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Scottie Scheffler, the world number one golfer, won the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas earlier this week. And though this would normally not be news of any particular interest to Humboldt, it turns out that the putter Scheffler used to secure his win was made by our own Logan Olson of Fortuna!

Reached by the Outpost, Olson said that after Scheffler and his team saw some of Olson’s pieces, they reached out to him to ask if he could make some putters for Scheffler. Needless to say, Olson excitedly jumped at the opportunity and after meeting up with Scheffler in September he began fabricating a perfect custom putter for the golf pro. 

“I’ve been working on options and tweaks for him since meeting,” Olson wrote in a message to Outpost late last week. “And it’s great to see him playing one this week at the Hero.” 

Olson custom-makes each of his putters, spending upwards of 200 hours on each piece. To fabricate Scheffler’s putter, Olson said he spent over 100 hours on programming alone to design the putter heads. Olson said that he worked through a few different design options before landing on something that Scheffler was ready to put into play. 

To get a better idea of the process, check out Olson’s short video showing him working on Scheffler’s putter:

Scheffler premiered his Olson putter at the Hero World Challenge, arousing interest in the golf world, with publications like and Golf Digest and Golf Magazine calling attention to Scheffler’s fancy new club . The buzz around the new putter only grew when Scheffler not only won the tournament, but also did very well in putting. Though Scheffler is the highest-ranking golfer in the world, his putting stats have been less impressive, ranking 142nd earlier this season, and some golf publications note that Scheffler’s putting has been worse the past two seasons. 

But this was not the case during the Hero tournament, where Scheffler finished sixth in putting, the best he’s performed in a while.

“He also, surprisingly, finished sixth in the 20-man field in putting,” Jack Hirsh wrote for Golf. “Had the Hero been an official event, it would mark the first time Scheffler had finished inside the top 10 in the statistic since his debut win at the 2022 WM Phoenix Open nearly two years ago.” 

Is it because of his sweet new Olson putter that Scheffler did so well on the green? Well, that would be hard to say. He did also hire a new putting coach, which probably helped too. 

Either way, Olson was thrilled for Scheffler’s win – the first time an Olson putter has helped secure a tournament win – and said that working with the pro golfer was a great experience. 

“He’s got incredible awareness and sensitivity to what he’s looking for,” Olson said. “He’s the best player in the world and he’s very in tune with everything going on. It’s been about creating a tool to add to what he’s already doing so well now, and not taking anything away.”

Worried that her abusive partner would kill her or her boys, Jackie had nowhere to go and no one to ask for help. She said her partner had angry outbursts, beat her, degraded her and destroyed things in the house. She knew she had to escape.

She called the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, hoping for a path to a safe place to stay. Instead, she received a warning that struck a different kind of fear in her.

If she didn’t leave her partner within 30 days, the child welfare agency would take her four boys.

“When I asked for help, they wanted to separate us,” said Jackie, 39, who asked not to use her full name to protect her children’s privacy.

The agency’s warning is rooted in a nearly 40-year-old California law that allows child welfare agencies to remove children when they believe an abused parent cannot ensure their kids’ safety. Called “failure to protect,” the law is intended to safeguard kids in dangerous situations.

But the longstanding practice is facing continued scrutiny as domestic violence advocates raise concerns about the potential to further traumatize families. Meanwhile, other states with similar laws have narrowed the criteria for when a welfare agency can remove a child. Many states have “failure to protect” laws, but California’s is comparably vague, giving social workers wide latitude in deciding when to remove kids.

“I just don’t understand how ‘failure to protect’ exists, either as a fair thing or a legal principle,” said Eve Sheedy, a lawyer and expert in domestic violence policy, including as former director of LA County Domestic Violence Council.

The law puts child welfare workers in the unenviable position of deciding what is more harmful for children — the trauma of being separated from their family or the risks of witnessing more violence or even becoming a target.

And it can leave domestic violence victims feeling as if they are being punished for their partners’ abuse.

“Right now the victims are seen just like a perpetrator,” said Marie, 36, a domestic violence survivor who said the Los Angeles child welfare agency took her children from her after she was abused by her partner. The kids continue to live with their grandparents. Marie also spoke on the condition that her full name would not be published to protect the privacy of her kids.

Changing the law is difficult in part because lawmakers and social workers share a commitment to protecting children, and they worry about a shift that could endanger kids.

CalMatters spoke with four mothers who lost children because of a failure to protect order, five current and former social workers, eight domestic violence policy experts and advocates and two state lawmakers for this story.

All of them stressed that protecting children was their highest priority. Several cited two notorious murders in Los Angeles County where the welfare agency failed to remove children to underscore the hazards of allowing kids to remain in violent households. One was Gabriel Fernandez, who suffered years of gruesome torture and abuse before he was fatally beaten at age 8 in 2013 by his mother and her boyfriend. The other was Anthony Avalos, who was also tortured and abused by his mother and her boyfriend before his death at age 10 in 2018.

“In my opinion, the system really did fail those kids,” said Assemblyman Tom Lackey, a Palmdale Republican who has been a teacher and a California Highway Patrol officer.

He said he has dealt more with children who should’ve been removed from unsafe situations than with unnecessary separations from abused parents for “failure to protect.” .

No one can say how many California children are separated from family members every year under the law because neither the state nor counties collect that information. The closest estimate comes from a recent report by the UCLA Pritzker Center that showed more than half of Los Angeles County’s 38,618 foster care cases in 2020 involved domestic violence.

Jackie, the mother who was alarmed when she received a “failure to protect” warning six years ago, believes the law discourages women from reporting domestic violence.

“A lot of women don’t say anything because of fear of being separated from their kids,” she said.

Separation after abuse, drug use

Marie is soft-spoken with sparkling eyes and a gentle manner. She said as a teenager she got hooked on prescription opioids and was addicted for years. She stopped using in 2015, and within a little more than a year she graduated from college, got married and had two babies.

“It was all too much, and I started using again,” Marie said.

Marie said her ex-husband was also addicted to drugs and when he was using, he physically abused her.

First: Marie at her home in Culver City on Sept. 29, 2023. Marie lived at Community’s Child after leaving a domestic violence relationship and battling past addictions. She now owns her home and has built a new life for herself and her children. Last: Marie holds a card from one of her kids at her home in Culver City. The card reads, “Thank you for being a very good mom. You been thru [sic] a lot but you are still the beast [sic] mom in the world.” Photos by Alisha Jucevic for CalMatters

The Department of Children and Family Services removed Marie’s kids for failure to protect due to domestic violence and substance abuse. At ages 1 and 2, the kids had about a one-week stay in a group home. The children were adopted by Marie’s parents within six months of opening her case. Adoption typically takes a year or more.

She pulled herself out of addiction after she became pregnant again and didn’t want to lose custody of a third child. She entered a substance abuse program in 2017. Next, she and her 2-month-old infant entered Community’s Child, a shelter and development program for homeless single mothers “motivated to achieve self-sufficiency.” Marie now owns her own home and works full-time in the medical field.

She and her ex-husband have made peace and co-parent all three children, though the two older kids still live with Marie’s parents. Marie said the kids were very young during the violence and don’t remember it, but she is still traumatized by the separation.

“I wasn’t able to heal in the six months that they gave me,” Marie said. “My family would’ve been a lot different if we had more time.”

Marie’s circumstances are not unusual. One-quarter to one-half of domestic violence cases occur with other problems, such as parental substance abuse or mental illness, intergenerational trauma or unemployment, among other stressors.

Her story illustrates the difficult choices social workers face every day.

Risk of staying and the risk of removal

The Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services is the largest child welfare agency in the world, with a budget of nearly $2.8 billion and oversight of more than 25,000 children annually. In 2022, 90% of the kids were 18 and younger and more than two-thirds were Black or Hispanic.

If a social worker makes the wrong call children can pay the price with their health or their lives.

Two former child welfare social workers said they felt supported by their agency, but deciding when a child was at risk of harm felt like their responsibility, which was difficult and emotionally exhausting.

“Child welfare is a judgment-based system. It is human-driven and based upon sticky, personal family dynamic facts,” said Brandon Hicks, director of the Department of Children and Family Services, Los Angeles County’s child protection agency..

In U.S. households with domestic violence, 30 percent to 60 percent also have child maltreatment, including physical abuse or neglect. In 2020, 1,750 children died from abuse or neglect in the United States.

Dr. Kelly Callahan, director of the Kids In the Dependency System clinic at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, said children who witness domestic violence often have psychological or emotional problems.

“Children who have witnessed violence between their caretakers can have PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), nightmares, sleep problems, school difficulties and more. They react the same way as children who have been abused,” said Callahan.

Because of such harm, proponents of “failure to protect” laws say they’re needed for children’s safety.

The library and counseling room at Community’s Child in Lomita on Sept. 29, 2023. Community’s Child is a shelter and resource program that provides supplies, food and housing for women and infants who are struggling with homelessness, addiction and poverty. Photo by Alisha Jucevic for CalMatters

But separation from a parent can be equally devastating for children. Adverse childhood experiences, such as abuse or witnessing violence, contribute to poor mental and physical health well into adulthood, including risk for early death. A safe, secure relationship with a caring adult, such as the non-offending parent, can build resiliency for a traumatized child.

“The courts will often say, ‘We know that being exposed to violence in the home alters a child’s brain chemistry and we’re going to remove this child and place them in foster care,” said Emily Berger, a lawyer for Los Angeles Dependency Lawyers, a nonprofit consortium of court-appointed lawyers who defend parents involved in dependency court.

“But what we’ve found, and science backs up, is that being removed from your community, your family of origin and your primary caregiver has such a tremendous impact upon a child’s healthy brain development and ability to form attachments,” she said.

Evolution of ‘failure to protect’

The original “failure-to-protect” laws emerged in the 1960s in response to reports of child physical abuse. Under the laws, if a caregiver knew a child was being abused and didn’t report it, that caregiver could be prosecuted the same as the abuser.

California’s failure to protect law falls under a welfare code that states children can become dependents of the court if “the child has suffered or there is a substantial risk that the child will suffer, serious physical harm inflicted non-accidentally upon the child by the child’s parent or guardian.”

Listed among the criteria for substantial risk is “the failure or inability of the child’s parent or guardian to adequately supervise or protect the child.”

Neglect is the leading cause for children to be placed under the courts’ jurisdiction. Failure to protect is often considered as neglect or emotional abuse in the child welfare and justice systems, including when it’s related to domestic violence.

As of 2015, 48 states and four U.S. territories had “failure to protect” laws: Maryland, Wyoming and Puerto Rico did not. The statutes designate the crimes as misdemeanors, or felonies. In California, neglect is usually charged as a misdemeanor.

Failure to protect charges can lead to life sentences for parents in six states — Oklahoma, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, South Carolina and West Virginia. In Texas, the maximum penalty is 99 years. For some non-offending parents, the penalties have been more severe than for the abuser.

Some states, such as New York and Washington, have moved in the opposite direction to protect the rights of abuse victims. The New York Court of Appeals in 2004 ruled that witnessing domestic violence did not constitute neglect and couldn’t be the sole basis for removing children from the non-offending parent.

State Sen. Susan Rubio, a Democrat from West Covina, two years ago carried a bill that would have compelled Califronia to study domestic violence in the child welfare system. She told her colleagues at the time the law “fails to recognize” the trauma of a parent “who is a domestic violence survivor.” The bill did not reach Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Would changing domestic violence law matter?

Despite Rubio’s setback, some advocates for domestic violence victims outside of the Capitol are building a case to change California’s law.

The Pritzker Center report calls for California to consider legislative reforms similar to the ruling from the New York Court of Appeals. The report also calls for better training in the complexities of family violence for all child welfare workers, court officers and such mandated reporters as teachers and coaches.

“I think we could have legislation that said being victimized by domestic violence is not sufficient basis for charging neglect,” said Sheedy, the former director of LA County Domestic Violence Council.

This would be similar to California laws prohibiting the use of poverty or homelessness as the sole basis for removal of a child.

But others are urging more modest changes even as they express misgivings with the current policy. They worry about rescinding a policy intended to protect a child.

“There are definite concerns with ‘failure to protect’ and how it’s being used — it’s being used as a stick,” said Julie McCormick, a lawyer with the Children’s Law Center, a nonprofit legal organization that represents children in the dependency system.

But, she said, “I wouldn’t say CLC (Children’s Law Center) has the stance that it should be gone. It’s too nuanced to do something blanket. I think that’s why it’s so hard to come up with legislation.”

The California Partnership to End Domestic Violence also has looked at the failure to protect law. It isn’t calling for significant changes.

“It’s an issue we’ve tried to look at a couple of ways, but what makes sense statewide is tricky,” said Krista Colon, the partnership’s director.

Ending generations of domestic violence

Jackie, the mother of four boys who was frightened by the warning that she could lose her kids, became an advocate for domestic violence victims after her experience. She is now a parent-partner with the Los Angeles Defense Lawyers and helps other parents navigate the system.

Her sons are now 18, 13, 12 and 7. She is stylish and engaging with a ready smile, but she harbors deep trauma. She lived with an abusive partner, the father of her three younger boys, for 10 years.

Jackie at her office in Monterey Park on Sept. 29, 2023. Jackie is a domestic violence survivor and is now a family advocate for Los Angeles Defense Lawyers. Photo by Alisha Jucevic for CalMatters

“At first he was the perfect guy,” said Jackie, “Then I moved in with him and little things started happening, like yelling and pushing me.”

She grew up with domestic violence in a large, multi-generational Latino household. When her ex-partner became abusive, she thought it was normal. Her grandmother told Jackie she had “to stay. Hispanic men are just like that.”

Raphael, Jackie’s oldest son, said he remembers being afraid during the fighting, but as the big brother he had to be strong to protect his siblings.

Jackie called 12 shelters before she found one that would take her and her sons. Most shelters don’t accept boys older than 8. Raphael was 11, so he went to live with his biological father.

“My dad told me my mom and my brothers were in the shelter. I didn’t know what that meant, and it really scared me,” Raphael said, “It was really tough because I missed my brothers.”

Although the boys weren’t taken, child welfare’s threat to do so was devastating.

“It was drastic and traumatizing,” said Jackie.

Yet, she said, calling child welfare saved her life.

“When I was living through it, I thought I was doing what I needed to do to protect my kids,” said Jackie.

Most abused mothers do.

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This article was produced as a project for the USC Annenberg Center for HealthJournalism’s 2023 Domestic Violence Impact Fund

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

Diane Lehman (Granny) was born on August 22, 1937, to Gordon and Kitty Lou Estes. They named her Willa Diane, but she hated the name Willa and refused to use it or answer anyone who called her that. Growing up, she moved all over the western United States, but considered Casper, Wyoming the closest thing to a hometown. She attended many elementary and high schools, graduating from high school in Bakersfield. She attended UCLA where she met and married Syd Lehman.

In 1963 they had the opportunity to move to Garberville, when Syd’s uncle bought the Benbow Inn. They lived in five different houses before they bought the house on Pacific Avenue in Redway. Diane would say all she had to do to get a rental house to sell was to move in, paint all the rooms and put-up curtains.

Diane had many careers; she worked at Bistrin’s, waited tables at Tarantino’s, checked groceries at Lewis’ Quality Foods, taught school, was a dental assistant, and an antique dealer.

Diane contributed to her community. Many people and their children took swimming lessons from her at Benbow Lake. She oversaw the Rodeo Parade for almost two decades. She passed out toothbrushes along with candy on Halloween. She was a member of Soroptimist International and later Rotary. She volunteered for the Chamber of Commerce. She was a member of the Humboldt County Grand Jury Association; the video they made is still shown to potential jurors. Diane really felt she and Syd had found their place and wanted to contribute anything they could.

Diane passed away on November 25. She is survived by her three children: Brooke Epperly, Craig Lehman, and Blake Lehman. Grandchildren: Ryan and Colleen Epperly; Kyle, Ashley, Carly, and Cale Lehman; and Isaac and Parker Lehman. Great-grandchildren: Adian Ayers and Truen Dalton. Nephews and nieces: Shannon and Cindy Johnson; Mike and Linda Johnson; and Sherry Johnson. In-laws Doug Epperly, Karen Lehman, Kelly Lehman and Joe Dill and his children Lonnie and Tracy.

She is proceeded in death by her parents, Gordon and Kitty Lou Estes; sister, Cora Lou (Corky) Johnson Dill; grandson, Sean Epperly; nephew, Patrick Johnson; and her partner in all things, Syd Lehman.

A celebration of Diane’s life will be held at a later time.

Bill Barton passed away peacefully at 1:17 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 2023, in his sleep in the company of family and friends at his Westgate home in Eureka. Bill was 89 years old.

Harold and Edna Barton, Bill’s father and mother, were presented with a fine-looking baby boy at the hospital in Saranac Lake, New York on October 14, 1934. This made the family complete, along with Bill’s older brother, Harold A. Barton (Pudge). Bill (Buzzy) enjoyed school and graduated from Rainier High School in Rainier, Oregon, in 1952.

In 1952, Bill’s father and mother persuaded him to enroll in the Oregon Institute of Technology, located in Klamath Falls, Oregon. During the next two years he excelled in boiler operation and heavy machinery repair. That became his hallmark. He was prepared for service. Seventy years later he returned to Oregon Tech as an honorary “Gold Owl” alumni for graduation.

Bill served in the Coast Guard from 1954 to 1958, and during that time he serviced the St. George Light House and was assigned for two years to Coast Guard Buoytender/Icebreaker Bulsam WLB-62 on the US West Coast and in the Arctic.

Bill met Ann Sherman at a dance in the Loleta Fireman’s Hall and they were married shortly thereafter. Bill and Ann were married for 41 years when she passed away in 1998. Bill met Betty Mowrey in 1999 and they were married for 18 years. Betty passed in 2017.

Bill worked as a rock crusher for the Columbia County Road Department in 1951, and then was assigned to Bizzard Matthews, Eureka in 1964. He then moved on to the Arcata City Motor Pool and later that year began to work for the State Division of Highways in Garberville. He assumed the position of head mechanic until retiring in 1995.

After retirement Bill volunteered for a number of years in the rebuilding of the St. George Reef Lighthouse off the coast of Crescent City.

Bill was a passionate Liberal. He was a regular reader of a number of local, regional and national newspapers. He was able to keep track of all of the issues, easily able to recall political players by name, home state and political affiliation. At one point Bill had as his “outgoing voicemail” message “…Bill Barton, the Liberal By The Bay”.

In retirement, Bill established the Barton & Caruso Winery in Eureka, specializing in Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot varietals. As a vintner, he prided himself on a special clientele. Bill never sold the grape, but only gifted the wine to family, friends and the Eureka Elks Lodge #652. His wine became a symbol of his love for new and old acquaintances alike.

Bill leaves behind two stepsons, Mark Mowrey (Fortuna) and Dan Mowrey (Redding), brother Harold A. Barton (South Pasadena), step grandson Donald Mowrey (Lansing, Michigan), cousin Duane Bernard (Oregon), and sister-in-law Jane Sherman Frasher (Arcata). Preceding Bill in death are first wife Ann Sherman Barton and 2nd wife Betty Mowrey Barton, stepdaughter in law Linda Mowrey and grand stepson James Mowrey. Close surviving friends include Debo Lowe, LeAnne Morini, Collin Jackson, June Johnson, Jack & Linda Pearsson, Ollie & Alicia Pearsson, Howard & Karen Ritter, Tom Pederson, Jeff Coontz, Lonnie & Maureen Arney, Hank & Mitzi Beck, Bob & Cheryl Holt, Dave & Marie Eberhardt, Keith & Wendy Caruso and family and his many friends at the Eureka Elks Lodge and the Redwood Roamer RV Group.

For 21 years he was a member in good standing with the Eureka Elks and during that time helped establish the Redwood Roamers. He was an advocate of Elkdom serving on the House Committee and in the dining services.

Bill started working at the age of 16 and retired 46 years later, in his 62nd year. He was a workaholic and was devoted to anything mechanical. May his life story be a blessing to his family and many friends.

Bill’s family would like to thank his personal caregivers during his final few months, June Johnson, Alicia and Ollie Pearsson and Rhonda Taylor.

Memorial donations can be made in Bills name to St. George Reef Lighthouse at https://www.saintgeorgereeflight.org/

A memorial service will be held at the Elks Lodge, 445 Herrick Ave, Eureka on January 13, 2024, from 1 to 4 p.m.

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Facing ongoing budgetary constraints and a dwindling pot of discretionary money from Measure Z, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to cut funding for the county’s Mobile Intervention Services Team (MIST), which serves homeless people experiencing mental health crises, to maintain essential county services. 

Measure Z, the county’s half-percent sales tax intended to maintain and enhance public safety and essential services, currently funds 83 county staff positions and provides money to some outside agencies, including local fire departments. Those funds have dried up in recent years due to a reduction in economic activity across the county, cutting millions of dollars from the county’s projected income.

Back in June, the board formed an ad hoc subcommittee, comprised of Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell and Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson, to come up with a “percentage-based allocation methodology for Measure Z revenues” to reduce county allocations to “no more than 80 percent of ongoing funding (70 percent of all available funding)” by Fiscal Year 2026-27. 

“The ad hoc met several times since its formation and struggled with the decision to cut county allocations … or to by default cut allocations to outside agencies,” the staff report states. “Ultimately, the ad hoc was not able to develop an option that meets the goal set forth by the board … .”

The ad hoc subcommittee came up with three options to address the Measure Z fund’s dwindling balance:

• Option 1 would retain all of the 83 county positions currently allocated to Measure Z – including eight of the 16 new positions allocated in Fiscal Year 2022-23 – but cap funding for larger county departments, such as the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. Specifically, this option would have deallocated funding for the Public Works Department’s brush-cutting crew, forcing the department to seek funding through a potential road tax. This option would have also cut funding for the Department of Health and Human Services’ (DHHS) MIST program beginning in FY 2025-26.
• Option 2 would take the first scenario one step further by cutting funding for MIST at the end of the current fiscal year, reducing Measure Z-allocated positions from 83 to 79.
• Option 3 would maintain the status quo.

(A more detailed description of each of option can be found in the staff report at this link.)

Deputy County Administrative Officer Sean Quincey noted that the four MIST positions that would be cut under Option 2 represent approximately $425,000 in Measure Z expenses in FY 2024-25, and up to $468,000 by FY 2026-27.

First District Supervisor Rex Bohn asked if staff had looked into alternative funding opportunities for MIST. “There always seems to be other funding, especially on the state and federal side,” he said. “Is there anything we can do to push that envelope so we can get those kinds of grants?”

Staff has discussed the issue with DHHS Director Connie Beck and Sheriff William Honsal, Quincey said, but they have yet to identify a new funding source. “That’s part of the reason for the recommendation to fund those positions for a couple of years while they go and continue seeking funding that could replace that program or find some different methods to deliver those services,” he added.

Beck jumped in via Zoom and said she has been looking into the county’s benefits provided by CalAIM (California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal) which will be available in January. 

“But because we just did the cut over to CalAIM, I would like to ask that we continue funding the MIST program through June 30, 2024,” she said. “Just know that you don’t have to direct us to look for other funding. We’ve been searching for other funding and know that Measure Z is important to the community and others. We do the best we can to fund our own programs without Measures Z or others.”

Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo advocated for MIST, noting that “it is an incredibly important program.” She felt the alternative revenue streams looked “very promising” but said, “I do think it’s really critical that we ensure that that program doesn’t go away.”

Turning to the issue of brush control, Fifth District Supervisor and Board Chair Steve Madrone said he gets more calls about brush along the side of the road than he does about potholes. 

Madrone

“Even with this road crew … it still presents lots of hazards,” Madrone said. “Given our lack of funding for our roads as a whole, I would really love to think about other ways to raise revenues for vegetation maintenance, rather than taking it away from whatever road tax we might pass in November, which we don’t know where the voters are gonna go with such a thing.”

Public Works Director Tom Mattson expressed concern for “telling people we’re spending their ballot measure money before we even have a ballot measure passed.” 

Mattson asked the board to continue funding the brush-cutting crew for the time being, noting that the county has “already leveraged hundreds of thousands of dollars of CalFire money” on the program. 

“They are really focused on, not just the roadside vegetation, but also fire hazard reduction [and] helping communities save themselves,” he said. “My plea here today is to keep these in Measure Z and [to] not put this on the table for discussion. … I cannot afford these positions right now on the road crew.”

Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal called in to advocate for the sheriff’s office as well, but a poor phone connection made it nearly impossible for the board to hear what he was saying.

Regina Fuller, finance director for the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, spoke on his behalf during public comment. She urged the board to maintain the status quo (Option 3), noting that the sheriff’s office is already struggling to fund some of its existing positions. 

“I would like to remind you that in this current fiscal year, the sheriff’s office’s Measure Z funding allocation was not sufficient to cover the operations of the Willow Creek station, which has historically been funded by Measure Z since 2017, as well as two law enforcement positions for a total of $405,000,” Fuller said. “To avoid closing the station and laying off the two employees, your board granted the sheriff’s office one-time funding from the general fund.”

To fully fund all of the Sheriff’s Office’s allocated positions, including “essential” deputy overtime, the county would need to put up another $660,000. “I know it’s believed that larger departments have the ability to take care of these shortages with vacancies. Our office has been doing that for over four years now and we have nothing left to give,” she said. 

Bushnell

Bushnell expressed concern for the sheriff’s office as well but emphasized that the “status quo does not leave any money for fire” service. She advocated for dedicated funding for local fire districts, noting that “they don’t have a set amount of money that they get, so they’re not able to apply for grants or match grants because they always have to apply for the funding.” 

Wilson advocated for local fire districts as well, noting that volunteer fire departments are often the first to respond to emergencies, especially in rural communities.

“It’s true the sheriff’s office is stretched thin by budget and personnel [but] we’re not the only place that’s like that,” he said. “There’s just so much that the community relies on with relationship to that volunteer network, and I want to make sure that we do what we can to keep that network alive and thriving. I think it’s also beneficial to the sheriff’s department. I mean, they need those people there to be to supplement and help law enforcement.”

Lon Winburn, the Fire Chief Association representative for the Measure Z Citizens Advisory Committee, reminded the board of the critical need for emergency services funding that led to the creation of Measure Z.

“I think that the voters, you know, saw the need and I think they supported the need,” he said during public comment. “I just hope that you will keep that in mind as you move forward with these decisions. I know we’re not a county entity, I get it. You’re not responsible for fire [services]. I get that too. But we’ve always had a great partnership. And I’d really, really like to see that continue.”

Also speaking during public comment, Glenn Ziemer, former chair of the Measure Z Citizens Advisory Committee, criticized the Board of Supervisors for failing to listen to the committee’s recommendations over the years. 

Ziemer

“The staff response to our committee and our report was that we were being overly alarmist,” he said. “The reality was that the significant salary increases and the resulting increases in benefit costs was accelerating the rate at which the county was dominating the [Measure Z] fund and the county share cost was outpacing any growth in the fund revenue. The straw that broke the camel’s back was the board’s stunningly short-sighted decision last year to use a one-time funding windfall to create a range of new county positions that will result in even higher ongoing county expenditures from the fund.”

Ziemer asked the board to eliminate the county positions that were created last year and to eliminate the 22 vacant Measure Z-funded positions previously identified by the CAO’s Office.

“Elimination of a significant portion of these vacancies can begin to restore some balance to the fund,” he said. “The board also needs to establish a hard cap on the county share of the fund expenditure. I have no doubt this will seem to be a radical proposal from your perspective, [but] nothing less will address the problem the fund is experiencing.”

After two hours of deliberation on the matter, Bohn somewhat reluctantly made a motion to approve Option Two, to deallocate funding for MIST. Bushnell offered a second.

Arroyo said she would support the action, but emphasized the importance of the program.

The motion passed 5-0.

The board came up with a second motion to revisit the subject in January and discuss the future of the Measure Z Citizens Advisory Committee’s role going forward. The motion passed 4-0, with Bohn absent due to a previous engagement.

Upcoming Board Appointments

Bohn

The end of the year comes with several housekeeping items for our Board of Supervisors, including the appointment of board chair and vice-chair for the new calendar year. In keeping with the board’s tradition of having its vice-chair succeed the current chair of the board, Bohn was appointed to the position of board chair and Bushnell to vice-chair.

The board also went over list of appointments to various other boards, commissions and committees for 2024. This process can be a little touchy, as some board members become quite attached to their assignments and are reluctant to fork over the duties to another, potentially better-suited board representative. 

The appointment process was relatively painless, but quite dull. The board spent about an hour and a half going over the list of 36 appointments and agreed to switch up a few of assignments among its members but kept most positions as is. No hurt feelings this time around!

Letter Addressing Groundfish Fisheries Closure

During the board’s review of the consent calendar, Wilson drew attention to a draft letter, brought forth by Bohn, to California Department of Fish & Wildlife Director Charlton Bonham declaring the county’s opposition to the state’s closure of the nearshore groundfish fishery earlier this year. 

The entire fishery was closed in the Northern Groundfish Management Area due to declining numbers of quillback rockfish, according to the letter. “In our view, it would have been more prudent for CDFW to isolate the nearshore closure strictly to the quillback rockfish … but allow other non-threatened rockfish to be pursued.”

“As a rural coastal community, many residents of Humboldt County are reliant on the local marine fishery for their livelihood such as charter boat owners, fishing supply stores, and seafood restaurants,” the letter states. “Sport ocean fishing is a major attractant for visitors to our community and many sectors of our economy rely on this tourism such as grocery stores, gas stations, motels, RV parks, restaurants, etc. The effect on the individual fisherman and small business owners has been and will continue to be devastating.”

Wilson said he’d support the letter but asked for it to be fact-checked before being sent. “There are just sentences in here saying we did things … and I don’t want people to misconstrue [our involvement.]”

Bohn admitted that he “basically plagiarized the hell out of” Del Norte’s letter to CDFW and said he would be fine with any changes Wilson had in mind.

The suggested modifications to the letter were approved by the board, along with the rest of its consent calendar, 5-0.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On 12/5/2023, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office received numerous telephone calls throughout the school day regarding separate threatening reports. The different reports included a male subject on campus with a gun, a male subject who placed a bomb in the back parking lot, and a male subject who was going to start shooting. The high school went on lockdown on each occasion and remained in lockdown while law enforcement conducted a protective sweep and subsequent investigation. Deputies searched the school (interior and exterior) but were unable to locate anyone with a gun and/or anybody who looked suspicious. It was determined the school was safe and the school came out of lockdown after each occasion. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for their assistance.

Similar calls indicating an active threat to McKinleyville High School were received by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday 11/28/2023 and Wednesday 11/29/2023.  Each call initiated a prompt and complete law enforcement response with a thorough canvassing of the premises, internally and externally concluding there was not an active threat.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating the source of the threat(s) and working closely with the FBI to bring safe resolution to these reported incidents.  

This investigation is ongoing and anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at 707-445-7251. 

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Press release from the City of Eureka:

Jarvis

At last night’s Council meeting, City Manager Slattery announced Chief Todd Jarvis retirement from the City of Eureka’s Police Department. Chief Jarvis will be leaving the department on January 4, 2024, two years after he started his position, originally as Interim Chief, on January 3, 2022. Manager Slattery stated, “Chief Jarvis and his wealth of experience saw our City and the Police department through a very tumultuous time in the City’s history. His forward leaning leadership during the last two years will leave a lasting legacy in Eureka.”

Manager Slattery also announced that Assistant Chief Brian Stephens will promote to the position of Chief of Police effective with Chief Jarvis’s retirement. Chief Stephens began his career at Eureka Police Department in February of 1999 as an officer. Prior to beginning his law enforcement career, Chief Stephens served 5 years in the United States Army as a Military Police Officer. For the past 25 years, Chief Stephens has worked his way through the ranks of Eureka Police Department serving as a Field Training Officer, Instructor of Defensive Tactics and Chemical Agents, and a member of the Special Weapons and Tactics team. After spending more than 4 years as a Special Agent with the Humboldt County Drug Task Force, Chief Stephens returned to EPD and promoted to Sergeant. In November of 2014, he was appointed Captain and in October of 2022 promoted to Assistant Chief.

Chief Stephens holds a California Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Management Certificate, graduated from the FBI National Academy in June of 2018 and holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. City Manager Slattery stated, “Chief Brian Stephens commitment and dedication to the community has been unwavering during his career with Eureka. I look forward to working with him as our new Chief of Police and watching him continue to move Eureka Police Department forward.”

Mayor Bergel commented “It is with a grateful heart that I to say goodbye to Chief Jarvis. I appreciate Chief Jarvis stepping in during a difficult time for our City. His forward thinking and guidance have moved our department to a new level. It is bittersweet to goodbye; however, I am so happy for our City to welcome Chief Stephens. I have worked with him on many levels and am excited to work with him in his new role as Chief. I know that he will continue to serve our community with respect and empathy as our new Chief of police. Congratulations Chief Stephens!”

The Eureka City Council will confirm the City Manager’s appointment of Brian Stephens as Chief of Police at the December 19, 2023 regular council meeting.