A banner day. More than 20 years after the Klamath Fish Kill — or the most well known of the Klamath fish kills — and after seemingly endless rounds of negotiations and politicking and lawsuits, the Klamath River today flows free.

 It has been the largest dam removal project in American history.

Press release from a coalition of tribal entities and non-profit organizations (see list below):

Today, the last coffer dams were broken at the former Iron Gate and Copco No. 1 Dam sites, returning the Klamath river to its natural path and marking an end to a significant construction phase in the largest salmon restoration project in U.S. history. The project is a major step toward healing a critical watershed for West Coast salmon production and is widely recognized as a Tribal justice initiative that will help revitalize the culture and economies of several Tribal Nations whose homelands are in the Klamath Basin.

“I am excited to be in the restoration phase of the Klamath River. Restoring hundreds of miles of spawning grounds and improving water quality will help support the return of our salmon, a healthy, sustainable food source for several Tribal Nations. This is truly a great day for the Karuk and all the Native People of the Klamath Basin,” said Russell ‘Buster’ Attebery, Chairman of the Karuk Tribe.

“Another wall fell today. The dams that have divided the basin are now gone and the river is free. Our sacred duty to our children, our ancestors, and for ourselves, is to take care of the river, and today’s events represent a fulfillment of that obligation,” said Yurok Tribe Vice Chairman Frankie Myers.

Four dams have been under deconstruction on the Klamath river, which traverses the California-Oregon border, over the past year. Benefits of dam removal include reintroducing salmon to more than 400 miles of historical habitat, eliminating reservoirs that hosted massive blooms of toxic blue green algae each summer, and eliminating conditions that enabled fish diseases to thrive. All of these benefits are expected to support the rebound of what was once the third largest salmon fishery in the lower 48 states.

“While there is still work to be done, today we are celebrating,” said Mark Bransom, CEO of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, the non-profit entity tasked with the removal of the dams. “Watching the Klamath River return to its historic path in the reservoirs and now through the dam sites has been incredible, and I feel honored to take this project over the finish line for our Tribal partners, and river communities.”

Although the construction phase of dam removal is expected to be completed by the end of September (some remaining riverside infrastructure is still being deconstructed), restoration of the land along the river and in key tributaries that were previously covered by the reservoirs will continue for several years. Resource Environmental Solutions (RES), the company contracted to oversee the restoration, is committed to remaining active in the basin until vegetation is successfully established and the newly restored habitat is on a positive ecological trajectory.

Signed by: Klamath River Renewal Corporation • Karuk Tribe • Yurok Tribe • American Rivers • American Whitewater • California Trout • Environmental Protection Information Center • Institute for Fisheries Resources • International Rivers • Native Fish Society • Northern California Council, Fly Fishers International • Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations • Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group • Salmon River Restoration Council • Save California Salmon • Sustainable Northwest Trout Unlimited ​

Background

Discussions about the potential for Klamath River dam removal began in earnest more than 20 years ago, shortly after an estimated 70,000 adult salmon died in the lower river before they could spawn. The 2002 fish kill was a traumatic event for Klamath River Tribal communities. In response, Tribal members started a grassroots campaign with the goal of removing the lower four Klamath River dams as a requisite step toward restoring the watershed to health. The Bring the Salmon Home campaign called on the company that previously owned the dams, PacifiCorp, to surrender the lower four Klamath River dams for the purpose of removal.

After years of protests, lawsuits, and direct action, PacifiCorp, the States of California and Oregon, Tribal governments, conservation groups, commercial and recreational fishing organizations, and local governments reached a settlement agreement in 2016 to remove the dams. It took additional negotiations to secure final approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for the dam removal and restoration to proceed. FERC approved the license surrender order in November 2022, allowing the transfer of the hydropower project to the Klamath River Renewal Corporation so they could proceed with the removal.

The smallest of the four dams, Copco No. 2, was removed in 2023. The reservoirs behind the three remaining dams were drained in January of this year, carefully timed to minimize impacts on fish runs. The river has been returned to its historic path at each dam site. As of today, the Klamath River flows freely and will allow fish passage from the mouth of the river in California up to where it originates below Lake Euwana, just below Upper Klamath Lake in Oregon. Dam removal also opens access to hundreds of miles of high-quality tributaries for migrating salmon, steelhead, and other aquatic species.

More information about this historic dam removal and larger watershed-wide restoration effort is available at reconnectklamath.org and klamathrenewal.org

Quotes from Supporting Organizations

“The Klamath River was once the third largest salmon producing river in the continental U.S., and restoring its once-abundant salmon runs has been a priority for the coastal salmon fishing families that PCFFA represents for at least four decades. With the freeing of the river for salmon to once again fully occupy it, the valuable salmon runs from the Klamath are expected to more than double in numbers – which means more salmon fishing jobs and stronger coastal salmon fishing-dependent communities as an enduring legacy of these efforts. I am proud to have been a major part of making this happen.”

-Glen Spain, NW Regional Director, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA)

“Because of Klamath River dam removal, salmon can return to the Upper Klamath Basin in Oregon for the first time in over 100 years. This will help restore salmon runs for Tribes up and down the river, including the Klamath Tribes in Oregon. Sustainable Northwest is proud to have played a role in this Tribally-led project to restore salmon runs and healthy river flows, and support Tribal justice.”

-Lee Rahr, Vice President of Programs, Sustainable Northwest​

“Big things happen when committed people decide that failure is not an option. So today, on behalf of Klamath River salmon and steelhead and the communities that cannot live without them, we celebrate all the talented, relentless people who wouldn’t take no for an answer – the people who lit the fire, the people who worked behind the scenes, the public servants who did the right thing – all of the people who got it done when everyone said it wasn’t possible.”

-Brian J. Johnson, Senior Policy Advisor, Western Water and Climate, Trout Unlimited

“I’m proud that CalTrout has been at the table pushing for this crucial and pivotal river restoration project to transpire, and it is so satisfying to share the experience with partners from fellow conservation organizations, government agencies, and most especially our Indigenous and tribal partners,” said Curtis Knight, Executive Director of California Trout. “Dam removal on the Klamath River is special not just because of its magnitude and impact, but because of all the people that came together to make this happen. We started this journey 24 years ago sitting at a negotiation table. Together this amazing community of committed people are pulling off the largest dam removal and restoration project in U.S. history.”

-Curtis Knight, Executive Director, California Trout

“When we remove a dam, we don’t just restore a river, we heal communities. This tremendous milestone is thanks to the ongoing leadership of the river’s Tribes and grassroots advocates, and holds important lessons for other rivers nationwide. American Rivers named the Klamath as the River of the Year for 2024 because it proves that we can overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges and make incredible progress by working together. American Rivers is honored to continue our work advancing restoration and partnering with communities across the watershed.”

-Dr. Ann Willis, California Regional Director, American Rivers

“I am proud to say that the fly fishing community has been a part of this process for nearly 23 years, and that we joined many partners at the negotiating table who were focused on restoring the Klamath to its historical greatness. The river is now running free & in its historical channel. The fishery & river will now have a chance to begin the process of recovery. We are happy for the river, the fish, our negotiating partners, and the Tribal communities - The river people - whose lives are forever changed for the better. Never give up was our motto. It has worked.”

-Dr. Mark Rockwell, VP Conservation, Northern California Council, Fly Fishers International

“The Indigenous Peoples and Tribal Nations of the Klamath River have fought long and hard for the Klamath River to flow freely and begin recovering from colonization. Today’s final breach of the last dam on the river marks the beginning of a new era on the Klamath River during which Indigenous cultures can thrive alongside the many species and communities that are dependent upon the resilience of the Klamath River. We would not have reached this movement without the remarkable commitments of the Klamath Basin Indigenous Peoples and Tribal Nations and their many partners. We celebrate as a united Klamath Basin.”

-Amy Bowers Cordalis, Executive Director, Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group

“Local families, especially native families on the Klamath River, fought for generations for this day. Many of us, and our kids, grew up in the movements for fishing rights and dam removal and many local people’s childhood memories include the toxic algae and fish kills. Now our children, grandchildren, and schools are planting seeds and engaging in dam removal and restoration. Youth are learning about the local successful movement for the environment and civil rights and how powerful they can be, and have hope for the future. We are so grateful we are able to celebrate this moment with our families, and that in the near future our youth will be able to enjoy salmon and a clean river instead of having to fight so hard.”

-Regina Chichizola, Save California Salmon

“Today marks a significant milestone in our commitment to restoring the health of the Klamath River ecosystem. The removal of the Klamath dams not only restores the natural flow of the river but also paves the way for the resurgence of the nearly extinct Klamath spring Chinook. Historically the largest run in the basin, the Klamath dams had blocked 90% of their habitat. Thanks to decades of advocacy protecting the Klamath’s last wild spring Chinook genetics, these heirs to the upper basin can finally return home.”

-Amber Jamieson, water advocacy director for Environmental Protection Information Center

“International Rivers stands in solidarity with the Klamath River Tribal communities who have championed the restoration of their ancestral waters and ways of life. This historic dam removal, improving access to over 400 miles of habitat, represents a shared victory for all who recognize nature as a living ecosystem to be cherished and protected. As the world watches the Klamath flow freely for the first time in over a century, we are witnessing a powerful example of what’s possible when we prioritize ecological integrity and respect Indigenous stewardship. This victory ripples far beyond the Klamath, offering hope and inspiration for river defenders worldwide.”

-Isabella Winkler and Josh Klemm, Co-Directors, International Rivers

“The removal of the Klamath River dams marks a historic moment not only for the river and the wild, native fish that rely on it, but also for the countless individuals, Tribes, community members, and organizations who have worked tirelessly for this celebrated outcome. This achievement is a testament to the power of collaboration and perseverance, as together we have made a lasting impact on the future of wild fish that will benefit generations to come. Native Fish Society is honored to join in celebrating of this incredible journey, and to continue our mission of working towards wild abundance throughout the Pacific Northwest.”

- Mark Sherwood, Executive Direct, Native Fish Society

Press release from the California Highway Patrol:

As the Labor Day holiday approaches, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) is launching a statewide enforcement effort to keep the public safe on the road through the holiday weekend.

The CHP will initiate a statewide Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP) beginning at 6:01 p.m. on Friday, August 30, and continuing through 11:59 p.m. on Monday, September 2. During the holiday weekend, all available CHP officers will be on patrol to encourage safe driving and assist motorists.

“Everyone’s safety is our top priority, so make responsible choices. Drive sober, stay focused and help keep our roads safe for all who use them,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. “Your decisions behind the wheel can save lives – yours and others.”

During last year’s Labor Day MEP, 38 people were killed in crashes throughout the state. Of note, nearly half of the vehicle occupants who were killed in a crash within CHP jurisdiction were not wearing a seat belt. In addition, CHP officers statewide made 1,064 arrests for driving under the influence during the 78-hour holiday enforcement period.

Remember to keep yourself and others safe by designating a sober driver or using public transit. If you see a driver who seems impaired, call 9-1-1 right away. Be prepared to give the dispatcher details about the vehicle, including license plate number, location and direction of travel. Your call could save a life.

The mission of the CHP is to provide the highest level of Safety, Service, and Security.

It’s no secret that prescription drugs are unaffordable for many Californians. In just five years, spending on prescription drugs ballooned from $8.7 billion to $12.1 billion, an increase of 39%, according to the most recent state data.

Consumer advocates and health economists are placing some of the blame on pharmaceutical middlemen, which they say needlessly drive up costs by tacking on fees and withholding discounts as profit. It’s a problem that has plagued regulators across the country. This week, California lawmakers are set to vote on first-time regulations aimed at curtailing their tactics.

Pharmacy benefit managers, also known as PBMs, most often serve as intermediaries between insurance companies and drug manufacturers. They process claims, negotiate the price of drugs using a complex system of rebates, and control the list of drugs that health insurance plans cover, also known as a formulary.

They’re already regulated to some degree in most other states, including Texas and Florida. The California proposal would require the state insurance department to license pharmacy benefit managers, and would require pharmacy benefit managers to disclose prices paid and discounts negotiated with drug manufacturers. It would also mandate that 100% of the discounts from drug manufacturers be passed onto health insurance plans.

“(Pharmacy benefit managers) have insinuated themselves into the nerve center of the health system where they exercise enormous leverage over the health plans, over the pharmaceutical manufacturers, over the consumers,” bill author Sen. Scott Wiener said. “They’re making enormous amounts of money at the expense of consumers.”

The companies argue that they save money for patients and insurance plans — the more patients they represent, the more leverage pharmacy benefit managers have to negotiate lower drug prices, for example. They are fiercely opposed to the legislation and warn that the proposed regulations will increase health premiums for Californians by $1.7 billion in the first year and $20 billion over a decade.

“The bottom line is (Senate Bill) 966 does nothing to reduce prescription drug costs or improve patient access and safety,” said Greg Lopes, a spokesperson for Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, an industry lobby for pharmacy benefit managers

Three pharmacy benefit managers dominate the industry: CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and OptumRx represent more than 80% of the market.

Increasingly, research suggests consolidation drives prescription drug prices higher. The biggest player, CVS, has grown to encompass the familiar retail pharmacy stores, pharmacy benefit management services, and health insurance through a merger with Aetna.

“They’re way overdue for regulation,” Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco, said.

Previous attempts to regulate pharmacy benefit managers have failed in California. In 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation that would have prevented pharmacy benefit managers from “patient steering,” a practice that forces patients to use only specified pharmacies that are also often owned by the pharmacy benefit managers.

“In California we’re really behind. They have been far more aggressive in other states regulating (pharmacy benefit managers),” said Michelle Rivas, executive vice president of government relations at the California Pharmacists Association, which co-sponsored the bill. “The ideal would be comprehensive federal legislation. Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of time to wait for Congress to move on this issue.”

While more than a dozen proposals have been introduced in Congress, to date none has passed. A recent report from the Federal Trade Commission, which is investigating pharmacy benefit managers, suggests that the largest organizations may be engaging in practices specifically to evade regulation, such as moving portions of their operations out of the country.

“These guys are smart and historically we’ve seen them evolve and we’ve seen them find ways to make more money,” said Geoffrey Joyce, director of health policy at the USC Schaeffer Center who studies pharmaceutical markets.

California’s effort to regulate pharmacy benefit managers is commendable, Joyce said, but he’s pessimistic that regulators can adapt as quickly as the market changes.

Concessions to pharmacy benefit managers

Wiener’s bill would break new ground in California, but it won’t go as far as he intended.

Amendments to the proposal significantly curtailed its reach in the final days of the legislative session. Industry groups requested the changes, but Wiener said the remainder still leaves “a very strong bill.”

Previous versions of the proposal would have prohibited pharmacy benefit managers from paying pharmacies less for a drug than they charge insurers and keeping the difference as profit. It would have also prohibited insurers from paying out bonuses based on drug cost savings.

The Assembly Appropriations Committee, which is chaired by Buffy Wicks, a Democrat from Oakland, struck those provisions.

Wiener said neither he nor the industry opponents got everything they wanted. Wicks’ office did not respond by deadline to a call asking why the amendments were added when the bill had previously made it through all committees and the Senate without a single no vote.

Lopes, with the pharmacy benefit manager lobby, said the group remains opposed to the bill even after the amendments.

“While we are taking a close look at the new language and its implications, it’s evident the bill still benefits Big Pharma at the expense of California patients,” Lopes said.

Pharmacy benefit managers argue that federal investigations and criticism of their business practices are flawed and misguided. As middlemen, pharmacy benefit managers are able to negotiate prices with pharmacy chains, health insurers and drug manufacturers on behalf of their clients. Designing preferred pharmacy networks, formularies and discounts are all strategies that allow pharmacy benefit managers to keep prices reasonable, said Ed Devaney, president of the employer division at CVS Caremark.

“This bill would not allow employers to continue to leverage those cost containment solutions that they have enjoyed over the last 10 to 20 years,” Devaney said. The proposal is also opposed by health insurers, some unions, and a coalition of business associations.

CVS Caremark is the largest pharmacy benefit manager in the country, representing more than 100 million members. Devaney said CVS passes 99% of rebates to consumers and that it has no issue with increased transparency.

Instead, the benefit managers blame pharmaceutical companies for skyrocketing drug prices.

‘No saints’ in pharmaceutical industry

Reid Porter, a spokesperson for Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said Wiener’s proposal is a “step in the right direction” but that California legislators have more work to do to address “the perverse incentives and harmful practices of PBMs that lead to higher costs, including higher premiums, that patients face.” The trade organization representing drug companies supports Wiener’s measure.

Drug manufacturers have long accused pharmacy benefit managers of holding prescription drugs hostage in order to get bigger rebates that patients never see. Rebates made up just 17% of the $12.1 billion spent on pharmaceuticals in 2022, according to the Department of Managed Health Care’s most recent drug cost report.

Joyce of USC said both players are at fault.

“There are no saints. Everyone is trying to make a buck,” Joyce said.

Pharmacy benefit managers representing tens of millions of patients have enough leverage to negotiate lower drug prices, he said, but the problem is that their business practices are so opaque no one really knows how much in savings is being passed down to patients and how much benefit managers are keeping in profits.

Joyce said he has also witnessed negotiations where manufacturers withhold price discounts if the benefit manager includes coverage of competitors’ drugs.

“They run an opaque, non-transparent business, and that is never good,” Joyce said.

The Federal Trade Commission report suggests that pharmacy benefit managers increasingly make money through administrative fees and other payments tacked onto services.

Despite the leverage pharmacy benefit managers may have, Kevin Schulman, a professor of medicine at Stanford University, research shows they have only ever driven drug prices up — not down.

For example, although generic or biosimilar insulins have been available for years, patient use of the cheaper alternatives has remained low because pharmacy benefit managers exclude the generics from covered benefits in lieu of higher-profit, name-brand insulins. Newsom’s initiative to manufacture low-cost, generic insulin for Californians, will face a similar challenge, Schulman said. Schulman was an advisor to Civica Rx, the company tapped by Newsom to run its insulin project.

“This strategy results in them being able to pocket billions of dollars,” Schulman said.

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Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit www.chcf.org to learn more.

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

Jimmy John Shea was born on November 4, 1956 in Clay Center, Kansas, and raised in Salina, the oldest of five siblings. He is survived by his sisters Sara Rogers (Clarendon, Arkansas), Laurie Ross (Tulsa, Oklahoma), Beckie Shea (Sand Springs, Oklahoma), brothers Dave Shea (Tulsa, Oklahoma), and Scott Shea (Valdosta, Georgia); as well as Melissa Stansberry, the mother of his son Frankie, and step-sons and daughter Kavi, Olea and Galen Treesong. He is predeceased by his birth mother, Mary Smith of Arkansas, and parents Dean Shea and Sue Woodring of Tulsa, and by his only child, Franklyn Stansberry-Shea.

In his early years, Jimmy was a track and cross- country star and academic genius in high school, graduating in 1975 from Salina High School South. He earned the prestigious USSYP award (United States Senate Youth Program), and a scholarship to West Point Military School, which he turned down, and instead, chose to hitchhike to California and live in the mountains. There, he took the name “Winter Breeze” and family and friends thereafter knew him as Breeze.

In California he spent several years planting trees in the Sierra Foothills, where he made new friends and met the people who would become his land partners in Weitchpec. In between planting trees, he would take pick and shovel to little known crystal mines in eastern California and Nevada, returning with collections of exquisite quartz crystals which he surrounded himself with for the rest of his life. 

In 1993, at the age of 37, Breeze became a father to Franklyn Allessandro Stansberry-Shea, and he and Melissa Stansberry and their boy lived together for a time in the tipi Jimmy had made, on the side of the mountain. Though mother and child moved to Carlotta, he and Melissa continued to share the bond of parenthood forever, deeper following the untimely passing of their child in 2018. Jimmy spent the last 36 years of his life on his homestead, right above the confluence of the Klamath and Trinity rivers, maintaining a beautiful home surrounded by abundant gardens and orchards. He had lots of friends and acquaintances weaving in and out of the story of his earthly life.  

He was always a hardworking man, if not on his homestead, then assorted jobs on local farms and forests, wielding a hoe, chain saw, or weed whacker depending on the job.  He loved working the soil, raising animals, and sharing the bounty of his gardens both fresh and preserved.  He often contributed food to Hoopa Tribal Elders. In the early days he also volunteered at KIDE Radio in Hoopa. Breeze was a gentle and generous soul.

Liberated from the trappings and sufferings of mortal flesh, no longer tortured by pain and grief, Breeze was ready. With his recently recognized acceptance of his Lord, he was ready and he said so repeatedly since the untimely passing of his only child Frankie Stansberry-Shea.  In recent years he often said “My faith is strong in my Lord.  I am both a Christian and a Pagan.”

Breeze joined his son in spirit mere days before the 6th anniversary of his son’s transition to Spirit; his “Angelversary.”

Rest peacefully in God’s garden, Breeze, with Frankie and all your elders.  We’ll be seeing ya on the Other Side.

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Jerry Ann Hurst
April 21,1956- August 11, 2024

Jerry was born at Scotia Hospital April 21,1956 to Wallace and Iris Reid. She grew up in Ferndale and surrounding areas attending Ferndale Elementary/High school and graduated in 1974. She enjoyed being with family and her many friends having a great time. Jerry worked at Bailey Suit, Crown Redwood, Harris of Pendleton, cleaning houses, and retired from Greens Pharmacy. She met the love of her life Mike and they married April 17, 1985.

They enjoyed camping, hunting, going to Fort Bragg diving for Abalone, and to the Red Bluff Rodeo. In 1987 they welcomed their son Dustin and enjoyed watching him play in many sports. Jerry was a diehard 49ers fan and went to many games at Candlestick Park. When she couldn’t attend any more live games you could hear her yelling at her television when they played. Jerry enjoyed spending precious time with her grandchildren who were light of her life.

She will be greatly missed by her son Dustin and Stacey Hurst and their children Raylan, Reese and Raegan. Son Christopher Crowl, Stepson Jack and Shawna Hurst and their children Cody and Katie. Her sisters Darlene Flowers, Becky Cardoza, and brother Donald Reid. Also her best friends Joyce and Randy Bolan, dear friends Dave Parker, JP Ballard, Terry Edgmon, Randy Church, her beloved cats Bootsie and Sissy, and numerous other relatives.

She was preceded in death by her mom Iris Reid, father Wallace Reid, brothers Wallace Jr, Ronald, and Robert Reid. Her husband Michael Hurst, stepson John Hurst, brother in law Dale Flowers and numerous other relatives.

Per Jerry’s request no services will be held, although at a later date a celebration of life will be held in her honor.

Carolyn Marie Jackson
April 8, 1940 – August 18, 2024

Carolyn Marie Jackson, born on April 8, 1940, at 3:16 p.m. at Storks Nest Maternity Hospital in Inglewood, California, passed away peacefully on August 18, 2024, after a courageous battle with COPD and cancer. She was a beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and cherished friend, known for her fierce spirit, resilience and beauty.

Carolyn was the daughter of Jesse (Thelma) Crow/Jackson and Lenard Warren Jackson and sister of Carl Jackson. She spent her early years in Bremerton, Washington, and completed her childhood in Cutten. Throughout her life, Carolyn embraced her passions and interests with enthusiasm. She was a talented painter, a devoted lover of her cats, her lifetime career was a weighmaster for Baysalt and Syre industries in Santa Rosa CA — a profession she approached with dedication and skill. After retirement in 2010 Carolyn and her daughter opened Humboldt Check Cashing.

She is survived by her loving children, Kurt Westman and Cheryl Martins; her grandchildren, Aric, Jeremy, Shannon, Robert, and Lateese; and her great-grandchildren, Aviance, David, Analisa, Madison, Jaxon, Akirah and Kinsley. Carolyn was preceded in death by her parents Thelma and Leonard and her brother Carl.

Carolyn’s legacy is one of strength and grace. Her memory will be cherished by all who knew her. She is now at peace, reunited with her parents, brother and beloved cat Prince, in the eternal embrace of heaven.

A memorial service to honor Carolyn’s life will be held on Sept. 8, 2024 at 1 p.m. at the Moose Lodge 4328 Campton Rd Eureka, Ca 95503. Food will be provided.

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PREVIOUSLY: Sheriff’s Office in Line to Get a Six-Figure Grant From an Org Led By … the Sheriff?

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The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors had a lot of questions this morning for Sheriff William F. Honsal, but ultimately, with a 4-1 vote, they approved his office’s request to accept a $334,615 grant and create two new staff positions as part of an ongoing regional campaign to combat human trafficking.

As noted in a post from yesterday, the grant is being bestowed upon our fair county by a nonprofit organization called The Northern California Coalition to Safeguard Communities (NCCSC), whose president is none other than Honsal himself. (On Aug. 1 he wrote a letter of congratulations to his own office, reporting that its request for funding had been approved.)

The coalition (comprising Humboldt, Mendocino, Lake, Trinity and Siskiyou counties) receives 100 percent of its funding from the Howard G. Buffet Foundation by way of another nonprofit, The Center to Combat Human Trafficking, which, in turn, is financed by billionaire investor Warren Buffett (Howard’s dad).

The grant was originally placed on last week’s consent calendar, where it could have been approved as part of a list of items without any specific discussion or deliberations, but Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo asked for it to be pulled. Since Honsal was unavailable to appear in person last week, the discussion took place today.

In an informational report to the board, Honsal offered context for the region’s human trafficking problems, explaining that black market weed farmers often haul migrant laborers en masse to work their grow operations. The drastic collapse in weed prices has made the industry look more like other agriculture in California, with cultivators trucking people in to tend their gardens.

“And oftentimes,” Honsal said, “these are people that are non-documented … people from foreign nations that are coming in and that are working these farms.”

In other words, they’re being trafficked. 

“We believe that they are victims of crime,” Honsal said.

The NCCSC was formed in 2022, and the coalition has allowed the participating law enforcement agencies to hire evidence technicians and civilians who can interview suspected trafficking victims that might be scared to talk to cops. This year, Honsal requested a full-time public information officer and a full-time program coordinator to assist the coalition.

The grant will also pay for training and equipment, a human trafficking PR campaign and computer software from Israeli mobile forensics company Cellebrite, whose cellphone-cracking technology has attracted controversy over human rights and privacy issues.

Honsal said his office already uses Cellebrite software, as do other agencies in the county and state. “It’s a forensic tool … ,” he said. “We can seize phones on scene that we believe are associated with criminal activity and then bring those back to our to our department … and extract the software out of them.”

But he assured supervisors that his office takes care not to violate anyone’s Fourth Amendment rights protecting them from unreasonable searches and seizures.

“We don’t act without a search warrant or consent or someone who’s on probation,” he said. 

“We can’t use the Cellebrite [software] we already have for this?” First District Supervisor Rex Bohn asked. 

Honsal explained that the newly requested software would allow his department to take this phone-cracking tech out into the field, potentially assisting investigations that stem from search warrants issued in other participating counties.

Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell asked what will happen once this grant runs out. Honsal said that the grantee has guaranteed five years of funding, with just two in the books. “So these positions are guaranteed for the next three years,” he said, adding that he hopes to show results that will convince the funders to pony up for two decades or more.

Arroyo voiced concern about adding temporary grant-funded positions to the county payroll during the current hiring freeze. “I would prefer to see those positions filled within the nonprofit structure,” she said.

Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson agreed, noting that while these positions may be grant-funded for the next three years, that won’t cover all the county’s costs. “[W]e do take on a retirement burden that’s ongoing,” along with contractual obligations for layoffs, he said.

Honsal said this type of arrangement is not uncommon and argued that since the program coordinator will be working in a law enforcement capacity, dealing with sensitive and confidential information, they must be employed by his office.

“There’s no other way that we’re going to do this, and there’s no other way that we can do this within our county with our current budget,” Honsal said.

Wilson had a lot of other concerns, including protecting immigrant victims of human trafficking from deportation and convincing other counties in our region to embrace the legal marketplace rather than continuing a prohibition model that jacks up black market profits. 

Honsal assured him that the coalition isn’t focused on illegal immigration, and he said the cultivators they go after aren’t interested in joining the legal marketplace.

“These people are straight criminals that are growing out there,” he said. “You ask anyone that’s in the business: It is more profitable to be illegal, okay? It is way more profitable to be illegal. And so people are choosing that path because they want profits, and they’ll take the risk.”

Wilson said that was his point, but he didn’t press the issue. 

Bohn kept his inquiry brief. He said this coalition serves as a tool to help protect Humboldt County’s legal market, so regarding this latest request, “Is it going to help?”

“Yes, it will,” Honsal replied.

“You got my answer,” Bohn said.

Arroyo explained that she would be voting “no” due to her procedural concerns about adding staff positions at this point in the budget cycle. The rest of the board voted in favor, thereby approving the item.

In an emailed response to questions from the Outpost, Honsal explained that the Howard G. Buffet Foundation is responsible for reviewing grant proposal applications and awarding funds, adding that all five participating counties in the coalition were polled to determine their needs.

The NCCSC’s board of directors — which is made up of the sheriffs from each participating county, with Humboldt County DA Stacey Eads nominated to join them — voted Honsal in as president, he said.

In 2021, the Center to Combat Human Trafficking donated a pickup truck to each of five Northern California counties “as part of a collective effort to combat human trafficking in the Northern California region,” as the staff report put it at the time.

We asked Honsal to respond to an anonymous tip we received alleging that he has been driving the truck donated to Humboldt — a Ford F250 4x4 crew cab valued at $51,454, plus around $20,000 in aftermarket upgrades — as his commuter vehicle.

“I currently drive the truck as my Sheriff Assigned Vehicle,” he replied. “The Truck is not my personal vehicle. I only use it for business associated with being Sheriff.  It has a radio, emergency lights, siren and specialized equipment. It replaced another Government vehicle I was driving.”

State claws back cannabis grant money

Coming back after a closed session hearing and a lunch break, Planning and Building Director John Ford gave the board some bad news: Thanks to a recent audit of the California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC), Humboldt County will have to return somewhere between $3 million and $5 million in grant money to the state.

Sounding deeply annoyed, Ford explained how we got here. Back in 2021, the state allocated $90 million to help cannabis farmers transition from provisional to annual licenses. Humboldt County’s portion, based on the number of license holders and equity applicants, was $18.6 million.

Ford’s department proposed using that money to address impacts related to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), specifically water and energy usage, in part by allocating $3.5 million to conduct watershed studies.

“This was discussed up front with the DCC, and the county was encouraged to proceed,” Ford said. “The grant agreement with the DCC was clear that this money would be allocated to both provisional license holders and annual license holders.”

However, a state audit of the DCC’s program found that the agency was allocating funds in a way that was inconsistent with the original purpose of the $90 million investment — namely, moving growers from provisional to annual status. During the state’s 20-month audit, Humboldt County was ordered to stop allocating money. 

A state auditor spent a week here in Humboldt’s Planning and Building Department, “going through every single grantee, through every permit,” Ford said. “A significant amount of county staff time was expended explaining the rationale for the way the county program was structured, and the county provided many examples of permit conditions that required water storage and required applicants to move away from generators.”

But Ford said the explanations seemed to fall on deaf ears, and as a result of the audit the DCC was required to change its agreement with the county to specify that money could only be granted to people with provisional licenses.

“The net result is that the county will not … be able to spend all the money that was allocated, because we do not have that many provisional license holders,” Ford said, later adding, “I know this is not great news, but it is what it is.”

The board members expressed disappointment.

“I think it’s really unfortunate that the DCC chose to do this,” Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone said. He noted that it’s always been his philosophy to reward the people who’ve succeeded in acquiring their annual licenses, but that now won’t be possible with these funds.

Arroyo and Wilson Madrone asked if there were other ways to spend the money, rather than returning it — perhaps by hiring consultants, creating guidance documents or allocating funds to the Sanctuary Forest.

Ford said there’s no such wiggle room in how to spend the money. He and his staff “thought we were being maybe a little bit creative, but really appropriate” in directing funds toward addressing cumulative environmental impacts, without strictly delineating between provisional and annual license holders.

“I want to be kind with my words, but trying to explain that to an auditor is impossible,” Ford lamented. The $3.5 million allocated for watershed studies was also deemed ineligible. 

The board asked about the potential for using the remaining funds to support storage and forbearance projects, which have been a focus of organizations such as Sanctuary Forest and the Salmonid Restoration Federation. But Ford again reiterated the constraints of the grant agreement.

Responding to suggestions from Madrone to advocate for the efficacy of supporting annual license holders, Ford said, “It’s been a painful amount of time that we’ve spent on this, supervisor. It really has.”

Odds and ends

• Bohn read a lengthy resolution recognizing the work of the Child Welfare Services Division of the Department of Health & Human Services. Bohn lauded them for operating 24/7 without fanfare, and for submitting timely court reports, among other work. The board and a number of public speakers also thanked CWS workers for their dedication. “We see you, we love you, and we thank you for all your hard work,” Madrone said.
• The board unanimously appointed Whitethorn resident Jeff Hildreth to the Shelter Cove Resort Improvement District.
• The board read retirement resolutions for both Mark Lamers, who spent 16 years with the Department of Health & Human Services, and Delia Garcia, for her “22 years of exemplary service to the county and the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.”
• Also, the board honored the retirement of someone who never worked a day for county government: former Coast Central Credit Union President and CEO Jim Sessa. The organization’s CFO and incoming president, Fred Moore, offered a few words of commendation for Sessa’s legacy.