Dora Kaliamos, 85, passed away in the early hours of November 16, 2024. She left us peacefully, surrounded by family and friends in the final days of her full and active life.

The eldest of eight children, Dora was born in St. Mary’s, Kansas to Frank and Fredia Jager. Her Kansas roots were represented by her favorite flower, the sunflower, displayed throughout her home. In her early years the Jagers migrated westward, settling in Oregon and Northern California. Eureka was home to Dora for most of her life. She traveled to all corners of the U.S. and spread her wings globally with trips to Italy, a family visit to Greece, and numerous adventures Down Under.

Dora was a member of the first graduating class of St. Bernard’s in 1957. Several years later Dora and her husband, Jim Kaliamos, Sr., started their family in Eureka, later moving to Vancouver, Wash. Dora and Jim returned to Eureka after their sons graduated from high school. She was inducted into the St. Bernard’s Hall of Fame in March of 2013.

Dora led a life of service to others. Following high school graduation she entered the nursing profession, a career that spanned her entire life. A milestone achievement was RN certification in 1979. All the more remarkable was that she completed her studies concurrently with two teenage sons in high school while continuing to work at the hospital. Dora was a surgical RN at Vancouver Memorial Hospital, then St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka. In 2004 Dora was recognized by the the St. Joseph Health System in the Values in Action Awards and was selected as the system-wide finalist for the Service Award. After retiring, Dora continued to volunteer at St. Joseph Hospital into the last year of her life. She was again recognized in the Values in Action Awards in 2014.

After returning to Eureka, Dora owned and operated the popular restaurant, Michael’s Steaks and Spirits, along with her husband, Jim, and brother-in-law, Frank. She continued to work at St. Joseph’s (Providence) as well as volunteering extensively in the community. She volunteered at the Discovery Store, St. Vincent de Paul, Betty Chinn’s Foundation and was an active member of the Emblem Club of the Elk’s Lodge.

Dora’s Native American heritage was maintained as a tribal member of the Citizen Band Potawatomi, People of the Place of Fire. Her ancestry on her mother’s side was the Bird Clan of the DeGraff-Navarre families. Dora will be interred next to her parents amid Jager family at the Mt. Calvary Cemetery in St. Mary’s, Kansas.

Daughter, Sister, Mother, and Matriarch. Dora is survived by her two sons, Jim (Carol) and Tom (Leanne); her grandchildren, Ryan (Sheila), Eric ( Christine), and Charlie; her great-granddaughter, Valencia.

Dora leaves behind five of her seven siblings, Frank (Sarah), Mike (Sonia), Patty (Dave), Dorothy (Dennis), Adam (Gilian); her two brothers-in-law, Frank (Joanne), Bill (Clinton), and sister-in-law, Francie. She will be missed by her large, extended family which includes many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins. Dora was pre-deceased by her parents, Frank and Fredia, her brothers, Paul and David and her husband, Jim.

Her family would like to give special thanks to Hospice of Humboldt and the staff of Timber Ridge Eureka who cared for Dora in her final days.

Family and friends are invited to celebrate Dora’s life on November 23 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Eureka Elks Lodge. In remembrance of Dora’s generosity and service to others, donations can be made to your favorite charity. We know she would appreciate that.

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

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Jessie Wayne Stanfield, who went to be with the Lord on November 14, 2024, at the age of 77. He was taken way too soon and he will be missed by all who knew him.

Wayne was born in Foreman, Arkansas, on July 13, 1947 to his parents Sidney and Georgia Stanfield. He was the sixth of their eight children. As a young man, Wayne and his family moved several times before ending up in Bieber, California where his father found employment in the saw mills, and they lived there until the family built a house in New Bieber. Wayne was involved in all the activities of a young man growing up. He would hunt and fish with his brothers, and as he got older he attended Big Valley High School, where he played football and basketball. You wouldn’t know it now from his quiet demeanor, but Wayne was selected as both Prom King and the Student Body President during his time in school. He graduated in 1965 in a class of 25 students, and he went back to Bieber often for high school reunions to celebrate and stay connected to his schoolmates.

After high school, Wayne put himself through college and earned an AA degree from the College of the Siskiyous. He would work all summer to earn and save up just enough money to pay for his next fall semester of classes each year. He was a hard worker from the very start. Upon graduating from college, Wayne enlisted in the United States Navy. He served his country for four years from 1968-1972. He was first stationed at the Centerville Beach Naval Station in Ferndale as a Radioman. It was during his time at Centerville that he met a local girl, the love of his life, Betsy Nesmith. They met in March of 1970 and were married eight months later on November 28, 1970. Wayne then took his new bride to his second duty station at Midway Island in the Pacific Theater. While on Midway, the couple welcomed their first born son Jeff into the world in July of 1972. Wayne ended his Navy service and was honorably discharged in October of that same year.

Back on the mainland, Wayne and his small family moved to Klamath Falls, Oregon, where he worked at a molding mill. In 1974, Wayne’s father-in-law Bill invited them to move back to Fortuna for him to start as an apprentice in the local Carpenters Union. He worked for a few different companies until he found his forever job with Sequoia Construction Specialties, owned and operated by Jim and Brian Pritchard. Wayne was a skilled carpenter, hard worker, and dedicated union member. He remained active and continued paying dues to the Carpenters Union for over 50 years up until his passing. Wayne and Betsy Stanfield would go on to add two more boys to their family, Jeremy in 1975 and Josh in 1980. They bought the home that Betsy’s dad had built on Tompkins Hill just outside of Fortuna, where they would raise their family and live for the next 40 years.

Church and humble service to others were major parts of Wayne’s life. He was always willing to give his time and talents to the church, other congregation members and his community, and would rarely accept any money or accolades for his kindness and generosity. After his retirement in 2004, he continued to bless others with the carpentry skills that the Lord gave him by providing acts of service. He and Betsy attended the Presbyterian Church of the Redeemer for the last ten years, and his handy work is visible all throughout the building. The remodeled kitchen, the additional bathroom, and numerous other maintenance projects are all examples of how Wayne chose to quietly serve God and others. You can also see his work all over the community. He built many ramps for the elderly, and constructed various projects at Redwood Preparatory Charter School where his grandkids went.

The best way to describe him is that he was a hardworking, loyal, dedicated family man and a humble servant of the Lord. He gave without thought of reward and he gave wherever he saw a need. A scripture that reminds us all of how he lived his life and how he would show up is Colossians 3:23, “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than people.” Another example of his generous spirit was his mission to always donate blood when he could. He was happy to give at every opportunity, and he was proud of donating nearly twelve gallons of blood over the last ten years. In addition to his construction career, Wayne loved woodworking, and always had a project going on in his woodshop. He built furniture, made playhouses and tree forts for his grandkids, crafted beautiful cutting boards, and made many a birdhouse. He donated many pieces of his work to local charity auctions or fundraisers for the various activities his kids and grandkids were involved in. In retirement, Wayne and Betsy loved to travel in their cab-over camper. They often traveled up and down the West Coast, and also went on several cross-country trips. True to who he was, most of the trips consisted of going to see family while taking in the sights along the way.

Wayne is preceded in death by his beloved parents Sid and Georgia, His father-in-law and mother-in-law Bill and Virginia Nesmith, his brother Sid Jr., brother-in-law Dolan and some extended younger family members. He is survived by his wife and life partner of nearly 54 years of marriage, Betsy, his sons Jeff (Sue), Jeremy (Lareesa), and Josh (Lyndsey), as well as his brothers Carl, Jim (Corinne), Charlie, and Joe (Cindy), his sisters Pat, and Faye, his brothers-in-law Norman (Marilyn), and James (Mayme), his sister-in-law Bonnie (John), numerous nieces and nephews plus his seven grandkids and four great-grandkids. Family was the pride of Wayne’s life. From supporting his granddaughter Allison in her travels abroad, working on projects with his grandson Greg, attending cheerleading activities for his granddaughter Carlee, and his great granddaughter Abby that gave him the nickname ‘PapaGreat’, there was nothing that brought him more joy. He is gone too soon and he will be greatly missed. We share great comfort in the realization that Wayne led a full, Godly life and died as he lived, secure in his relationship with his Heavenly Father. Though he is no longer with us, we know that he is safe in the presence of the Lord. He will forever be remembered for his love of his family, his generosity and his willingness to quietly help all who needed it.

A memorial service will be held at the Fortuna Presbyterian Church of the Redeemer at 1431 Ross Hill Road, Saturday, November 30 at 2 p.m., followed by a reception in the fellowship hall. Family and friends of Wayne are invited to attend. Those who would like to commemorate Wayne may consider donating blood or making a love offering to their local church.

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

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Arcata’s Tofu Shop Specialty Foods, a local institution and staple of the region’s natural food scene since the heyday of the back-to-the-land hippie movement, will close permanently by the end of the year.

Tofu Shop founder and owner Matthew Schmit in 2018. | Screenshot.

Reached by phone this morning, owner and founder Matthew Schmit confirmed that he plans to retire after next month, nearly 50 years since he and his then-partner opened an artisan tofu shop in Telluride, Colo. Three years later, in 1980, Schmit opened his tofu shop in Arcata as a takeout deli and small-scale manufacturing facility.

“We are going to be operating through the end of the year, and then I will be closing down the shop,” Schmit told the Outpost. He declined to elaborate at this time, saying, “Things are just kind of new and happening.”

According to the company’s website, Schmit’s interest in local food systems inspired him to help found a food co-op in rural Colorado. That’s where he was introduced to “the art of organic tofu making,” the site says. 

The Tofu Shop operated as a deli-manufacturing combo for a dozen years, but in 1992 it became one of the founding businesses in Arcata’s Foodworks Culinary Center. Since then, the company has focused on growing its manufacturing and wholesale business. 

Tofu Shop products displayed in a cooler at the Eureka Winco.

“In 2002 we were able to qualify for local financing and built this building we’re in right now,” Schmit says in a 2018 video produced by Eureka Natural Foods. (Scroll down to watch the whole video.)

At the time, the Tofu Shop was producing up to 250,000 pounds of tofu a year, and its organic product line has expanded to include dozens of products, including a variety of smoked and flavored tofu in various degrees of firmness, plus tofu-based breakfast sausage, potato patties, soy milk, salads, spreads, tofu burgers and even sauerkraut. (No tofu goes into that last one.)

And the products aren’t just sold here in Humboldt County. They’re available in grocery stores and natural food shops across California and up into Oregon, plus they’re served in roughly 50 restaurants, from vegetarian and sushi spots to delis, breweries and barbecue joints.

Schmit remains fascinated with the history of tofu, from its origin in China more than 2,000 years ago through its adoption by western vegetarians in the 1970s as a healthy meat substitute.

“But for me as a tofu maker, it’s much more than that,” he says in the video below. “It’s been around for thousands of years, kind of like bread and cheese, and that’s really where its real power and the source of its vitality comes from.”

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UPDATE, 11:53 a.m.:

— Hank Sims

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UPDATE, 11:07 a.m.: The Eel River is No Longer Expected to Reach ‘Major Flood’ Stage

As noted in the detail above — from the graph on NOAA’s Eel River @ Fernbridge monitoring page — the river is no longer expected to cross up into the purple zone. The bridge will likely remain open; the flood will continue to swell a bit for another hour or two, and then recede.

Meanwhile, here’s a snippet of Lost Coast Communication General Manager Roger Harrell’s adventures through the Elk River/Berta Road area this morning:

— Hank Sims

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UPDATE, 4:52 p.m.: Someone Got Trapped Inside the Vance Hotel’s Elevator During the Eureka Power Outage

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When the transformer blew near Grocery Outlet, plummeting Old Town and much of downtown into dusky dimness (see below), some unlucky soul inside the old Vance Hotel building got trapped inside the elevator.

Two Humboldt Bay Fire units responded to the scene and began working to extract said human. Their efforts were soon rendered unnecessary when the power returned. Paramedics carried one person downstairs on an EMT backboard, though she appeared alert and not in distress. 

— Ryan Burns

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UPDATE, 4:23 p.m.:

Photo: Andrew Goff.

PG&E is at the scene of the Grocery Outlet fizzle-out. This seems like the kind of thing that should be fixed pretty quick, right? 

[UPDATE, 4:30 p.m.: Indeed, it is back now.]

— Hank Sims

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UPDATE, 3:54 p.m.: Old Town Power Out

Yikes! Isn’t quite showing up in the LoCO system yet, but all of Old Town has gone dark.

— Hank Sims

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UPDATE, 1:49 p.m.: Don’t Believe in Fernbridge Staying Open

File photo: Andrew Goff.

Myles Cochrane, Caltrans public information officer, tells us that the agency’s rule of thumb is to shut down traffic on the bridge when the river level reaches 22 24 feet. In other words: Pretty likely, given that the river is forecast to reach 25 feet by tomorrow midday. 

[UPDATE, Friday morning: Caltrans calls to make the correction noted above.]

Cochrane said that it’s not so much that the bridge gets flooded when the river reaches that level — it’s just that the road will be impassible on the Ferndale side. You could cross the bridge from this side of the river, but there would be nowhere to go.

— Hank Sims

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UPDATE, 10:15 a.m.: DAY THREE: Today is Rain Day; Road Chaos; Moderate to Major Flooding Expected in the Eel River Delta Tomorrow

We’re on the third day of this thing, and the skies look to be opening up. The National Weather Service says that heavy rain is imminent, according to the Doppler radar, with several more inches expected to day.

This is going to lead to some sort of flooding, both in localized low-lying areas and in our major rivers. Perhaps of greatest concern: The NWS now estimates that the Eel River will crest at just over 25 feet near Fernbridge. This will happen tomorrow (Friday) at noon.

Twenty-five feet is big. It could well lead to the closure of Fernbridge, and the Eel River Delta will be swamped. Ranchers out near Loleta, along Cannibal Island Road, are going to have to figure out what to do with their cattle.

Meanwhile, the rains are already causing havoc with the road system. The Avenue of the Giants near Holmes is closed due to flooding. Highway 36 is open only to one-way controlled traffic near Pamplin Grove, and again at Bridgeville. There have been several scary-sounding crashes on Highway 101.

The worst is yet to come. Maybe you want to cancel that trip, if you can. Stay at home, snuggle up.

— Hank Sims

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UPDATE, 2:12 p.m.: Warming Shelter Opens Tonight in Eureka

This is going to be a bad night to not have a roof over your head.

The City of Eureka has activated its overnight warming shelter protocol. If you’re without a home tonight — or know someone who will be — here’s what you need to do.

Meet up with service workers at these times and in these places:

• Eureka Free Meal: 6 p.m.
• The Sacco Amphitheater, near the Adorni Center: 6:30 p.m.
• Hope Center (2933 H Street): 7 p.m.
• 14th and Koster: 7:30 p.m.

They’ll transport you to the overnight shelter. Stay dry, everybody.

— Hank Sims

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Batten down the hatches, Humboldt! 

Over the next few days, a powerful atmospheric river – or “bomb cyclone” – will bring an onslaught of wind and rain to the North Coast, with most areas seeing between three and six inches of rain between now and Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service’s office in Eureka. 

“A major atmospheric river storm is forecast to bring periods of heavy rain and the potential for major flooding in urban and rural areas late tonight through Friday,” according to a Flood Watch issued this afternoon. “Small creeks and streams will rapidly rise and may come out of their banks. More extensive flooding, including flooding of main stem rivers, is forecast later in the week.”

There is a Flood Watch in effect for the Eel River at Fernbridge and other low-lying areas of the Eel River Valley. “Significant flooding of the western portions of Cannibal Island Road, Camp Weott Road, the Salt and Old Rivers, and all adjacent low-lying areas,” according to NWS. “Owners of livestock should consider taking appropriate action to protect livestock.”

There is also a High Wind Warning in effect for the next 24 hours. Folks living in the interior areas of the county can expect south winds ranging between 30 to 40 mph, with gusts up to 70 mph expected. Expect power outages throughout the region.

You can find a list of active weather alerts from the National Weather Service at this link. Your LoCO will keep this post updated with current weather conditions, road closure information, power outages and other helpful links. 

As we wait for this so-called bomb cyclone to make landfall, you might want to take the time to charge up all of your devices (including backup batteries) in case of a power outage. It’s also a good idea to have plenty of water and non-perishable food handy.

Need sandbags? The Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services has complied a list of where to get sandbag supplies throughout the county:

Bags and sand:

• Hensell Materials, 4475 Broadway in Eureka (bags and sand available)
• Randall Sand & Gravel, 214 West River Ln. in Garberville (bags and sand available)

Sand only:

• Eureka Ready Mix, locations in Arcata, Eureka, Alton and Blue Lake (sand only, no bags available)
• Kernan Construction, 1195 Hatchery Rd. in Blue Lake (sand only, no bags available)
• Mercer Frasier, 200 Dinsmore Dr. in Fortuna (sand only, no bags available)
• Powell Landscaping Materials, 1955 Hilfiker Ln. in Eureka (sand only, no bags available)
• Miller Farms Nursery, 1828 Central Ave. in McKinleyville (sand only, no bags available)

Bags only:

• Nilsen Feed, 1593 Market St. in Ferndale (bags only, no sand available)
• Dazey’s Supply, 690 Thomas Dr. in Garberville and 5307 Boyd Rd. in Arcata (bags only, no sand available)
• United Rentals, 3132 Jacobs Ave in Eureka (bags only, no sand available)
• Root 101 Nursery, 350 Sprowl Creek Rd. in Garberville (bags only, no sand available)
• Pierson Building Center, 4100 Broadway in Eureka (bags only, no sand available)
• McKinleyville Community Services District, 1656 Sutter Rd. in McKinleyville (bags only, no sand available)

We have also confirmed that sandbags are available at the following city locations, free of charge:

Free supplies are intended for residents of the incorporated cities listed below and are available in limited quantities, while supplies last. Residents are encouraged to bring their own shovels to fill bags.

• City of Eureka Corp Yard at 945 W 14th St., available anytime
• City of Arcata Corp Yard at 600 South G. St., available anytime
• City of Ferndale at the Francis Street Bridge on Francis St., available anytime
• City of Fortuna, behind the skating rink at Rohner Park located at 9 Park St., available anytime
• City of Rio Dell, behind City Hall at 675 Wildwood Ave., available anytime
• Blue Lake City Hall at 111 Greenwood Ave., available anytime

How to fill and place sandbags:

Check out this video from the California Department of Water Resources on how to fill and place sandbags: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fa8ApB_TFc

Storm season preparedness tips:

Be sure to keep your essential devices and phones charged in the event of power outages. To learn more on how to prepare for a power outage or for more winter storm season preparedness tips, visit: www.listoscalifornia.org/stormseason/

Stay safe out there, Humboldt!

Press release from the office of Senate president pro tem Mike McGuire:

SACRAMENTO – The Senate Rules Committee, chaired by Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire (D-North Coast), has appointed Mary Ann Hansen of Humboldt County to the Early Childhood Policy Council.

Mary Ann Hansen | Photo: First 5 Humboldt

“Mary Ann Hansen is an exceptional and effective leader. No one works harder on behalf of our kids and she will bring passion and dedication to the Early Childhood Policy Council,” Pro Tem McGuire said. “Kids are California’s best investment, so the policies shaped with Mary Ann’s leadership will be some of the most important policies coming out of the State Capitol. We look forward to working with Mary Ann in this new role and our continued collaboration with the Council.”
 
Hansen has served as the Executive Director of First 5 Humboldt since 2015. Her leadership has been transformative to the organization, which is now helping more underserved kids than ever. As a result of her life-changing work, Senator McGuire selected Hansen as the 2022 North Coast Woman of the Year. She has been a champion for expanding equitable access to high-quality and robust childcare, and during the pandemic, fought to expand health and wellness opportunities for Humboldt County’s youngest residents.
 
“I absolutely love working with Senator McGuire and this is an incredible honor to be appointed to the Policy Council,” said Hansen. “I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and continuing my work at a statewide level, ensuring every child in California has access to high-quality early education and robust services.”   
 
A Humboldt County native, Hansen was a faculty member at Cal Poly Humboldt in the Child Development department for two decades, while also holding various consulting positions for First 5 Humboldt and the Hoopa Valley Tribe in the area of early childhood education. She is a licensed Transdisciplinary Infant-Family Early Childhood Mental Health Practitioner and is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. In 2022, she served as a subject matter expert for the California Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Network work group.
 
The Early Childhood Policy Council is one of the preeminent organizations in the State focused on all aspects of California’s early childhood education system. The Council advises the Governor, Legislature, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction on early education policy and priorities.
 
Mary Ann Hansen lives in Ferndale. The term is at the pleasure of the Senate Rules Committee, not to exceed six years. Compensation is reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses.

If you have less than an hour to buy a new pair of running shoes, do not ask the guy in the Jogg’n Shoppe any questions about the photos on the wall, the shirts hanging in the windows, or the running paraphernalia scattered around the store, because that hour will be sacrificed to a long discussion about the characters and races that make up Humboldt’s distance running history. But it is an interesting history, full of tales of all-consuming rivalries and legendary training logs. The Jogg’n Shoppe has been around for all of it.

The Jogg’n Shoppe celebrated its 50th birthday last week. Founded in 1974 by Humboldt State cross-country coach Jim Hunt and Arcata High School coach Chuck Ehlers, it’s currently owned by Mike Williams, who ran for HSU back when Hunt was still a coach. The shop is old enough that some of the first shoes Hunt sold were made by Blue Ribbon Sports — the company Bill Bowerman founded that would later become Nike. 

Williams, 63, first worked at the Jogg’n Shoppe in the 1980s, when he ran for HSU. In 2002, he became a part-owner of the Eureka location, which closed in 2005. He’s been the sole operator of the store since. At its peak during the mid-1970s, the store had locations in Arcata, Eureka, Fortuna and Brookings, Ore., though that only lasted for a couple years. Now, only the Arcata location is still open.  

“It all happened at a perfect time,” Williams said. “The running boom was going on after the ’72 Olympics with Frank Shorter and [Steve] Prefontaine — that just kind of fueled that fire.”

Distance running exploded in popularity in the early 1970s nationally, but Humboldt was also home to a large pool of talented runners. HSU was second at the Division III national championships three times during the ’70s and won the Division II championships when they moved up in 1980. Williams has an encyclopedic knowledge of the dozens of personal records set and races run during this time period, and asking him about local legends like 2:15 marathoner Bill Scobey or 1992 Olympic Trials winner Mark Conover will elicit from him stories of the days when the Trinidad-Clam Beach run fielded 2,300 competitors from around California and even the smaller community races had sub-30 minute 10K talent. 

Races in Humboldt aren’t as fast as they once were, but the local running community has found a home in the Jogg’n Shoppe. Running clubs meet out front and Williams helps organize local races. For its 50th anniversary, Williams hosted over 100 people in the store last week. Nike representatives from Oakland came bearing gifts. Williams thinks the store provides services beyond simply selling running equipment.

“It’s getting people motivated whether they’re walkers or runners, just getting people outside and doing something, and when people get together for events, not only competition, it’s feeding off the good vibes, the community thing,” Williams said. “The club, everyone who shows up for that is so upbeat and into it…a lot of the old guys, they can’t run but they still meet and walk and they love it! They’re sitting there chitting and chatting. My dad dealt with depression, pretty severe sometimes, when he became a runner and got part of that group — man, it changed my dad’s life. It really did. He got a new group of buddies, like a new family.” 

Williams will likely retire within the next few years, but there are several different parties interested in buying the store. 

“I would love to keep going,” Williams said. “I think it can. The internet changed everything obviously, but it can make it. … It’ll keep going, there’s no doubt about it.” 

“Having a shop, it’s a place where people can meet. A lot of people come in and yak with me. It’s just fun talking to people. A lot of people, they come in and go, ‘I’m too slow for racing.’ Oh! Walkers, everybody’s welcome … Don’t worry about the times, just go out there and participate.”

Despite broad protections for transgender student athletes, California has become the latest battleground in the growing national movement to remove them from women’s college sports.

In one case, two public universities in California are leaving the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics after it imposed a ban in April on transgender athletes participating in women’s sports.

In a much more publicized case, four teams in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Mountain West Conference have forfeited games against San José State’s volleyball team this fall after one of its players identified a teammate as transgender and joined a lawsuit against the NCAA, opposing its policy allowing transgender women to compete in women’s sports. Last Wednesday, volleyball players from those universities filed a separate lawsuit against the conference, the conference commissioner, and California State University officials for the same reason.

“California has robust non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ students, specifically transgender students, at all levels,” said Tony Hoang, executive director for Equality California, a nonprofit civil rights organization.

California is one of 24 states in the country that allow transgender student athletes to play on sports teams that match their gender identity. California enshrines protections for transgender students in the state education code and in policies for all three public college and university systems. Transgender athletes are allowed to compete by the largest athletic associations operating in the state — the California Interscholastic Federation at the secondary level, and the California Community College Athletic Association and the NCAA at the collegiate level. California goes further, even, than the U.S. Department of Education, which has yet to enact proposed protections for transgender athletes in its Title IX anti-discrimination policy.

Despite all of this, transgender athletes in California are still susceptible to legal and social pressures playing out across the country. Twenty-six states ban transgender women from competing in women’s sports at any level. In some of those states, lawsuits against national athletics organizations are sweeping California into the battle.

President-elect Donald Trump has said he will ban transgender students from competing in sports altogether. “We’re not going to let it happen,” he said on Oct. 15 at a town hall in Georgia when he was asked about transgender athletes in women’s sports.

Shiwali Patel, the National Women’s Law Center’s senior director of safe and inclusive schools, called bans on trans athletes “attempts to weaponize civil rights law to justify discrimination against an already vulnerable group of students.”

Since AB 1266 took effect in 2014, California students from K-12 to collegiate levels have had the right to “participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil’s records.”

The onus is on public colleges and universities, and not athletics associations, to adhere to California’s protections for transgender student athletes. However, the mounting pressure against athletics associations is affecting California college athletes nonetheless.

Lawsuit against NCAA gains momentum

So far this fall, the women’s volleyball teams at Boise State University in Idaho, Utah State University, University of Wyoming, and The University of Nevada, Reno, have forfeited conference matches against the San José State University Spartans. The forfeits came after Brooke Slusser, a San José State player, publicly claimed that one of her teammates is transgender. In statements to the press, Slusser has argued that the teammate poses a physical risk to other women players during practice and competitions. CalMatters is not naming the teammate to preserve her privacy. San Jose State has not confirmed whether the student is transgender.

In September, Slusser joined more than a dozen other female athletes in the Georgia-based lawsuit Gaines v. NCAA, filed in March. According to the suit, the plaintiffs allege that transgender athletes “disproportionately burden female athletes by reducing female competitive opportunities, forcing female athletes to compete against males in sex-separated sports, depriving women of equal opportunities to protect their bodily privacy, and authorizing males to access female safe spaces necessary for women to prepare for athletic competition, including showers, locker rooms and restrooms.”

Last week, on Nov. 13, Slusser and 11 other plaintiffs from colleges in the Mountain West Conference filed a lawsuit in Colorado claiming the NCAA, the conference, San José State and other universities “have engaged in a purposeful and illegal assault on the rights of women athletes” by allowing transgender athletes to compete. The suit calls for transgender women to be deemed ineligible to compete on women’s teams. Attorneys representing the plaintiffs in both lawsuits did not respond to interview requests.

At San José State, “there have been no reported injuries involving either our team or opponents,” said Michelle Smith McDonald, the university’s senior director of media relations. “We don’t anticipate any changes to our current roster between now and the end of the season.”

San José State student athletes are governed under the NCAA and Mountain West Conference policies and the college adheres to Cal State anti-discrimination policies. San José State will stay in the Mountain West Conference through the 2031-32 school year, according to Smith McDonald.

“The Mountain West Conference prioritizes the best interests of our student-athletes and takes great care to adhere to NCAA and [Mountain West] policies,” according to a statement provided by Javan Hedlund, senior associate commissioner of the conference. He did not comment on the Colorado lawsuit.

The National Women’s Law Center also joined Gaines v. NCAA as a defendant on behalf of the association, arguing in its legal filing that “while Plaintiffs purport to speak on behalf of all women, they do not represent the interests of women who are transgender and want to continue participating in NCAA sports, nor the cisgender women who want to continue participating with them.”

The National Women’s Law Center has advocated for gender equity in sports since its founding in 1972, the year Title IX was enacted. “We know that trans inclusive school policies around sports are essential to fulfill Title IX’s broad promise of protecting well-being and education opportunities for all women and girls,” Patel said.

If the plaintiffs prevail at the district court, Patel said the case will go to an appellate court. Because the Biden administration has not enacted a proposed Title IX policy for transgender athletes, uncertainty remains within the courts, Patel said. “But what we do know is that the circuit courts that have heard this issue, have come out in favor of trans student athletes,” she said.

Members of the NCAA Gender and Equity Task Force did not respond to CalMatters’ multiple requests for comments.

The potential impact of banning transgender athletes

For transgender student athletes, the significance of having access to team sports goes beyond fairness. States with anti-trans laws show worse mental health outcomes for transgender youth. Bonnie Sugiyama, the director of San José State’s PRIDE Center, said transgender students particularly stand to benefit from access to sports in school.

“You get leadership skills, you get community, it’s great for your mental health to be able to play,” Sugiyama said. “To restrict people based on their identity … just because you don’t know where to put them? That’s not really an acceptable response.”

“We should be talking about opportunities for everybody. At the end of the day, people just want to be able to play sports.”
— Bonnie Sugiyama, director of San José State’s PRIDE Center

As a lifelong multi-sport athlete and former high school basketball coach, Sugiyama understands that athletics associations must create policies that cultivate a safe and fair playing field.

Sugiyama points out that blanket bans on transgender women don’t take into account whether an individual took hormone suppressants before adolescence, which has a major impact on how the body develops, nor do bans reflect how trans athletes compare to the range of physical traits of the average cisgender player of their sport.

“We should be talking about opportunities for everybody,” Sugiyama said. “At the end of the day, people just want to be able to play sports.”

Transgender athlete bans impact all athletes, research has found. A Center for American Progress report using CDC data says that in states that banned trans students from playing with their peers, fewer girls overall are playing school sports.

“On the other hand, where states include and support trans students, more girls are playing sports,” Patel said.

Federal anti-discrimination policies are unclear on transgender athletes

Transgender students were first written into Title IX in 2016 when the Obama administration specified that students could participate in sex-segregated activities and access bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity. Former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos rescinded those protections during Trump’s first presidency. On Aug. 1, the Biden administration enacted new protections for transgender students, reversing DeVos’ revision but not including protections for transgender athletes specifically. The Biden administration has not provided a reason for the omission.

The renewed Title IX policies met backlash across the country even before they were enacted. At least eight lawsuits resulted in injunctions in 26 states blocking the revisions from taking effect.

“Instead of focusing on the true mission of Title IX, which is to protect women and girls from discrimination in education and to protect and promote women’s and girls’ sports, the Defendants attempt to rewrite it entirely [to] institutionalize the left-wing fad of transgender ideology in our K-12 system and tie school funding to it,” one lawsuit out of Kansas reads.

A national injunction resulting from the Kansas lawsuit included more than 300 California K-12 schools and at least 50 colleges and universities, but those schools are still obligated to follow California’s education code.

“Federal law is the law of the land. But states are allowed to pass laws that go above and beyond what federal law does, and California has done that,” said Jennifer Chou, a civil rights lawyer who is the American Civil Liberties Union Northern California’s head of gender, sexuality and reproductive justice.

Athletics associations fracturing on transgender athlete issue

Without clear Title IX protections for transgender athletes, athletics associations across the nation have established their own policies governing the participation of trans students in college sports. In April, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics banned transgender women from participating in their women’s leagues. The association has 237 member universities across the U.S., including nine private institutions in California and two public four-year universities.

In September, Cal Maritime decided to separate from the association by June 2025. UC Merced also announced its intent to leave the association and join the NCAA starting in fall 2025.

According to Cal Maritime’s chief of staff, Karyn Cornell, interim president Michael Dumont’s review of the education code drove the split from the association. In a letter to the campus, Dumont explained that the association’s ban on transgender students contravenes state law and California State University policies, and affirmed the university’s commitment to provide “an inclusive and equitable community that values diversity and fosters mutual respect.”

“They’re doing the right thing, and they’re standing up for people like me, which is good,” said former Cal Maritime student Sophie Scopazzi, who once pushed for gender-neutral uniforms at the university. In November 2021, Scopazzi filed a Title IX complaint when some Cal Maritime student leaders sent emails and tweets with hateful, anti-LGTBQ+ comments. Then-President Thomas Cropper called the language “offensive” but said it was protected free speech. Scopazzi appreciates Dumont’s actions now.

“It’s nice to have a president that’s willing to say, ‘This is against our values. What they’re doing in [other states] is against what we stand for here at Cal Maritime,’” said Scopazzi, who graduated in 2023.

“An overwhelming majority of courts have consistently upheld legal protections for transgender individuals, particularly in cases involving anti-discrimination laws.”
— Tony Hoang, executive director for Equality California

While there are over a dozen collegiate athletic associations in the United States, the NCAA and the NAIA are the primary national associations for four-year universities. The NCAA has over 1,000 institution members nationally, with 60 in California.

The NCAA’s policy on transgender athletes, established in 2011, is currently “under review.” In April, the NCAA Board of Governors discussed transgender student athletes but did not propose changes to the policy, which was last updated in 2022. The current NCAA policy aligns with the International Olympic Committee’s guidelines for transgender athletes, which ensure that competition is “fair and safe and that athletes are not excluded solely on the basis of their transgender identity or sex variations.”

The committee leaves it to each sports’ governing body to determine its eligibility criteria for inclusion based on hormone levels. In the case of male to female transgender athletes who compete in women’s sports, these criteria typically require hormone level testing at different intervals preceding competitions.

Most community colleges in California also require certain testosterone levels for transgender women to compete in women’s sports. In California, 110 community colleges participate in the state-established California Community College Athletic Association.

“Under 3C2A policy, transgender men and women may compete on men’s teams, but trans women may not compete on women’s teams unless they have completed at least one calendar year of testosterone suppression treatment for gender transition,” according to Mike Robles, director of communications for the association.

Civil rights advocates who spoke with CalMatters believe that attempts to enact anti-transgender policies will fail in California. Hoang of Equality California also believes the lawsuit against the NCAA will be thrown out.

“An overwhelming majority of courts have consistently upheld legal protections for transgender individuals, particularly in cases involving anti-discrimination laws, and we’re hopeful that this case won’t be going anywhere, and it is a publicity stunt,” he said.

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CalMatters is covering the impact of the national fight over transgender students in California college athletics. Do you have a story to share? Reach out to the College Journalism Network at cjn@calmatters.org.

Amy Elisabeth Moore and Desmond Meagley are fellows with the College Journalism Network, a collaboration between CalMatters and student journalists from across California. CalMatters higher education coverage is supported by a grant from the College Futures Foundation.

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