring in billions to repair school facilities. Assembly Bill 247 would raise $14 billion for K-12 schools and community colleges, while Senate Bill 28, at $15.5 billion, includes the University of California and California State University, as well.

Legislators are likely to pick only one bill to send to Gov. Gavin Newsom for approval. AB 247 might have the advantage because it doesn’t include the state’s four-year university systems, both of which have means to raise their own revenue. So far it’s garnered little opposition, while SB 28 is opposed by two contractors’ associations because the bill prioritizes projects that use union labor.

The California Taxpayers Association is neutral on AB 247 but opposes SB 28 because it would increase the amount of money school districts could borrow, leading to higher property taxes. AB 247 doesn’t change the borrowing limit.

“It should also be remembered that the school districts get to write the ballot questions, and they always use wording that encourages a ‘yes’ vote and buries the part about the tax increase,” said association spokesman David Kline.

Addressing ‘the new reality’

Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, chair of the Assembly education committee and a co-author of AB 247, said he’s confident the governor will approve a school bond for the November 2024 ballot, despite competition from a handful of other pricey bond proposals addressing housing, the fentanyl crisis and flood protection.

“The big question is, why can’t our kids have school buildings that are safe and as nice as other kids’ schools, just a few miles away?”
— Helio Brasil, superintendent of Keyes Union School District

For Muratsuchi, a Democrat from Torrance, fixing broken schools should be a top priority for California, especially as wildfires and extreme weather intensify.

“Our classrooms are aging, but we also need to address our new reality,” he said. “Classrooms of the 21st century should not only address students’ technical needs, but the reality of climate change.”

First: Water damage inside a classroom at Pacific Elementary School in Santa Cruz on Nov. 14, 2023. Photo by Clara Mokri for CalMatters Second: A rusted roof at Pacific Elementary School in Santa Cruz on Nov. 14, 2023. Photo by Clara Mokri for CalMatters Third: A building used as a storage facility boarded up and no longer in use at the Keyes Elementary School in Keyes on Nov. 15, 2023. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local Fourth: Construction sites in the hallways of the Keyes Elementary School in Keyes on Nov. 15, 2023. Multiple projects keep going on at the campus due to a lack of funds to continue. Photos by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Unlike most other states, California does not have a permanent funding stream for repairing school facilities. Money comes from state and local bonds, which generate finite amounts of money, usually through property taxes. Although California has lavished money on schools in the past few years, most of that money is earmarked for efforts to help students recover from the pandemic. It can’t be spent on construction.

Typically, larger, urban and more affluent districts, which also tend to be more liberal, have an easier time raising funds. Not only are voters more likely to approve new taxes – the usual way that districts repay bonds – but property values are higher, thereby bringing in more money. In addition, districts can qualify for matching funds from the state, so “the more you have, the more you get,” said Julien Lafortune, a researcher at the Public Policy Institute of California.

In 2022, for example, the Mill Valley School District in Marin County was able to raise $194 million through a bond that taxed local property owners just 2.6 cents per $100 of a property’s assessed value – in a city where the average home price hovers around $2 million.

Meanwhile, the same year in rural San Lucas, south of King City in Monterey County, the school district tried passing a bond that would have taxed property owners more than twice that rate, but because the average home price is below $300,000 the bond would have raised only $3.6 million. Regardless, voters said no.

“The system is inequitable. More (school facilities) money goes to higher-income students than lower-income students,” Lafortune said. “There’s an understanding in California that we shouldn’t have these big inequities when it comes to books, supplies, resources. There’s all these efforts to correct inequities. And yet that’s not something that exists for school facilities.”

The state has a hardship fund for school districts that can’t cover their share of the matching funds. But the process to get hardship money is complicated, time-consuming and can be overly burdensome for rural superintendents who may also be teaching classes, driving the bus and serving lunch.

In a recent report, the Public Policy Institute of California recommends that California survey the condition of the state’s thousands of school buildings and adopt a system that ensures the neediest districts get more money.

Although both bills in the Legislature include tweaks to make funding more equitable, they don’t go far enough, said Jeff Vincent, co-founder of the Center for Cities and Schools at UC Berkeley. Nearly 40% of California’s school districts can’t raise enough through local bonds — those that manage to pass them — to cover necessary repair costs. Any statewide bond should include significant aid for rural, small and low-income districts.

“Districts in areas with lower property values are really struggling,” Vincent said. “This means that children in more disadvantaged communities tend to have schools in a greater state of disrepair. … It’s not just a matter of aesthetics. It’s an issue of environmental health and safety.”

Better facilities, higher achievement

The stakes are high: students whose schools are in good condition perform 5% to 17% higher on standardized tests, are less likely to be suspended, and are more likely to attend school regularly, according to the California Department of Education. The reason, according to researchers, is that students focus better and have more pride in their school when buildings are comfortable and safe, with good air ventilation and temperature control.

“This school is in such bad shape it can feel like a jail. … I’m speaking up about this because I feel the system needs to be fixed.”
— Helio Brasil, superintendent of Keyes Union School District

Eric Gross, superintendent at Pacific Elementary School District in Santa Cruz County, has noticed that firsthand. For at least two decades, the roof has leaked so badly that staff have had to put trash cans in classrooms and hallways to collect rainwater during storms. Two engineers have recommended that a classroom be condemned, but the state took years before it finally approved the project earlier this month.

A bucket catches water due to a leak in a sixth-grade classroom at Pacific Elementary School in Santa Cruz on Nov. 14, 2023. According to Superintendent Eric Gross, the ceiling leaks even on foggy mornings. Photo by Clara Mokri for CalMatters

“The other day a teacher came to me and said, ‘The siding in my room is rotting.’ I said yeah, I know. She said, ‘OK, just wanted to make sure you knew.’ … Our staff is great but there’s a level of demoralization. It’s frustrating but everyone just accepts it,” Gross said.

He’s come to rely on parent volunteers to perform basic maintenance at the 150-student school in the town of Davenport. Parents replace broken door handles, prune blackberry bushes, fix broken windows and build benches.

“On the first day of school I tell the families, there are no passengers on this ship. Everyone rows,” he said.

Small districts like his desperately need more assistance from the state, he said. Not just more money, but help managing large projects. Gross is too busy running the school to hire consultants, negotiate with contractors, submit the reams of required paperwork or oversee major projects.

“I can teach your kids to read, but I am not a construction manager,” he said. “The state needs to step in to help superintendents like me, because we don’t have the time or expertise to do this on our own.”

Dry rot and gophers

Keyes Union School District, where Brasil has been superintendent for seven years, is a patchwork of deferred maintenance and jerry-rigging. Any money for repairs is long gone: The last time local voters passed a school construction bond was in 2005, and the state fund is depleted, as well. The elementary school gym, for example, doubles as a cafeteria, which means staff haul dozens of folding tables in and out daily. The middle school gym was never finished, so it lacks seating and locker rooms; students change in small, stuffy portables across the playground. Some of the roofs are 40 years old. A decade ago, an electrical malfunction sparked a pre-dawn fire in the Head Start building, engulfing it in flames.

First: The gym that also acts as a cafeteria for students at the Keyes Elementary School in Keyes on Nov. 15, 2023. Second: The dug-up sports field at Barbara Spratling Middle School in Keyes on Nov. 15, 2023. The field was dug up after an invasion of gopher destroyed the grass resulting in the school funding a project to fix it. Photos by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

But for the past two years, Keyes’ most pressing issue has been gophers. Lured by the adjacent almond orchards, gophers invaded the middle school soccer field — one of only two fields in the town and shared with the community. The field was so pocked with divots and holes that anyone running across it risked an ankle injury or worse. The only way to make it usable again was to dig it up, regrade it and install new sod.

Brasil didn’t have many financing options. The state rejected the district’s request for repair money, so it had to borrow $700,000 to complete the project.

“I wanted kids to have a nice, safe place to play, to run, to blow off steam after the pandemic. I would have rather spent that money on tutoring or after-school programs, but to me, this felt like the most important thing,” Brasil said.

Dr. Helio Brasil stands in the hallway next to the construction tape for the project on new classrooms at the Keyes Elementary School in Keyes on Nov. 15, 2023. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Jeff Roberts, superintendent of Plumas Lake Elementary School District in Yuba County, has a different problem. His school buildings are in good shape, but the district is growing so fast he needs to build an entire new school — or risk cutting programs and increasing class sizes.

In the early 2000s, the district had only 100 students. But due to a housing boom in the region, he anticipates 2,200 students by 2030. The amount of money needed to build a new school is daunting: a new school will cost $70 million to $100 million. The district can only raise $18 million through a local bond. Developers’ fees will bring in an additional $20 million, but that still leaves the district with only half the money it needs. Roberts is relying on the state to pass a new school construction bond so he can apply for the remainder of the funds.

“I went into education for teaching and learning. Now, what I spend most of my time on is worrying about housing students,” Roberts said. “If we can’t figure this out, we’re going to have to cut things like P.E., art, music to make room for students. It’s extremely frustrating because we know that’s not what’s best for students’ education.”

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

Pamela Ann Sistrom, 82, was born on July 23, 1941 in Los Angeles to Joe and Katie Sistrom, and died on November 19, 2023 in Eureka. She is survived by her daughter, Dianna Bond, her son-in-law, Xavion Bond, her granddaughter-to-be, Xadie Isley Bond, best friend Henry Buchanan and her many family friends who will miss her dearly. She joins her former husband, Eric Heimstadt, and brother, Anthony Sistrom.

Pam spent her twenties singing in jazz clubs and remained devoted to jazz throughout her life. She knew the lines to every standard and sang along to Miles and Coltrane while she washed the dishes. She would tune herself by singing “Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise,” singing SO-ftly, SO-ftly SO-ftly. Her cars were always full of jazz cassettes. A talented artist, Pam attended art college in San Francisco after high school. Her family can find her in her linework and recordings. We are grateful for the many sketches, paintings and music she has left us to remember her by.

Pam loved to act, improvising with her friends and to anyone who would give her the time. With friends like Henry Buchanan and Janet Waddell they could invent whole scenes together. She loved to do impressions – she had a knack for capturing people, especially when they annoyed her. 

Pam was proud of her journey in recovery. She wore her NA ring on her wedding finger and had many friends in the local recovery community who will miss her dearly. She will be receiving her Infinity chip at her memorial. 

Pam met her husband, Eric Heimstadt, while she was a nursing student in Los Angeles. They spent decades building a life together, and had intensities to match one another. Their daughter Dianna was born in 1986. Although separated, Eric remained the love of her life long after his passing. Pam retired at the age of 78 after over forty years of nursing. She was an excellent nurse, with a kind and loving bedside manner that often kept her after hours. She loved her cats – especially Bigelow, crime dramas, going for car rides along the Humboldt coastline, shopping, cooking, and looking her best, always.

The family is so grateful to Seaview Rehabilitation and Wellness Center, where she used to work and where they took care of her like family. She had the best view in the house.

A memorial will be held at 12 noon on Sunday, January 7 at the Jefferson Community Center, 1000 B Street in Eureka. All are welcome to attend, bring a dish, and remember Pam.

Louis Thomas “Pete” Pietrok passed away peacefully, with family by his side, on November 19, 2023 at the age of 93 in his home in Ferndale. He was a loving husband, father, grandpa and brother as well as a steadfast friend.

Born in Linn County, Ore., on March 13, 1930, Louis’ childhood was typical of someone who grew up in rural America during the Depression. He enjoyed sharing stories of his childhood adventures including berry picking, working on farms and spending time with his seven siblings. Louis married the love of his life, Lois Seeger, on February 25, 1952. The couple moved from Oregon to Humboldt County, in the early 1950’s to live near Lois’ sister and her husband. While he worked for several logging companies — the last of which being Chambers Logging — as a skilled faller, Louis and Lois lived throughout the county, including Dinsmore, Carlotta, Petrolia, Fortuna and Bridgeville. In 1966, the Pietroks moved to Ferndale, eventually settling in their home on “Frog Alley” where they raised their six children and spent the remainder of their lives.

Louis loved the outdoors and his family. In his later years, he spent hours sitting in a lawn chair near his garden, wearing his straw hat, where he grew all kinds of produce from asparagus to kohlrabi and beautiful flowers. An avid fisherman and hunter, he enjoyed time in Bear River and on the Jetty. Louis knew most of the woods in the county well and never needed a compass to get his bearings. He was a talented cook, relishing in feeding his family and friends with fresh and smoked fish, salami hung from his garage rafters, fried zucchini from his garden or his famous desserts like apple pie, “haystack” Christmas candy and oatmeal-raisin cookies (which he always stirred by hand). He treasured friends and family and loved having a house full of guests — and he couldn’t resist teasing any youngsters around. He often wore a smile on his face and had a twinkle in his eye.

Louis was a jokester: always ready with a pun, armed to set off a firecracker on his patio, or hide people’s things when they weren’t looking.

Also an accomplished woodworker, Louis built beautiful, hand-crafted items like cutting boards, step stools for his grandchildren, and masterful pieces of furniture. He took pride in his well-equipped ‘shop’ in his backyard.

He is preceded in death by his beloved wife of 58 years, Lois Pietrok; his daughters, Sue Lyons and Cindy Goldsby (and husband, Bret Goldsby); his parents, Phillip and Anna Pietrok and his siblings, Clarence Pietrok, Mary Lecher, Louise Pietrok (his twin) and Frances Hendricks.

Louis is survived by his sisters, Teresa Pietrok, Helen Usselman and Regina Schwarz; his children, Michael Pietrok (Tracie), Julie Mechling (Larry), Peter Pietrok (Angela) and Ron Pietrok (Holly) as well as 15 grandchildren and 25 great grandchildren.

Family and friends are invited to a funeral service on December 2, 2023 at 11 a.m. at Goble’s Fortuna Mortuary and a memorial gathering at 12:30 p.m. at Ferndale City Hall. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Ferndale Museum.

PREVIOUSLY:

• BREAKING: Eureka Police Department Investigating Officer-Involved Shooting Near the Library

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Press release from the Eureka Police Department:

On November 26, 2023, around 9:36 a.m., the Eureka Police Department attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle in the vicinity of 2nd and M Streets in Eureka. During the traffic stop, a 31- year-old white male occupant of the vehicle fled from the scene. While officers were checking the area, the male was located to the rear of the library.

While officers attempted to detain the male, a physical altercation ensued. During the altercation the suspect produced a firearm, shots were subsequently fired by officers and the suspect was struck. Life-saving efforts were immediately performed by officers and Humboldt Bay Fire personnel. Due to the extent of injuries, the suspect succumbed to his injuries on scene. A loaded firearm was recovered from the suspect at the scene.

The Humboldt County Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT), led by the Eureka Police Department and the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office, was activated to investigate this incident.

The incident was captured on body worn camera and will be released upon completion of the investigation pursuant to SB 1421. Senate Bill 1421 requires the disclosure of records and information under the California Public Records Act (Government Code section 6250, et seq.) concerning records relating to the report, investigation or findings of an incident involving the discharge of a firearm at a person by a peace officer or a custodial officer.

There are no outstanding threats to the community. Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact Detective Bailey with the Eureka Police Department Criminal Investigations Unit at 707-441-4215.