Multiple years of tuition increases are likely heading to California State University students as the 23-campus system seeks desperately needed cash to afford its academic mission.

The institution on Thursday published its proposal to begin raising undergraduate and graduate school tuition by 6% annually starting in the fall 2024 academic year.

For undergraduates, that would mean an increase of $342 in the first year. However, nearly 60% of Cal State’s students would be unaffected by the tuition hikes because they receive state financial aid.Tuition for those who pay it would rise steadily, from $6,084 in the first year of the hike to $7,682 by 2028-29.The series of hikes has no end-date; instead, the proposal said Cal State leaders would re-assess the plan after five years.

The system’s Board of Trustees will hear the sweeping proposal at the upcoming July 11 meeting, and, according to the agenda, vote to approve the tuition increases in September. Board members could choose to change the policy or delay the vote, as is their general right.If approved, Cal State will launch itself into a new era that’s a stark departure from the past 11 years, in which it raised tuition only once.

The move is one way the university intends to close a growing $1.5 billion gap between the revenue it collects and the money it needs to spend on student academics, a catch-all term that includes instructor pay, tutoring support and other costs tied to educating and graduating students. Senior staff and members of the board signaled that a series of tuition hikes was imminent at the May meeting.Sensing the gravity of the situation, the system debuted a public website that spells out the tuition proposal and invites feedback from students and parents.Though a coincidence, details of the plan arrived on the same day that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Joe Biden’s effort to pardon up to $20,000 of student debt for tens of millions of Americans, including an estimated 3.7 million Californians. State law requires agencies such as Cal State to publish their agendas 10 before they meet publicly.“Students who are not eligible for financial aid assistance can pursue a paid internship, part-time employment, student loans or institutional or private scholarships to cover the proposed increase,” an explainer from Cal State indicated. “All students are encouraged to contact the financial aid offices on their campuses to explore their options.”

The tuition plan would boost Cal State’s revenues by $148 million in the first year and grow to $840 million by the fifth year of the increases. Cal State intends to divert 33% of that new revenue to campus financial aid for low-income students, known as the State University Grant.

The system argues that tuition is the only major revenue source that it controls to generate more revenue.Historically, Cal State relied on state funding for much of its operating budget. But that level of support dropped from 80% in the 1990s to 60% in 2022-23.Gov. Gavin Newsom has promised to raise Cal State’s level of state support by 5% annually for five years, a promise he’s honored in each of the last two years. But there’s no guarantee Newsom’s vow will become reality in future years. And even if those 5% state infusions occur annually through 2028-29, pumping $1.3 billion into the system will be insufficient, according to Cal State leaders.

For example, during budget negotiations in 2023, Cal State sought $514 million from the governor — more than twice the $227 million he promised and eventually agreed to fund in this week’s budget deal with lawmakers.

“It must be emphasized that the additional revenue is necessary to pay for existing programs, services, priorities and unfunded state and federal mandates,” the agenda item stated.

Cal State has aspirations of expanding its efforts to help students graduate faster, close stubborn gaps in the graduation rates among racial groups, and pay faculty more.That last goal is likely top of mind for the system, as a coalition of unions is pressing the system to increase worker pay. If not, strikes are on the table, which would cripple Cal State’s operations.

Without new revenue, the system said it has no choice but to offer fewer courses to students and cut academic and support services because of employee layoffs.

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

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Anyone who lives in Humboldt is probably familiar with Redwood Acres. You’ve likely been to the fair, maybe the Boardroom, or Frankie’s Bagels or the raceway that holds stock car races. But did you know that the venue also holds a much smaller raceway for much smaller vehicles? Tucked in a corner of the property you will find a dirt track used by Redwood Outlaw Karts (formerly Humboldt Outlaw Karts) for a different kind of racing. 

Maybe you are already familiar with Outlaw Karts, but if, like this reporter, you had no idea what they were until today, then we will explain. Outlaw Karts are go karts that have been modified to look like sprint racing cars (known as outlaws), with a race car cage, wings, and usually a bigger engine added to the vehicle. The vehicles and racing style originated in Red Bluff more than 30 years ago, and they’ve since spread all over the country. You can read more about the sport’s history on the Red Bluff Outlaws website, but the way Cliff Myer – who helps run Redwood Outlaw Karts — explains it, it was just some racers looking for something fun to do during the off season. 

“Basically it was a go kart, and someone was like, ‘let’s strap one of these engines – a motorcycle engine – onto a go kart and see what happens,’” Myer told the Outpost during a visit at the Outlaw track. “And what happened was fun.” 

Cliff Myer at the race track | Photo: Stephanie McGeary

Myer has been racing Outlaw Karts for about six years and recently started helping organize the races at Redwood Acres. Like so many activities, the races have been on a forced hiatus for the last two years because of COVID. After using some of that time to make needed repairs to the track, including adding a drain to help prevent flooding, the Redwood Outlaw Karts is back in full swing, with the first two races having taken place on June 10 and 25 and more happening throughout the summer. 

Myer, born-and-raised in Humboldt, has been around track racing his entire life. His father, Rod Myer, raced stock cars at the big Redwood Acres Raceway for many years, even back when the track was still dirt, before it was converted to asphalt in the late 1980s. Though Rod has retired from driving, he is still active as a crew chief and very involved with the races, Myer said. He has also offered a lot of help with getting the Outlaw Karts races up and running. 

Though Myer grew up around stock car racing, he became interested in Outlaw Karts when he and his wife decided that it might be a good activity for their oldest son, Jack. Because outlaw karts are not actual cars, you do not need a license to drive them and the races are open to children five and older. Myers’ son, who is now 12 years old, has been kart racing since he was about seven. His younger brother, Adam, age 10, is now also passionate about kart racing and both brothers recently won trophies in their divisions. 

“[It’s] absolutely a family pastime,” Myer said, adding that the whole family spends a lot of time traveling to different races around the state. Myer also works as an auto mechanic and both of his sons have also learned a lot about the family trade. Jack even works on other racers’ karts. 

Many kids participate in the races, Myer said, with the first division – Briggs beginner box stock class – being open to kids ages five through eight. Though this might sound like a dangerous activity to some parents, Myer said that every possible precaution is taken and that the kids are always trained up on the safety rules and regulations. Every racer wears a fire suit and the karts are fitted with cages and are checked before every race to make sure everything is working properly. Also, because the Redwood Acres track is dirt and fairly small, the racers aren’t generally able to go as fast as they would on other tracks.

“We take a lot of steps to mitigate the risks,” Myer said, adding that, as a parent, he wants to be sure to find a balance of fun and safety for his kids. “I don’t want my kids to be afraid of doing something they love, just because there are risks involved.” 

Something Myer really likes about kart racing (and racing in general) is that the divisions are only separated by age and the type of vehicle, not by gender. So – unlike with other types of sports – kids and adults of any gender identity can participate in these races, without there being any debate over if they belong on the “boys” or “girls” team. “It’s a great equalizer,” Myer said. 

If you are interested in either racing or watching, the next Redwood Outlaw Karts race is on July 15. Entering a race costs $50 ($30 for the car registration and $20 for yourself or your kid) and a ticket to view the race is $20. Race winners receive a trophy and sometimes some prize money too, depending on how much sponsorship the race has. Myer wanted to be sure to give a shout out to the groups’ sponsors – Earth it Environmental, Nor-Cal Automotive, Valley Pacific, Redwood Acres Raceway, Jim Redd, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Hilfiker Pipe Co. Hemmingson Paving Solutions, Linda Forbes and Shannon McCartney – who have helped get Redwood Outlaw Karts up and running. 

To find more details on how to race with, watch or be a sponsor of Redwood Outlaw Karts, you can visit the group’s Facebook Page and message them with any questions.  

To see what you’re in for, check out these karts in action:

The state is moving forward with licensing two dozen nursing homes whose primary owner’s companies have a lengthy track record of problems – as uncovered by a CalMatters investigation – despite a new law designed to provide better oversight of the facilities.

The nursing homes in question are owned by Los Angeles businessman Shlomo Rechnitz, who owns dozens of California facilities through a web of companies.

One of his main companies, Brius Healthcare, has been scrutinized for poor quality care and inadequate staffing, according to federal and state inspection reports, plaintiffs’ attorneys and press accounts. By 2015, government regulators decertified or threatened to decertify three of Rechnitz’s companies’ California nursing homes, a rare penalty that strips facilities of crucial Medicare and Medi-Cal funding.

One of those facilities, Wish-I-Ah Healthcare & Wellness Centre near Fresno, was closed following the death of a 75-year-old resident from a blood infection after staff left behind in her body a foam sponge used in dressing her mastectomy wound. Investigators also found toilets brimming with fecal matter and other serious problems, according to the state’s accusation.

The State Auditor’s office in a May 2018 report spotlighted Brius for its higher rate of federal deficiencies and state citations, compared to the rest of the industry in the state.

It was via bankruptcy court that Rechnitz scooped up 18 Country Villa-branded nursing homes in 2014. Per state law, he then filed change-of-ownership applications seeking licenses to run those homes. The state didn’t approve or deny them, instead leaving them pending. In the meantime, Rechnitz continued to run the nursing homes for years without a formal license in his name – which isn’t technically illegal.

A new law was supposed to close that loophole. But that law, co-authored by Democratic Assemblymembers Al Muratsuchi of Los Angeles and Jim Wood of Santa Rosa, doesn’t go into effect until July 1 — and it focuses on new license applications, rather than those that have been operating in the legal gray area for years.

The California Department of Public Health, which oversees the state’s nursing homes, defended the new licensing settlement with Rechnitz, which includes tools for the state to monitor the nursing homes’ performance. The department noted the settlement allows the nursing homes to continue operating, instead of closing and forcing hundreds of residents from their homes.

“This settlement resolves longstanding issues we have had with this provider and provides our department stronger enforcement tools to ensure the provider is delivering reasonable and appropriate care to its residents,” Dr. Tomás Aragón, director of the Department of Public Health, said in an emailed statement. “With this settlement, we will continue to monitor the facilities involved with a focus on maintaining that level of care.”

Under the settlement announced this week, the state health department agreed to approve license applications for 24 skilled nursing facilities owned by Rechnitz – once the department receives all necessary documents to complete the process.

The settlement includes some oversight provisions, including a two-year monitoring period. The health department is to meet with each facility every six months to review the quality of care residents are receiving, and each facility is to provide a slew of documents before the meetings. Deficiencies in care are to result in heightened oversight, including daily phone calls. Failing to comply with those parameters is to result in a fine of $10,000 per failure.

An attorney representing Rechnitz’s company Brius did not respond to a phone call or an emailed request for comment.

“We think this is a message to residents of nursing homes in California that their welfare just isn’t all that concerning to the state.”
— Tony Chicotel, California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform

Tony Chicotel, a staff attorney for California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, called the state’s move to license Rechnitz’s nursing homes “sad.”

“There’s been longstanding, systematic problems in nursing homes run by this chain,” he said. “We think this is a message to residents of nursing homes in California that their welfare just isn’t all that concerning to the state.”

Not all of Rechnitz’s applications had been left pending – some were denied outright. In denying his licensing application for Windsor Healthcare Center of Oakland in 2016, the Department of Public Health said staff at the facility neglected to treat the skin ulcers and pain of six different residents — including a paralyzed resident who was left covered in feces and then hospitalized for sepsis.

That facility is now one of the 24 the state is moving toward licensing under the new settlement. The two-dozen facilities also include 13 of the 18 Country Villa properties Rechnitz purchased in 2014.

Another one of Rechnitz’s nursing homes was in hot water recently. Alta Vista Healthcare & Wellness Centre in Riverside, owned by Rechnitz, and its management company, Rockport Healthcare Services, agreed to pay the state and federal government some $3.8 million over allegations they provided kickbacks to doctors. According to the U.S. Justice Department, Alta Vista gave doctors extravagant gifts – including expensive dinners, limousine rides and massages – in exchange for referring patients to their nursing home between 2009 and 2019.

That facility is not included in the new licensing agreement.

Chicotel said he’s “disappointed but not surprised” the state is moving to license Rechnitz’s facilities. It was clear that the law taking effect July 1, which he opposed because he said it lacked teeth, would not take existing facilities away from bad operators, he said.

Assemblymember Wood’s spokesperson, Cathy Mudge, said he was not aware of the settlement and would not be able to comment on it yet. “This is an important issue to him and he will be asking CDPH for more information,” she said in an email.

Assemblymember Muratsuchi’s office did not respond to an email seeking an interview.

The new law still has value going forward because it will apply to new cases, said Dr. Michael Wasserman, a geriatrician and chair of public policy for the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine.

“I think (it) was meant to keep the type of licensing issues that have occurred in the past from ever happening again,” he said.

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

California wildfire firefighters could be in for a big pay raise soon through a rare legislative move that would require the state to boost their salaries automatically, effectively cutting the governor’s office out of negotiations over their wages

For years, the California Department of Forestry and Protection – or Cal Fire – has been unable to compete with local departments that offer better salaries and in turn has been losing its members at an escalating pace, union leaders say.

“We enter into a world where we now have a world where you can work at Target and In-N-Out and make $22 an hour and our starting firefighter makes $15.56 an hour,” said Cal Fire Local 2881 president Tim Edwards. “Who’s gonna want to put their life on the line in a time where the state really needs firefighters when they can go work somewhere else and make more money?”

Now, after several years of devastating wildfires, state lawmakers are advancing a bill that would lock in automatic pay increases for them. It would compel the state human resources department to calculate wage increases for the 8,000 or so state firefighters every year based on what other 20 local fire departments pay.

The bill would boost the salary for Cal Fire employees to within a 15% range of the top 20 highest-paying fire departments in California.

If the bill becomes law, the firefighter union would become just the second group of California public employees to gain automatic pay raises instead of having to bargain over wage increases with the governor’s office.

The other is the union that represents California Highway Patrol officers. The CHP contract sets officers’ pay on a formula that accounts for wages at other large California police departments. It’s a lucrative perk. Last year, CHP officers received a 6.2% wage increase — the biggest they have seen in 20 years and more than double what Newsom gave to other public employee unions that year.

Lawmakers, including Republicans, say it’s time for Cal Fire to gain the same kind of wage guarantee.

“Cal Fire is one of the greatest public safety organizations, in my opinion, in the world,” said Assemblymember Heath Flora, a Republican from Ripon who sponsored the bill.

“I really want the men and women in this state to be paid properly and for some reason we always felt like they’re overlooked. And I don’t really understand it,” said Flora, a former firefighter.

The bill is moving forward as the Newsom administration bargains with unions representing more than half of the state workforce, some of whom are demanding 30% raises.

The firefighter pay bill passed through the Assembly and is now headed to the Senate appropriations committee with no opposition even as the state faces a projected $32 billion deficit.

Cal Fire itself has not weighed in on the bill. Edwards, the union leader, said the department lost 10% of its firefighters last year.

California wildfires strain overworked crews

Cal Fire is the state’s largest fire department. It’s responsible for fighting wildfires, as well as protecting urban areas in several parts of the state.

The intensity of wildfires in California is projected to worsen. The state saw its worst wildfire season on record in 2020, taking a toll on firefighters who spent weeks in the field.

The California Professional Firefighters, an umbrella union that represents some 30,000 firefighters, is lobbying for the pay bill. The union in a written statement to lawmakers said the risks of short staffing compounds the dangers that come with the line of work and “also presents long-term health impacts from extended exposure to toxic smoke with no respiratory protection as well as the negative repercussions for behavioral health from lack of sleep, overwork, and months on end spent away from family.”

“If I learned anything in the past decade, it’s that our wildfire season is absolutely out of control. It really never ends.”
— Assemblymember Heath Flora

The Cal Fire union in its most recent contract attempted to address difficult working conditions by bargaining for a schedule that would give its members a better work-life balance. Cal Fire firefighters usually work four 72-hour shifts each month. Local fire departments tend to operate on 54-hour shifts.

“If I learned anything in the past decade, it’s that our wildfire season is absolutely out of control. It really never ends,” Flora said.

Cal Fire fighter salaries lag

If the bill passes, Cal Fire Local 2881 would still have to bargain with the governor over issues like discipline and working conditions.

Cal Fire firefighters are paid through a complicated formula that accounts for their scheduled overtime hours. Their hourly wages are as low as minimum wage, but their take-home pay adds up through overtime and other compensation.

The average monthly total compensation for a Cal Fire battalion chief was $29,697, according to a 2020 salary survey. That was about 40.7% below what 20 local fire departments of various sizes paid firefighters at that rank, the survey said.

Lower-ranking firefighters earned $19,288 monthly in total monthly compensation, which was 15.8% below what local departments paid.

Outside of the Legislature, critics of public employee unions characterize the bill as a reckless giveaway to a powerful labor organization.

“Firefighters are already among the best-paid government workers in the state,” said Will Swaim, president of California Policy Center, an advocacy group that is critical of California public employee unions.

“No one else in California gets that deal,” he said.

Michael Genest, the former finance director under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, also called promises of future raised “irresponsible.”

“Governors and legislators always regret having made such promises when our budget goes out of balance,” he wrote in an email. “The wise move is to make decisions about the allocation of state revenues each year and even then to be careful not to spend more on anything than is prudent.”

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

Kalub Joshua Ulmer, aka Baby Cheeks, came into this world on March 21, 2023. He made an impact on everyone around him, and even those who didn’t get the chance to be blessed with his presence. He was a special soul who had a rough beginning, but made improvements daily. A beautiful light in life who took a huge piece of our hearts with him in death.

Kalub was born in Eureka and transported to Oakland Children’s Hospital four days after he was born; he needed special care and treatment that required him to be there until May 8, when he was released to his aunt and uncle, who looked forward to caring for him and adopting him when the time came. Kalub was taken from us too soon and suddenly, while he slept on June 4. We woke to a nightmare that no parent or guardian should ever have to go through. Your baby should never go first. He was loved, cherished and perfect in every way. His wings were ready, but our hearts absolutely were not.

A celebration of life will be held for Baby Cheeks’ close family and friends in his birth city of Eureka. This celebration of his life will include enjoying pictures, food, music and stories about how he was loved in every way during life. His celebration of life, as painful as it is, is to help us all to find a new way to live without him while we hold him close spiritually, mentally and emotionally in our hearts and minds.

Not a day will go by when we don’t feel him. We celebrate the time we had with him because he was a gift. We celebrate the progress he made and the love we have for him; although his time earthside was short, the love we have for him will last a lifetime.

Kalub is survived by his many family members: biological parents, his aunt Larissa and uncle Jason; as well as many more aunts, uncles, grandparents and his siblings: Macy~Rain Fowler and Adam Klammes, as well as his cousins: Ariyus Pace, Kaityra Pree, Nyira Pree, Izreal Pree, Thomas Postolka, Ivan Stugard and Ayden Postolka.

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Fusae Waters (née Yoshimura) passed away peacefully in her home in Eureka on May 27, 2023.

Fusae was born in Kita-Kyushu City, Japan on August 18, 1928, as the second of three children to Kikujiro Yoshimura and Tome Yamashita, and was a descendant of samurai lineage on her mother’s side. Fusae was a very bright child. She was admitted to high school in the early 1940s, which was extremely rare for females in Japan at that time; girls’ education beyond middle school was not compulsory and only those who were top academic performers could attend high school. Her education was interrupted by World War II when she arrived at school one day only to find it had become a crater after being bombed. Thereafter, she survived the war conscripted to work in rice fields. Years later she recounted how lucky she was to have worked in the rice fields and not the factories (as some kids were forced to) because factories were allied targets. The war ended and Fusae eventually graduated high school with honors.

In her early twenties, in the interest of improving her English, she applied for a job at the post exchange on the U.S. Air Force base in Fukuoka, Japan. While working in the post exchange she met an American airman, Floyd Waters, who was stationed there during the Korean war and he would eventually become her husband. After marrying and giving birth to their first child, Danny, in Japan, they moved to Arizona in 1953. Their stay in Arizona was brief, as Fusae hated the heat and complained to Floyd, which led them to eventually settle in Eureka. Fusae and Floyd had three more children: Eugene, Patricia, and Donald.

She eventually began a long career at General Hospital in Eureka as a housekeeper in the Labor and Delivery Department until she retired after 25 years of loyal service. Fusae was beloved and respected by her co-workers at the hospital, and she equally loved working there. She would often fondly tell her family after she retired about all the interesting people she worked with at the hospital. Fusae also settled into Humboldt County’s small, but vibrant Japanese community comprised mostly of women who had also married American GIs. For years she and her other Japanese friends cooked together, sang karaoke together, played bingo together, and laughed together. Fusae had a nickname within the Japanese community of “the saint” – no matter how much gossip she heard, she never repeated a word – a value she tried hard to instill in her grandchildren.

Fusae was a passionate gardener with an amazing green thumb. She grew all sorts of incredible fruits, vegetables, and flowers in her sizeable backyard – her blueberries were particularly legendary. She loved animals, and on more than one occasion she nursed baby birds who had fallen from their nests back to their health, until they were mature enough to fly off into the wild. Fusae had a heart of gold, a pure soul, and positively impacted the lives of all who knew her. Fusae was an amazing human, with an exceedingly rare amount of compassion for all. She will be missed beyond the words of human expression, but her memory and the life lessons she taught us will forever live in our hearts.

Fusae is preceded in death by her husband Floyd, her sons Danny and Eugene, her parents Kikujiro and Tome Yoshimura, and her older brother Iseo Yoshimura. She is survived by her daughter Patricia Waters, son Donald Waters, grandchildren Jiro Waters, Erica Botkin and Alex Botkin, and her younger brother Mitsuaki Yoshimura.

There will be no memorial service, and instead of flowers her family has asked that donations be made to Hospice of Humboldt or to charity in Fusae’s name.

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Don Pedrotti, born December 30, 1951, at Redwood Memorial Hospital and Mary Mello, born April 5, 1950, at St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka passed away within 10 days of each other last March 2023 — Don on March 18 at home in his sleep after a long illness and Mary, his wife, on March 28 at St. Joseph Hospital — after battling a prolonged fight with diabetes and two strokes.

Don spend his entire life in Ferndale, graduating from Ferndale High School in 1970. He worked a few jobs including pulling green chain at Pacific Lumber Scotia and pouring concrete for Carl Brungs before taking over the family dairy farm on Grizzly Bluff Road in Ferndale.

Mary grew up in Arcata on a dairy farm until the family moved in 1956 to Orland and then to Lac La Hash, British Columbia, in 1960. They moved back to Blue Lake California in 1964, just before the big flood and ending back in Arcata again, where she graduated from Arcata High School in 1968. Mary worked with her best friend Rosie at all kinds of jobs, from Dot’s Restaurant, picking daffodil bulbs in McKinleyville and crab and shrimp for Lazio’s Seafood in Eureka to working data processing at St Joseph’s Hospital and the front office at Humboldt Central Labs.

Don and Mary met at a dance in Ferndale and married in the barn at their dairy farm on July 27, 1991, and lived and worked the farm life until Don retired in 2006.

Don was a hunter and looked forward to his yearly hunting trip to the cabin and making Italian sausage with his brothers. Mary enjoyed raising their boy Sonny and the annual Halloween party in the barn for all the kids. She also loved working in her yard and planting flowers everywhere around her home. Mary had a gift to make people laugh and she always left you with a smile. They will be sorely missed.

Don and Mary are survived by their son Nick and his wife Lacey and granddaughter Anna; and son Sonny Pedrotti; Don’s siblings Dan Pedrotti, Sylvia Grandy, Sid Pedrotti and their spouses and many nieces and nephews. Mary’s siblings are Dorothy Mello, Joseph Mello Jr. and his wife Teresa Mello, Barbara Mello-Wolf and many more nieces and nephews and great- and great-grand-nieces and -nephews.

A potluck celebration of life for Don and Mary will be held July 22 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Ferndale City Hall Auditorium. Family and friends of Don and Mary are cordially invited.

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