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One of Hollywood’s most esteemed auteurs is coming to town, and he’s bringing Leo.

Paul Thomas Anderson, the Oscar-nominated writer and director of Boogie Nights, Magnolia and There Will be Blood, has been identified as the man behind the Warner Bros. movie production preparing to shoot here in Humboldt County very soon.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn and Regina Hall have been confirmed as stars of the production, which is filming under the name “BC Project.”

Jordan Raup, editor of the industry website The Film Stage, tweeted this morning:

Asked by Outpost Editor Hank Sims how he knows the movie will be filmed in Eureka, Raup responded, “It’s the location mentioned in extras casting notices for the project.”

The Humboldt-Del Norte Film Commission recently issued a casting call for extras in “BC,” and in a recent call for vehicles from the 1980s and ‘90s the commission wrote, “The film is currently scheduled to shoot the entirety of the project in the area and will depend on many local resources to make it happen.” 

[CORRECTION: The casting call for old cars was actually from the production of An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn, which filmed here in 2016. For “BC,” the commission issued a call for a green Suzuki Geo Tracker or Suzuki Samurai and a white pickup truck. The Outpost regrets the error.]

Deadline reports, “While DiCaprio, Penn and Hall are the leads, the new film will have a big ensemble cast that is still falling into place.”

Rumors have circulated online that Anderson has been working on an adaptation of Vineland, a 1990 postmodern novel set in a fictional version of Humboldt County by author Thomas Pynchon, whose book Inherent Vice was adapted to film by Anderson in 2014. However, recent reporting casts doubt on that. 

From Film Stage:

Scripted by PTA, not much is known about the project, only that it will be set in the present-day (ruling out those Vineland adaptation rumors) and it will be “the most commercial one that PTA has attempted, with commensurate budget.” Variety specifically reports the budget could be as high as $100 million. Expect more casting announcements soon as it will be a large ensemble cast.

Filming is scheduled to begin in the coming weeks. 

California is in a budget hole, its depth measured not in feet, but in dollars.

How deep? A projected $38 billion deficit, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who declared a fiscal emergency today and unveiled his initial plan to dig the state out of a fiscal chasm for the second year in a row.

But Newsom painted it as a return to a more normal budget, after recent spikes in revenue. He called it “a story of correction, a story of normalization after a period of tremendous amount of distortion.”

His deficit projection is far less dire than last month’s outlook from the nonpartisan legislative analysts, who projected that the state is eyeing a $68 billion deficit for the 2024-25 fiscal year, which starts July 1.

Newsom’s plan to close the deficit includes:

• Withdrawing $13.1 billion from the budget stabilization and safety net reserve accounts;
• Cutting $8.5 billion from existing programs and services, including climate, housing and education;
• Delaying $5.1 billion worth of spending, including on transit;
• And deferring another $2.1 billion to 2025-26, including about $500 million in additional funding for University of California and California State University;
• $5.7 billion in internal borrowing from special funds to support the tax on health care providers.

But he said he wants to protect investments in addressing homelessness, mental health reform, and public safety.

All told, Newsom is proposing a total state budget of $291.5 billion — about $19 billion less than what he and lawmakers approved last June for 2023-24. But January plans are often revised considerably. Last year, Newsom proposed spending $297 billion; the final total in June was upped to $310 billion.About 70% of California’s total state spending would go toward public schools, colleges and health and social services — a trend that’s held steady since the 1970s, according to a CalMatters review of state budget data.Unlike the federal government, most state governments, including California, must approve balanced budgets — running a deficit isn’t an option. And California isn’t alone facing a shortfall — about half of Americans live in states now grappling with budget gaps, ongoing deficits, or both, according to an analysis by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

But many of the proposals outlined today will undoubtedly change in the months ahead. Following the usual process, lawmakers will hold dozens of hearings to evaluate the governor’s ideas and recommend their own before their June 15 deadline to pass a budget. The Legislative Analyst’s Office will produce independent revenue projections and policy suggestions as more data pours in. The state’s read on the budget starting July 1 will gain greater certainty in May when the governor will release updated revenue projections based on the personal income taxes Californians will have paid by April — and present revised spending proposals.

And while the deficit projected by the governor’s office is about 20% higher than what California faced last year ($32 billion, after two years of record surpluses credited to a healthy stock market and federal funds), experts say we’re not at crisis level just yet: The state is in a better position now to deal with the downturn compared to past deficits during the Great Recession after it put billions in reserves. Even after Newsom’s plan to pull from the state’s reserves, he says the state would have $18.4 billion remaining.

Revenue misfire

In recent years, about 60% of the state’s general fund, the core source of government spending, was paid for by personal income taxes. And the top 1%, whose incomes swing wildly according to the vagaries of the stock market, have historically paid close to half of all income tax revenue for the state.

A main cause of the deficit is a $11.8 billion in revenues compared to what the governor and lawmakers expected when they finalized the current budget last June. The misfire is the result of both state and federal tax collectors giving nearly all Californians more time to file their income taxes due to last winter’s deadly storms.That decision meant lawmakers and the governor lacked the usual data when they solidified the budget last year. As a result, they committed money they didn’t have to spending programs underway now.

Newsom had already signaled that California’s government needed more belt-tightening: On Dec. 12, his finance department directed state agencies to freeze spending, including new services contracts, IT equipment and vehicles. And last fall, he repeatedly cited the budget crunch in vetoing bills that he said would have added $19 billion in unaccounted costs.

The state budget is actually a multi-year math problem — with very real human consequences — that projects revenues for the year ahead and factors in surpluses or deficits in the current year and year before. One way to find savings is to delay, or outright cut, so-called one-time spending programs. These are typically trial runs of new social programs, construction projects, or experimental programs that last a few years. Last year’s budget projected that the 2024-25 fiscal year would include $12 billion in one-time spending; the Legislative Analyst’s Office said the figure is closer to $9 billion. The analyst’s office said those one-time projects, including $2.2 billion in transportation and $1.8 billion in education, could be on the chopping block.Building the proposed budget is largely a closed-door exercise until the governor publishes his plan in January. Scott Graves, a budget expert with the California Budget & Policy Center, said that the governor’s office starts developing the January budget around May or June of the previous year.

“So advocates who want to influence what’s going to appear in the governor’s proposed budget will use whatever contacts they have within the administration to make their case for particular expenditures or policy changes that they would like to see included in the governor’s proposal in January,” Graves said in an interview.That doesn’t mean the governor’s team will listen, but once a budget idea appears in the January draft, it has a strong chance of becoming law six months later when the Legislature and the governor finalize the state’s new spending plan.If the first six months of the budget process is largely out of public view, the period between now and June is the public’s chance to weigh in,especially as the Legislature begins its numerous budget and subcommittee hearings starting in February.

In anticipation of today’s budget release, some groups started their asks early: The League of California Cities — one of the highest spenders on lobbying the Legislature — asked the governor in a letter last week for a $3 billion funding stream to increase affordable housing and reduce homelessness. For three years in a row, Newsom has granted $1 billion for local homelessness programs.

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

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

Eligible Humboldt County homeowners can once again apply for grants of up to $3,000 to safeguard their homes against future earthquake damage.

The registration period for the Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) program is limited and runs Wednesday, Jan. 10 through Wednesday, Feb. 21.

This program is administered by the California Residential Mitigation Program (CRMP) which is a joint powers agreement between the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES).

These funds cannot be used to pay for repairs to homes damaged in the Dec. 20, 2022 earthquake but can be used to protect eligible residences against similar damages resulting from future earthquakes. An EBB retrofit includes bracing the cripple walls of older houses, when present, and bolting houses to their foundation, making them less vulnerable to earthquake damage. Your house may qualify for an EBB grant if it is:

•  Built before 1980
• Owner-occupied
• On a raised foundation
• In an EBB ZIP code

Income-eligible homeowners may also qualify for supplemental grants. These grants are available for households with an income at or below $87,360 and may be able to provide up to 100% of the funds needed to cover a seismic retrofit as funding permits.

Humboldt County homeowners can apply for retrofit funding at EarthquakeBraceBolt.com. At this website, homeowners can check if their house is in an EBB eligible ZIP code, review detailed program information and begin searching for a FEMA-trained, California-licensed general contractor. For customer service assistance, please call 877-232-4300.

Once registration closes, participating homeowners will be selected through a random drawing and notified via email if they have been chosen or if they have been placed on the waitlist. 

According to the CEA, more than 1.2 million houses in high-hazard ZIP codes are particularly vulnerable to earthquakes because of the way they were constructed. These homes are typically built before 1980, are wood framed with a raised foundation and may have a cripple wall in the crawl space under the house.

To date, EBB grants have helped more than 23,000 homeowners strengthen their homes against earthquake damage.

About Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB)

Established by the California Residential Mitigation Program, EBB offers grants to help California homeowners retrofit their houses to reduce potential damage from earthquakes. For more information, please visit EarthquakeBraceBolt.com.

About the California Residential Mitigation Program (CRMP)

CRMP was established in 2011 to help Californians strengthen their homes against damage from earthquakes. CRMP is a joint powers authority created by the California Earthquake Authority and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. For more information, please visit https://www.californiaresidentialmitigationprogram.com/About-CRMP.

To learn more about available resources regarding earthquake recovery, visit humboldtgov.org/earthquake.

Previously: What Went Down Jan. 9, 2024

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Press release from the Arcata Fire District:

ARCATA, CA - On January 9, 2024, just before 6:00 P.M., Arcata Fire District units were dispatched to the South I Street Arcata Marsh area for the report of a water rescue. The Fortuna Cal Fire ECC requested Humboldt Bay Fire respond with their rescue swimmer. Upon arrival, Arcata Fire personnel contacted Arcata Police Officers who were in verbal communication with a 15-year-old male who was stranded on an island in the marsh. Due to low tide and steep muddy embankments, the juvenile was unable to make his way to the shore.

Arcata Fire and Arcata Police units established visual contact with the juvenile who was approximately 200 yards from shore. Weather conditions were deteriorating, and personnel determined through verbal assessment that the juvenile was becoming hypothermic. As fire personnel attempted to find possible access paths across the sloughs and marsh areas to the juvenile, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter was requested to the scene.

The USCG helicopter was in the area and arrived within minutes of the request. The helicopter crew hoisted the juvenile and transported him to nearby Arcata Fire personnel on shore who assessed the patient and transferred him to an awaiting ambulance.

Arcata Fire District would like to recognize the team effort of the Arcata Police Department, Arcata Fire District, Arcata-Mad River Ambulance, Cal Fire Emergency Communications Center, Humboldt Bay Fire and the United States Coast Guard.

This incident may have had a much different outcome if it wasn’t for the coordination of multiple agencies and the availability of a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter in this area.

The faculty union of the California State University is planning a week of strikes across the 23 campuses Jan. 22 – 26 after the system said yesterday that it would provide 5% raises to members, far below what the union is seeking.

The California Faculty Association is asking for 12% raises this fiscal year, plus other other benefits, like extended parental leave and higher minimum salaries for the lowest-paid workers. But the 5% is an amount other employee unions in the system accepted last year as Cal State fought to stave off an even larger labor walk off. From Cal State’s perspective, its latest and final offer concludes contract negotiations. For the faculty union, it reaffirms its plans, broadcast in December, to strike in late January.

“Management’s imposition gives us no other option but to continue to move forward with our plan for a systemwide strike,” the faculty union told its members this afternoon. Planning to join the faculty union on the picket lines is the smaller Teamsters 2010, a labor group of 1,100 skilled maintenance workers.

The whiplash in messaging — raises on one hand but a vow to strike in pursuit of higher pay and benefits — is yet another flare-up in the months-long standoff between leaders of the nation’s largest public four-year university, home to more than 400,000 students, and the faculty union that represents 29,000 professors, lecturers, librarians, counselors and coaches. The union had already staged strikes at four campuses in December, cutting off instruction a week before students’ final exams.

“Management’s imposition gives us no other option but to continue to move forward with our plan for a systemwide strike.”
— California Faculty Association

The university’s decision also precedes tomorrow’s unveiling of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s spending plan for 2024-25. He’s expected to spell out the state’s deep budget hole, which one analysis says will be a $68 billion deficit.

“Throughout the bargaining process, the CFA never veered from its initial salary demand, which was not financially viable and would have resulted in massive cuts to campuses — including layoffs — that would have jeopardized the CSU’s educational mission,” a Cal State press release stated.

The 12% the union seeks is a response to the soaring inflation the nation experienced since 2021, when prices rose and the purchasing power of paychecks withered. An independent factfinder in December recommended that the two sides agree to a 7% raise, plus other compromises. But an offer of above 5% would have reopened salary negotiations with other unions because of terms agreed to in those contracts — something Cal State has wanted to avoid.

Throughout negotiations, the system was offering faculty 15% raises across three years, but the 10% for the last two years were contingent on the state continuing to grow Cal State’s funding by 5% annually. The union balked at raises predicated on conditions.

Dispute over Cal State finances

Cal State since last May has been signaling that its finances are rocky. The system said at that time its revenues fall $1.5 billion short of what it needs to adequately educate its students. That finding prompted the system’s board of trustees last September to approve five years of consecutively escalating tuition hikes — increases totaling 34% over that time. Those will kick in this fall, but will only affect about 40% of undergraduates. The remaining 60% of students don’t pay any tuition because they receive enough state and institutional financial aid. While those tuition hikes will bring more revenue to the system, it’s not enough to fully fund Cal State’s mission, its senior leaders have maintained.

The faculty union opposed those tuition hikes, arguing instead that Cal State has enough in reserves to afford the raises the union seeks and to spend more money on students without increasing what they’re charged. Cal State has pushed back on that analysis, noting that it needs to build its reserves so it has the equivalent of at least three months of its operating budget as cash on-hand in case of economic emergencies. Currently, it only has about a month’s worth of funds.

Monday was supposed to be the start of a week of bargaining between the faculty union and Cal State leadership to come to a deal and avoid the strike. But that ended poorly, union leadership said in a statement. “After 20 minutes, the CSU management bargaining team threatened systemwide layoffs, walked out of bargaining, canceled all remaining negotiations, then imposed a last, best and final offer on CFA members,” wrote Charles Toombs, faculty president and a professor at San Diego State.

“Throughout the bargaining process, the CFA never veered from its initial salary demand, which was not financially viable and would have resulted in massive cuts to campuses.”
— California State University system

The breakdown in negotiations was consistent with the tenor of relations between the two camps, which has been marked by frustration and a lack of trust.

Professors at Cal State earn on average between $91,000 and $122,000, full-time lecturers make ​​$71,000 on average and the 23 campus presidents have an average base salary of about $417,000, according to 2022 data compiled by CalMatters. Most lecturers are part time and earned the equivalent $64,000 on average in 2022.

Faculty groups have inveighed against the higher jumps in salaries top Cal State campus and system officials were awarded in recent years. A CalMatters analysis last month showed that while lecturers saw raises of 22% on average since 2007, presidents in that time saw base pay raises of 43% on average. The system’s new chancellor earns just shy of $800,000 in base pay and about $1 million when adding housing, auto and other perks.

But even if faculty and the system resolve the current labor dispute, a wider set of contract items will be up for negotiation this June.

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

Dad passed away in the early evening on December 19, 2023

Dad was born on May 18,1928 to Harley and Florette Hurst in Alhambra, California. The family moved to Fortuna in his early teenage years. Dad graduated from Fortuna High School in 1947. In 1951 he married Elizabeth (Betty) Frescholtz. They had three children, Cheryl, Michael and Walter.

Dad worked for Beacom Construction for 35 years. He was a great outdoorsman. Hunting and fishing were his passion. In his later years he enjoyed caring for the environment. He could be found most mornings at the Riverwalk cleaning trash and debris from the walking trails.

He was preceded in death by his father, Harley; his mother, Florette Andrews; stepfather, Vernon Andrews; brothers, Verden and Donald Hurst; sister, Barbara McKay; our mom, Elizabeth (Betty) Hurst; son Michael; grandson John Hurst; and son-in-law Curtis Wood.

He is survived by his son Walter (Sherrie) Hurst, daughter Cheryl Hurst, daughter-in-law Jerry Hurst; grandchildren Cory Price, Jack Hurst, Saunda McDaniel, Brandon Hurst and Dustin Hurst; 13 great-grandchildren; six great-great-grandchildren; along with many nieces and nephews.

Per Dad’s request, no service will be held.

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It was a shorthanded Board of Supervisors for the first meeting of 2024, with both Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo and Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone absent for personal reasons.

Here’s a rundown of what was discussed:

Safe parking program

In an effort to increase options for people experiencing homelessness, the Board of Supervisors today extended its “Safe Parking – Safe Shelter Pilot Program” for an extra two years. 

First approved in June 2022, the program allows a government agency, religious institution, nonprofit or for-profit organization to provide people with a safe place to park and/or sleep at no cost while accessing services. However, to date, no organization has stepped forward to establish such a facility.

Ford

Humboldt County Planning and Building Director John Ford said county staff did some research to find out why there’s been no interest expressed thus far and found that, among the organizations typically involved in such endeavors, nobody was aware that the program exists.

Over the next 24 months, Ford said, his staff plans to conduct a public outreach campaign in hopes of drumming up interest while also searching for grant funding to help open such a facility, which could be granted over-the-counter permit approval with a sufficient operations plan.

The City of Arcata currently has the only Safe Parking Program in Northern California, and Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson invited Arcata House Partnership Executive Director Darleen Spoor to speak about the program’s challenges and highlights.

She said that while there was a “big learning curve,” the program has become a big success. Since launching in late April of 2022, Arcata’s Safe Parking Program has provided 14,625 “bed nights,” which count individual dates on which a client is present in the safe parking area, located off of Samoa Boulevard. Nine percent of clients have exited the program to temporary shelter while 30 percent have exited to permanent shelter, according to Spoor.

Spoor

The program offers a variety of services, and Spoor highlighted a couple of success stories, including that of a 71-year-old woman who suddenly found herself homeless and frightened with various health issues. The program, which works with various partner agencies, helped her to get into permanent housing, where she remains today.

But Spoor emphasized the importance of funding. 

“For us, this Safe Parking Program costs us $478,000 a year,” she said. “That’s $45 a night per person,” which is less than the cost of typical homeless shelters and “certainly less than what it costs us, I think, to have people on the streets and in and out of emergency rooms.”

First District Supervisor Rex Bohn, who is serving as board chair this year, said funding is “the big elephant in the room,” given the state’s $68 billion budget deficit.

Sheriff William Honsal said he used to think safe parking programs were “an absolutely terrible idea” but changed his mind after seeing the success of Arcata House Partnership’s example, among others.

“If we have nowhere to send people then we can’t actually enforce laws about people camping on public property or infringing on the rights of others,” Honsal said, though he emphasized the importance of such programs being properly managed.

Undersheriff Justin Braud also vouched for Arcata’s program as “a lifesaver for us” and a problem-solver for the Sheriff’s Office, getting people out of backyards, greenbelts and public spaces.

Connie Beck, director of Humboldt County’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), said Arcata House Partnership is a wonderful referral source for the county’s housing program along with other programs from community partners that work with the homeless population. Beck said she’d love to see a safe parking program in Southern Humboldt. 

Wade

Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell agreed, saying communities in her district are “begging for solutions” but people experiencing homelessness there often don’t want to leave the area for services.

Nezzie Wade, a founder of local nonprofit Affordable Homeless Housing Alternatives, emphasized the difficulty of running such a program, saying it requires both coordination and collaboration among a variety of community partners. County outreach will be key, she said.

A motion to extend the program’s timeline for two more years was approved unanimously.

Nitrous oxide

Later in the morning, the board discussed the rising popularity of nitrous oxide — aka “laughing gas,” often sold in little metal canisters called “whippits” — as a recreational drug. When inhaled it can cause euphoria and giddiness, but its use has been linked to serious health problems, including neurological issues, loss of blood pressure, organ failure and heart attack.

Regulation is complicated by the fact that these canisters have legitimate uses, including as a propellant for whipped cream and an engine performance booster in automobiles.

Bushnell said she and Wilson have been working with DHHS to address the growing threat of recreational use in the county.

Pereira

Sofia Pereira, the county’s public health director, provided an overview of the issue, noting that it’s already illegal to sell or possess whippits for the purpose of getting high, and illegal to sell to minors, and yet the canisters are often sold in smoke shops.

The county submitted a legislative proposal to its state public health association that would have banned the sale of nitrous oxide for tobacco retailers, but the group chose not to sponsor that legislation, Pereira said. The county is now exploring the possibility of including a nitrous oxide ban in its tobacco retail licensing ordinance, which is in the process of being implemented.

Shelter Cove resident Stephanie Andrews called in with a story about the “great damage and harm and heartbreak” nitrous oxide abuse has caused in her family. Many in the mental health and family services field underestimated the drug’s “emotional” addictiveness among people experiencing stress and anxiety, she said.

“I have a son in rehab for this. I have a brother that’s recovering from nerve damage. I’m living with the effects of this,” Andrews said. “So to have it available in gas stations and tobacco shops is totally irresponsible.”

Wilson said comprehensive scientific data about the drug’s public health impacts are lacking, and sometimes legislation can help spur such research, though he said that can be a frustratingly slow way to address such issues. He also talked about the pollution aspect of the issue, with people seeing piles of these cartridges discarded in the environment. He said he would lean toward greater regulation.

“If I had to choose a society where it was a little harder to make whipping cream but I had less damage to the youth in my community, I would choose” that option, Wilson said.

He again emphasized that state legislators may be in a better position to enact change but said he’s fully in support of the proposed resolution, which identifies nitrous oxide as “an important local issue” that “can negatively impact children and youth.”

The resolution also advises the Board of Supervisors and the Public Health Branch of DHHS “to address the illicit sale, distribution and use of nitrous oxide through education and policy approaches and bring back such recommendations at a later date.”

The board unanimously approved the resolution.

Partnership HealthPlan

Roughly 44 percent of Humboldt County residents are enrolled in Medi-Cal, according to Nancy Starck, DHHS’s legislative and policy manager, and here in rural Northern California the program’s health care benefits are provided by Partnership HealthPlan of California.

On January 1, the nonprofit organization expanded to an additional 10 counties, from 14 to 24, which required the county to amend some sections of its government code. It also means that Humboldt will have fewer spots on Partnership’s board of commissioners – just two rather than the current three.

“This will accommodate representation from Partnership’s 10 new counties while maintaining a functional-size governing commission,” Starck explained to the board.

According to a staff report, Tory Starr, the president and CEO of Open Door Community Health Centers, will wrap up his four-year term on April 22 and the ensuing vacancy will not be filled. Humboldt’s other two members are Starck, representing the county, and Liz Lara O’Rourke, the CEO of United Indian Health Services, Inc.

Odds and ends

• An appeal of the Planning Commission’s approval, back in November, of a 19-lot subdivision in McKinleyville was postponed to the meeting of Jan. 23 so that the entire board can be present.
• Today is National Law Enforcement Day. Bohn thanked goodness for folks in that line of work. Bushnell took a moment to “recognize what law enforcement does for our community and for our nation” and to thank “the men and women that have lost their lives … serving us and protecting us.”
• After proclaiming January 2024 National Mentoring Month, the board thanked Big Brothers Big Sisters of the North Coast, CASA of Humboldt and Boys and Girls Clubs of the Redwoods for their work in that regard, and several people spoke to the powerful impact mentorship has on young people. 

Mulder

• Planning Commissioner and cannabis farmer Thomas Mulder, dressed casually (right), was “bummed out” about having “dragged” his son to the meeting in order to “show him his constitutional rights” only to find two of the five supervisors absent. (He did not explain how his son’s rights were infringed upon by said absences.) Mulder also thanked the board for approving a payment plan for people delinquent on their Measure S taxes and said his own grow operation was misclassified as mixed light rather than outdoor, costing him extra.