Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On June 25, 2023, at about 7:20 a.m., a Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputy on patrol in the area of Highway 299 and Acorn Lane conducted a vehicle investigation on an occupied vehicle with expired registration parked in a pull out along the highway.  

The deputy contacted the driver of the vehicle, 52-year-old Vonda Joyce Liles. While speaking with Liles, the deputy observed drug paraphernalia inside the vehicle in plain view. The deputy detained Liles and a search of the vehicle was initiated.

While searching the vehicle, deputies located over 2 grams of suspected fentanyl, over 1 gram of methamphetamine, approximately 0.46 grams of heroin, various drug paraphernalia, bear mace and a driver’s license that had been reported stolen in a recent vehicle burglary.

Liles was arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of felon in possession of tear gas (PC 22810(a)), possession of a controlled substance (HS 11350), possession of a controlled substance paraphernalia (HS 11364) and possession of stolen property (PC 496(a)).

Anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.

 Vonda Joyce Liles Booking Photo | Humboldt County Correctional Facility

The number of California prisoners requesting gender-affirming health care more than doubled last year, and the state’s corrections agency expects the trend to continue even as the overall state inmate population is projected to decline.

The estimate comes from budget documents detailing the agency’s responsibilities for two groundbreaking policies the state adopted over the last seven years.

One, in 2017, made California the first state to set standards that would grant gender affirmation surgery to state prison inmates. It followed the state’s approval of surgery for a transgender woman serving a life sentence. She was later transferred to a women’s prison.

The other, a 2021 law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, requires that every person upon entering prison be asked gender-specific questions to determine whether they should be housed in a men’s or women’s facility.

Since the changes took effect, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation found that the number of transgender, intersex and nonbinary inmates consistently grew each year, rising to 1,617 last year. That’s a 234% increase over 2017, according to the documents.

“The vulnerable, transgender and transgender diverse population in CDCR has grown and continues to grow and there are enduring needs that need to be met,” Trisha Wallis, a department senior psychologist who specializes in gender healthcare, said during a budget committee hearing in March.

The agency this year sought a small boost in funding — $2.2 million — to provide the mandated care. The agency’ request was not controversial and moved through the Legislature without pushback this spring. Budget negotiations between Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature are expected to conclude this week.

Wallis at the hearing said the program was originally meant to “address equitable access” to safe and optimal gender-affirming care, but she acknowledged that staff shortages led to treatment backlogs.

Backlog grows for gender-affirming care

As of December, 20 inmates since 2017 had received gender-affirming surgery. Another 150 surgeries had been approved, but not completed, according to the budget documents.

In the 2021-22 California government budget year, 270 inmates requested gender-affirming surgeries – up from 99 the previous year.

The state projects 348 inmates will request gender-affirming treatment this year, and 462 next year. The corrections agency says its staff can evaluate no more than three requests each week.

The agency also has received over 364 housing transfer requests since 2021. Only 35 of those were approved and sent to the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla.

Advocates for transgender and nonbinary inmates have urged the state to move faster in providing the surgeries and evaluating other inmates’ requests to transfer to facilities that better suit their needs.

Some of them criticized the agency’s budget request, arguing the state’s $15 billion-a-year prison system already had plenty of money to carry out the policies.

“It’s ridiculous. $2 million for stuff they should already be doing?” said Alex Binsfield, a policy analyst with TGI Justice Project, a San Francisco nonprofit that advocates for incarcerated transgender people. “I don’t think pumping any more money into CDCR is going to fix health care there.”

Transgender advocates also are on guard for signs that the state is refusing transfers for inmates who identify as transgender but have not received gender-affirming medical care.

“Ultimately the housing question should not be a medical question,” said Jen Orthwein, a psychologist who previously provided treatment to transgender inmates in prisons across California.

Terri Hardy, spokesperson for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said those fears are unfounded.

“Incarcerated people are not required to have gender affirming surgery in order to transfer to an institution consistent with their gender identity,” Hardy wrote in an email to CalMatters.

Lawsuit challenges California prison transfers

Outside of the Capitol, some conservative-leaning and feminist groups have opposed the prison agency’s gender affirming policies.

The Women’s Liberation Front, a feminist advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., sued the state in 2021 to halt certain transfers to the state’s women’s prison in Chowchilla. It argued the transfers put female inmates at greater risk of violence and sexual assault. The lawsuit is playing out in the U.S. Eastern District Court of California.

“The reality that men and women are factually, materially, immutably different, in ways that disadvantage women and necessitate attention to women’s unique needs, supports protection of incarcerated women by providing women-only correctional facilities,” the lawsuit reads.

The Transgender Law Center and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a brief challenging thatsuit. The two liberal organizations contend the 2021 law allowing prison transfers protects vulnerable transgender inmates.

Several states have followed California in adopting genders-affirming policies for prisoners. Massachusetts and Connecticut allow prisoners to be transferred to facilities according to their chosen gender identity. New Jersey, New York City and Rhode Island also require that inmates be housed at facilities appropriate to their gender.

Orthwein, the psychologist, urged the state to accommodate more care.

“There should be no difference to their treatment than that of cisgender people,” Orthwein said. “They shouldn’t have to jump through a number of barriers and be poked and prodded for housing.”

###

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

On June 8, 1958 in South Bend, Indiana, Lynn, Susan, Caroline, Lisa and Jill Abram breathed a sigh of relief that the long-awaited boy was finally born; because the folks weren’t going to stop until they got one. What ensued for our victim, Billy, was unbridled and unsolicited “guidance” from his well-meaning gaggle of sisters. Too bad our vast knowledge didn’t include the common practice that males stand up to urinate. It may or may not be true that it took going to school for him to get the memo.

It is true that school wasn’t really his thing. He was a hands-on guy, curious about everything and had no trouble teaching himself mechanics, horticulture, construction, cabinetry, guitar, just to name a few. He started working at only nine years of age as part of a maintenance crew for a townhome complex where the family was living in Wichita, Kansas. He saved his money and bought a motorbike. He developed a reputation as a “cute little badass” in middle school, introducing marijuana to a couple of friends and even smoking that or tobacco under a portable building while just in elementary school. He was never proud of only making it through the 8th grade, but there was a lot going against him in his home life then. At age 16 he joined sister Lisa (who was 20 at the time) in Colorado. She became his legal guardian and tried like hell to get him to go to high school. He just wasn’t having it but excelled in the woodworking classes at the local community college. Always the adventurer, he got it in his head that he could jump on the train that went by their place daily. Luckily, he was willing to accept the alternative of a hitch-hiking, backpacking camping trip to Estes Park (no backpacks, though; only grocery bags stuffed with inadequate supplies). Fun was had and friends were made.

Billy’s brother from another mother, Kent Meireis, credits Billy for introducing him to (aside from the weed) bicycling, tennis, music, traveling and backpacking. In 1976 they made an epic trip from Wichita to Alabama to Florida and up the east coast where they hiked the Appalachian Trail and then on to Michigan.

From then on, life was mostly about work. He spent six years as a machinist/journeyman for Blanchat Machine Co. in Wichita fabricating airplane parts and components. Colorado continually called to him though, and so in 1982 he joined brother-in-law Ray in the construction business until forming his own company in 1992. During this time, he designed and built his own speculative home and instructed construction classes at Front Range Community College.

Billy and his sister Jill were inseparable until early adulthood drew them apart and they lost touch with each other for a couple of years. The universe stepped in to correct that though. One Christmas Billy was on Long Island visiting his then wife’s family and Jill was there with a friend who was visiting her family. They randomly passed each other walking across a bridge and ended up spending the vacation together.

Craving a change of scenery from Colorado, Billy joined Jill in the Mendocino area of California and continued his construction company in a more scaled-down way until he re-joined Ray in Humboldt County as partner and project superintendent for residential and commercial developments. The housing crash of 2008 took its toll on that endeavor and by then Billy’s body was feeling the effects of years of physical labor. Besides having such valuable expertise and “owning every tool known to man”, he was pretty burned out on the volatility of the construction industry. He was “rode hard and put away wet” (his words, not mine). It was easy then to transition to joining Jill and her partner in an off the grid stewardship of an 80-acre distressed farm in Ettersburg.

In addition to growing crops, raising chickens, putting in a new water system and remodeling the house, Jill invited Billy into shuttling hikers of the Lost Coast Trail. They had big plans and big dreams for this life until it was shattered by Jill having several debilitating strokes and then passing away in 2016. Billy’s grief was and remained profound. One thing that kept him going was that Jill told him she wanted him to keep shuttling.

Billy was so much more than a shuttle driver. He became known by thousands of hikers as a character (“Wild Bill”) who would pack his tobacco pipe for luck before navigating the roads like a boss. He shuttled people on their bucket list hikes from all over the world including many celebrities. His motto was to “get his precious cargo from point A to point B in a safe and timely manner,” and he was true to that in all his actions even if he had to make a safety call to cancel someone after hours of careful planning. He had a deep reverence for the wilderness and wildlife of the King Range and Lost Coast and provided copious information and entertainment for the hikers.

Billy passed away at home on May 20, 2023 from sudden cardiac arrest into the heavenly arms/paws of our mom Dolores “Duz” Harms, sister Jill Abram and numerous beloved pets. Left here to wonder who we’re going to worry and fuss about now are sisters Lynn Sawicky (Rich), Susan Abram, Caroline Abram and Lisa Abram Nelson (Ray). Billy also enjoyed his role as cool uncle to Jenny Sawicky Leon (Rick), Betsy Sawicky, Aaron Sawicky (Takara), Abe Hanna (Jessica), Lindsey Nelson (Jon) and Joel Nelson (d’Arcy); a role that also extended to numerous great nieces and nephews.

Billy’s ashes will be buried at the Olive Chapel Cemetery in New Carlisle, Indiana where we’re literally related to everyone. With loved ones scattered far and wide a digital memorial tribute is planned for the near future. The family wishes to thank Sandy Miles and Alle Rose for their earthly assistance and Billy’s guardian angels for keeping him with us as long as they did and for shuttling him on to his next adventure — in a safe and timely manner.

“It’s not the years in your life, but the life in your years.” -unknown

###

On June 22, 2023, Loren Burton Offield Jr passed away in Hoopa after a long battle with cancer. He had been in remission for 12 years and was fighting his second battle with cancer. He was 73 years old. Loren was a proud member of the Karuk Tribe.

Loren was born on June 16, 1950 in Hoopa. He attended River schools and went on to join the Army in 1969. He was an Armor Crewman and also earned a National Defense Service Medal. Loren worked in construction and carpentry, he learned to weld and was an auto mechanic at the Ford Company in San Jose, and he also worked in the woods as a choker setter. He had a keen eye and attention to detail in all his work.

Loren led a very happy and active life filled with family and friends who loved him dearly. He enjoyed many activities, which included, drawing, playing the guitar, rock stacking, martial arts and working on cars. Loren was a very skilled player of horseshoes, darts and pool. He was competitive, skilled, and took pride in the games he played. When playing darts, he could shoot a bullseye with his left and right hand. Loren’s greatest skill and what he enjoyed the most was competing and playing horseshoes. He played up and down the river and earned a well-known reputation for his ability to win. Many experienced players would mention how long it took them to finally win a game against him. Loren would always talk about how he eventually had to let people win just so they would play him again and then he would beat them. Loren was also a traditional Karuk dip net maker and made tons of dip nets for the Ishi Pishi falls.

Loren is survived by his children, Loren “Twofeathers” Offield (Lucki) and Shalayna Offield; grandchildren, Vanessa (Dellavin), Michael Sr (Luca), Marcus (Tiny), Dakota, Kehniwh, Chase, and Lennox James Offield, Nathaniel, Leilanie, and Dominick Dalizon, great-grandchildren; Bravehawk and Faron McCovey, Michael Offield Jr; siblings, Shirley Clark, Donna Smith, Bessie Munson and Betty McKinnon; nieces, Talonna Marshall (Whitsiwe), Sonia Donahue, Unchnanna Cote (Jesse), Helen Thom, Yaamitch Jackson (James) Ashley Donahue, Qosos and Xatimniim Drake, Trella Gillespie, and Gladys Dunn (Josiah), nephews; Rick Offield, Jack Thom, Panther Riesling, and Juni Black, great-nephews and nieces; Ishyuux, Iim’nih and Ikchaxvaan Marshall, Wallace Donahue, Jesse and Brayton Cote, Aodhan, Deimos, Hayden and Isabella Johnson, Delate Slater IV, Pauline and Peter Jackson, Riley and Roman Dunn.

Loren was preceded by death by his father, Loren Offield Sr, his mother, Trella Aubrey, nephew, Nakima Joseph Frye, and niece, Tessa Donahue.

Pallbearers are Michael, Marcus, Dakota, Kehniwh, Chase and Lennox James Offield, Nathaniel and Dominick Dalizon, Robert Blake, Panther Risling, Nicknekich Hillman and Whitsiwe Marshall.

Honorary Pallbearers are Jon Burr Rogers Sr, Shawn Pine, Terry McCovey, George “Dick” Robbins, Keg Super, Dana Chisum, Ed Leach, Stanley Jones, Jimmy McLaughlin, Jess “Chuck” McLaughlin, Jeff Peters, Matt Douglas, Willie Harrison, Walt Cosce, Jake Blake, Victor Starritt, Dellavin McCovey, and Patrick Willson. Loren O left a lasting impression on all who knew him, the family would like to apologize for anyone who’s name was not mentioned. Please join us on this day to honor Loren O.

The family would like to express sincere thanks Dr. Hugh Kent, Paula McKinney RN, Jackie Dair MA, Orleans Volunteer Fire Department and the Hoopa Ambulance Services for taking such good care of him.

A wake will be held in the evening on Sunday June 25, 2023 at his home, 160 Panamnik Elders Housing, Orleans, California. Memorial Services will be on Monday June 26, 2023 at the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Building in Orleans, California with Loren “Twofeathers” Offield officiating. Graveside services will be at the Aubrey Family Cemetery, followed by a reception at the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Building.

###

It is with great joy that we announce that Barbara Jean Ratzlaff has been reunited with her loving husband of 63 years, Donald D. Ratzlaff on April 28, 2023. Their love for each other was obvious to all through to their earthly end as they cherished each other’s company.

Born the daughter of Carl Sr. and Mabel Schnauer and sister to Carl Jr. Schnauer in Madera, CA on 6/3/1936. She is survived by her son Christopher David Ratzlaff, her daughter Faith Erin Ratzlaff, her brother Carl Schnauer and many nieces, nephews and their families.

She attended high school in Crescent City before attending Humboldt State University and meeting the love of her life. She graduated with a teaching credential from Fresno State University and returned to Humboldt County to build their home in Trinidad. She used her degree as a substitute teacher at Trinidad Elementary School until 1969. After moving to Greenville CA, she became Teacher/Director of the Indian Valley Pre-school Chapter of the Northern California Childhood Development program in Crescent Mills. Being a major advocate for the betterment of disadvantaged children in the area with love and patience, many of whom have flourished. She retired in 2003.

They returned to their forever home in Trinidad to live out their storied romance together, enjoying the beautiful vistas of the sea and of Trinidad Bay from the windows they were so proud of.

She was an amazing woman filled with love and compassion and will be missed by all that knew her.

###

Alice Milicent Baker Eckenrode
December 15, 1925 - June 18, 2023

###

“If there is an afterlife — and I pray most fervently that there is not — I can only hope that they won’t sing.”

— Cormac McCarthy, The Passenger

###

He’s been compared to Hemingway, Melville, Faulkner, Conrad. But in my limited knowledge of literature, Dylan Thomas comes closest, with his sense of “crystalline, pulsing prose” as one critic put it. I love the guy. He reminds me of how I judge acting: if the actors seem to be enjoying themselves (think Eli Wallach in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, or Emily Blunt in GOT, or Robert Downey Jr. in anything), then I’m probably going to have a good time watching their performance. Here he is on writing: “My perfect day is sitting in a room with some blank paper. That’s heaven. That’s gold and anything else is just a waste of time.”

My introduction to McCarthy was late in the game, viewing the 2007 Miramax movie version of his 2005 book No Country for Old Men.

His death on June 13 caught me mid-Stella Maris, McCarthy’s coda to The Passenger, both of which came out late last year, one after the other. It’s no spoiler (it’s in the blurb) to say the books are about a suicidal math prodigy, a girl in love with her wise and troubled elder brother who, 10 years on, still mourns her. That’s pretty much it. But what it! Between them, the books embrace quantum mechanics (quantum mechanics, not quantum mechanics as it’s usually said), psychiatry, death, the making of the first nuclear weapons, God, morality, dreams, money, love. Not just embrace, but inform. Factually, but also through his sheer delight in words. Especially verbs: the parts of speech that give prose life, the élan vital of language.

Take this 16-word sentence:

“He shouldered his way through the patio doors and labored up the stairs with a mattress.”

Simple…except I can see it! Which, if he’d “pushed” and “carried,” I wouldn’t have been able to.

Or this, a fire on the beach:

“The flames sawed in the wind and the embers paled…”

To say McCarthy was a pessimist about the human condition is like saying Adele can carry a tune. F’rinstance:

“Grief is the stuff of life. A life without grief is no life at all. But regret is a prison.”

“I think a lot of people would elect to be dead if they didn’t have to die.”

“My guess is that you can only be so happy. While there seems to be no floor to sorrow.”

“War was always here. Before man was, war waited for him”

“You can find meanness in the least of creatures, but when God made man the devil was at his elbow.”

The Coens’ version of McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men has, in my untutored opinion, the best ending of any movie. Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), sitting at the kitchen table, telling his wife about his dream: “And in the dream I knew that [my father] was goin’ on ahead and he was fixin’ to make a fire somewhere out there in all that dark and all that cold, and I knew that whenever I got there he would be there. And then I woke up.” Cut to black.