A soaring homeless population. A bitter battle with the oil industry over gasoline prices. A spending plan for a state with the world’s fourth-largest economy as threats of a recession hover.

There’s a lot for the California Legislature to deal with this year — and it made little headway Wednesday, its first day back at the Capitol since swearing-in a new class of members last month. The brief floor sessions in the state Senate and Assembly focused more on the dearly departed than the challenges ahead.

The slow start to the legislative session is nothing new, but it does leave plenty of time for reflection. Here are some key questions for the year to come:

What will be the Legislature’s priorities?

By the afternoon, Senate and Assembly staff reported that just two new measures had been introduced in each house. (More than 140 were already submitted last month.) With a bill introduction deadline of Feb. 17, committee hearings and votes for most proposals are still months away.

So until then, floor sessions are mostly an opportunity for lawmakers to check in — and receive their per diem, the supplemental $214 paid daily to legislators for housing and living expenses, as long as they don’t leave Sacramento more than three days at a time.

The first floor sessions on Wednesday, for example, lasted about a half hour each in the Senate and Assembly, largely taken up by speeches memorializing friends and family who had died. Assemblymember Greg Wallis, a Bermuda Dunes Republican who won his seat by 85 votes, made his inaugural appearance on the floor; his race had not yet been called in time for the ceremonial swearing-in on Dec. 5.

In an interview, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon said housing issues would remain a central focus for the Legislature this session, including accountability for the billions of the dollars that California has spent on homelessness and development programs in recent years.

“Housing is the 10,000-pound gorilla that won’t go away,” the Lakewood Democrat said.

Rendon said he would also like to build on the momentum of a sweeping package of legislation passed last year to address climate change by tackling how transportation, the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in California, contributes to the problem.

“Climate change is something we’ve been a leader on as a state,” he said. “We have to make sure we don’t fall behind again.”

How much impact will the budget deficit have?

Looming over the Legislature’s plans this year is the possibility of an economic downturn. Its fiscal and policy advisory office estimates a $24 billion budget deficit, and Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is set to unveil his preliminary spending plan next week, has also been urging caution for months.

Legislative leaders are projecting optimism about California’s ability to weather any revenue shortfalls, pointing to the tens of billions of dollars that now sit in state reserves. Sen. Nancy Skinner, a Berkeley Democrat who leads the Senate budget committee, said that while it may not be the time to create any more new programs, California’s finances are sound.

“With the type of surplus we had last year,” nearly $50 billion that was mostly directed to one-time expenditures over the next several years, Skinner said, “we have the space right now to make some adjustments to those if necessary.”

But if the economic picture grows gloomier in the months ahead, lawmakers may be forced to downsize their boldest policy ideas.

Sen. Susan Eggman, a Stockton Democrat, said this session was the right time to step back and examine whether new programs that the state has launched in recent years are working as intended.

“This session should be about a lot of oversight,” she said. “We still have ambitious packages, but we’re all very conscious of the price tags.”

What about the oil special session?

While Newsom continues to go after the oil industry — his office published a press release last week highlighting “Big Oil’s top lies” — there have been no significant developments on his “price gouging penalty” proposal since it was formally introduced a month ago.

The details of the penalty that Newsom wants to impose on oil companies for excessive profits, not to mention the special session in which the measure is being considered, remain elusive. But Rendon said the Legislature still plans to take up the issue, even as gas prices fall, likely earlier in the year when there is more time to focus on it.

“Regardless of what happens with gas prices, it’s a good opportunity to ask the questions that we’ve been wanting to ask for a while of oil companies,” he said. “Their profits are staggering.”

How will diverse Legislature affect policy?

Having the most diverse Legislature in history doesn’t mean much without that representation translating into policy.

Some new lawmakers are already making attempts to do that.

Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, a doctor and Democrat from Bakersfield, has introduced a bill that she says represents the concerns of her district: a task force to address fentanyl addiction in the Central Valley. That involves ensuring access to healthcare, addiction and rehabilitation services — and getting fentanyl off the streets, she said.

“I think the biggest reality that we see up in here in Sacramento is a failure of the Legislature to actively control our drug problem, our drug crisis,” she said. “In California, I don’t think very many people understand how bad the problem is, with exposure to things like fentanyl on the streets.”

Assemblymember Corey Jackson, the first openly gay Black legislator, said his top priorities include addressing mental health and continuing to learn lessons from the pandemic, such as the importance of childcare. The Democrat from the Riverside area introduced a bill to create an Affordable California Commission, tasked with tackling the state’s high cost of living.

“I come from a working class community. The 60th Assembly District are people who are just trying to survive every day,” he said. “And I wanted to send the message: ‘It is not okay just to survive. You deserve to thrive.’”

Jackson also plans to tackle what he expects will be a rise in racism and xenophobia ahead of the 2024 election.

“I intend to take an active role in rooting out racism, even in the very structures and even in the chambers of the state legislature itself,” he said. “Stay tuned, because there’s going to be a whole legislative package on anti-racism and systemic racism.”

Like Jackson, new state Sen. Caroline Menjivar also plans to address mental health. She has introduced a bill to prioritize more full-time counselors to Cal State campuses who can help the diverse student populations.

Public transportation and infrastructure are other key areas for her. She notes that in her San Fernando area district, it floods frequently — and typically in the areas where people of color live.

“A lot of what I speak to comes from lived experiences,” Menjivar said. “You know, when we talk about the lack of affordable housing, it’s my mom who has been on a waiting list for over five years, right. So these are issues that are personal to me.”

What’s happening with the recount?

While the November elections are largely a wrap, one seat remains contested: Democratic Sen. Melissa Hurtado’s Central Valley seat in District 16.

It was a close vote — the second closest legislative contest (based on percentages) in California history, said Alex Vassar, communications manager for the California State Library.

Hurtado, the incumbent, was sworn into office on Dec. 10 after eking out a 20-vote victory. Republican David Shepard formally requested a recount on Dec. 13.

That involves recounting ballots from Fresno, Kern, Kings and Tulare counties. Initial results from Fresno, Kern and Tulare counties showed Hurtado holding on to her seat: Shepard gained just two votes in Fresno County, two in Kings and three in Tulare.

After Shepard’s campaign requested a recount in about 20% of Kern County, Hurtado has now asked for a recount of some remaining portions. While a recount can be requested for just part of a county, a second recount can’t be requested for the same portions.

If Shepard were to pull off a win, though, it wouldn’t change anything Hurtado has done since being sworn in, Vassar said.

“She is a fully active seated member. All of her votes are being cast as a member,” he said. “Just like if someone were to resign — everything they’ve done still stands.”

###

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

David William Trutalli passed away peacefully with his family by his side on Christmas night, December 25, 2022 at Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital following complications from a heart ablation procedure he had done on his birthday five days earlier. He said the night before the procedure that this would be a very special birthday for him because everyone in the hospital confirms your identity on the day of surgery by your date of birth, so and he would be getting happy birthday wishes from everyone all day long!

David was born on December 20,1943 at General Hospital in Eureka and was on raised on his parents dairy on Sage Rd in Ferndale. In fact, he never lived more than five miles away from the Trutalli homestead as a life-long resident of Ferndale. He attended Grant Union School and as a youth he enjoyed showing guernsey cattle with FFA and running around playing with his friends Larry and Alvin and the Sage Road crowd. He loved sports, but as the son of a hard working dairy man there was no time to play organized sports when there was work to do on the dairy. Thus, the only record of his athletic prowess was when he tied Larry Miranda in the boys 6-8 year old race at the Dairyman’s Picnic. He also enjoyed being a good little brother by playing the part of flower-girl when his sister Loretta and her friend Linda Nunes would play “pretend wedding”. That prepared him for his acting career in school programs such as his role as a teddy bear in 1952’s “When Santa Comes to Town” and his starring role as the off-stage voice in 1954’s “The Shoemaker’s Guest”. I’m sure he would say the only reason he was the off-stage voice was because he didn’t want his good looks to upstage everyone else in the play. Ironically, at that same school Christmas program he participated in a choral recitation of the poem “On December Twenty-fifth.” Little did eleven year old David know about the foreshadowing that day and the gravity of what would transpire 68 years later “on December 25th.”

David learned early on in life growing up on the dairy about the meaning of an honest days work, paying attention to detail, and being dedicated. After all, cows don’t go on vacation and child labor laws don’t apply when your employer is your father. He also learned about accountability and following the rules. He was once suspended from school for a day (no, it wasn’t a felony) and instead of getting mad at him, his dad Willy wrung his hands smiling saying “that’s great, there’s lots of work do.” After he completed his sentence of hard labor he vowed to never break the rules and miss school again.

David worked as a dairyman until the age of 30 when he decided to pave his own path in life and leave the family business to start David Trutalli Gravel trucking company. And pave it he did, with river rock or even better was the hill gravel that had the clay in it and compacted down so nicely for the roads and lanes for the dairymen. He brought his hard work ethic, accountability and attention to detail to his own business which also allowed him to do what he enjoyed doing, which was helping people. He knew what it was like working on the dairy, so when someone needed a load of gravel in front of the watering troughs or a lane re-coated in gravel before the storm arrived he would make sure the job got done, and it was always done well. You should of seen him spread a load of gravel on a lane. It was perfectly placed, just the right depth and even the entire way. You wouldn’t believe he “dumped” it that way straight out of the truck unless you saw him do it yourself. He was a perfectionist and never cut corners, right down to washing the truck after each and every day no matter how tired he was. I remember when he sold his first dump truck. A friend called me to ask if David was okay or if he sold his truck because he saw it driving in town and it was all dirty, so they knew either something was wrong or he didn’t own it anymore. David loved what he did for a living, and didn’t know if he could retire because he felt it was his work that kept him going. After all, he was always his best employee. That is until Dale came around and became his best employee and allowed David to transition into retirement, albeit for only one year.

But life wasn’t all work and no play. He loved watching his Warriors and Cowboys, flying to SF Giants games with Jim Smith in his Cessna, and the times he felt like a celebrity sitting near courtside watching the Sacramento Kings play thanks to tickets he got from Frank Leonardo. He loved riding his motorcycles and took care of them like his children, even storing them in a humidity controlled bubble and polished to mint condition. Thankfully he got a chance to live out a dream ride when he rode to Sturgis with his friends Dennis, Corey and Mark. However, there was one dream he had that wasn’t fulfilled He fell in love with flying and wanted to get his pilots license. He started taking lessons and shortly there after found out he would never be able to pass the flight physical due to his past health issues and surgeries and stopped his lessons. I would joke with him that he went to Al-Quida flight school because he was trained on how to take off but never learned how to land.

David was witty, smart, thoughtful, compassionate and just an all around great guy. If you knew David, then you knew it would be hard to find a better friend. A friend that would go out of his way to help, to be there in times of need, a friend for life. He would drive hours to visit a friend in the hospital out of town like Blackie or Craig Jacobs. When he would drive to southern California to visit his son he would plan to visit special friends that had moved away. He shared how much it meant to him to visit with Walt Jacobs not long ago and just recently with Jerry Gonsalves. He would volunteer his time and efforts when someone was in need like the time he helped a grieving friend retrieve his sons car that went over the Centerville bluff after a tragic fatal accident. And when the government started issuing stimulus checks he gave his away to someone he knew was in need. He would help someone that he knew was in financial need, without them asking for help and not for recognition. It was anonymous and because he truly cared.

But most of all, David loved his family. When he found out he still had living relatives in Italy he and his sister set up a family trip to go meet them. He was even able to track down the sausage he enjoyed making with his friends over the years when it was served for breakfast at the hotel in Sondrio and it tasted just like home. He shared how special it was to get to spend more time with his sister Loretta recently as life started to slow down for him. He always looked forward to seeing his nieces, nephew and cousins. He was a great Dad, a proud grandfather and a caring husband. He was a role model for all of us on how to live your life the right way without regrets.

He is survived by his wife Sandy Trutalli; his sister Loretta Alexandre; his son Darin Trutalli and grandchildren Natalie and James Trutalli ; stepchildren Randi Cacciola and her husband Ray and Jerilyn Rotherham; step grandaughter Tia Fereira, husband Larry and children Paiden, Cooper and Weston, and step grandson Tyler Rotherham; his aunt Elaine Lopes; a nephew and his wife Blake and Stephanie Alexandre; nieces Renae Alameda and Kristina Saltekoff and her husband Will; cousins Robert (Diana), Leo, Bonita, Debra and Linda; great-nephews Joseph Alexandre and his wife Alexa and baby Brylynn, Christian Alexandre and his wife Callie with children Canaan and Callahan, Dalton Alexandre, and Justin Lewis; great-nieces Makenzie Alameda, Vanessa Nunes and her husband Justin and baby Jora, and Savanna Alexandre; and his first wife and mother of his child Shaaron Cardoza.

David was preceded in death by his parents William Trutalli and Mary Silveira; uncles Aldo Trutalli and Manuel Soares Jr.; aunts Gena Angellini and her husband Ezio, Rose Sepulveda and her husband Carl, and Sarafina Soares; cousin Carol Jackson; brother-in-law “Papa Joe” Alexandre; and great-nephews Jace and Hunter Alameda.

Friends are invited to attend visitation at Gobles Fortuna Mortuary on Friday January 6, 2022 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friends are also invited to attend a memorial service at the Assumption Catholic Church in Ferndale on Saturday January 7, 2022 at 12 p.m. Father Mario Laguros will be the celebrant. A celebration of life will be held immediately following the service at the Church hall.

Interment will be at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Ferndale. Casket bearers will be Darin Trutalli, James Trutalli, Blake Alexandre, Joseph Alexandre, Christian Alexandre and Dalton Alexandre. Honorary bearers will be Ray Cacciola, Tyler Rotherham, Glen Martela, Dale Dunn, Darrel Polasek, Jerry Gonsalves, Steven Booth, Dennis DelBiaggio and Leland Rock.

Arrangements are under the direction of Gobles Fortuna Mortuary.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Ferndale Volunteer Fire Department or a favorite charity. However, memorial contributions of salami may be made to his son, Darin!

###

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

Long-time Humboldt area resident Peter McArdle passed away on October 27, 2022.

Born in Los Angeles in 1949, Peter came to the North Coast area in the 1970s to study at Humboldt State and decided to make the area his home. He worked for the Postal Service for 22 years before retiring in 2011.

A master craftsman, Peter enjoyed remodeling his McKinleyville home and maintaining his immaculately landscaped yard. He enjoyed daily walks on Moonstone Beach with his beloved dog, Sheila, and cherished his time with his extended family and friends. Peter will be sorely missed by all.

Along with siblings Chris, Pati and Joe, he is survived by son, Ryan McArdle, daughter-in-law Wachiraphon “Tik” McArdle and granddaughter, Kendra McArdle.

A celebration of life will take place locally around the end of June or beginning of July 2023.

###

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

###

The Eureka City Council convened for its first meeting of the year on Tuesday evening. Although it was a relatively light agenda with few action items, the council had the chance to explore some interesting topics, including “fishutopias,” the community benefits of participatory budgeting and the possibility of decriminalizing “natural” psychedelics.

Let’s take a look!

First Slough Fish Passage and Preservation Connectivity Project

Wouldn’t it be nice if our local fish populations had some more habitat to enjoy around Eureka? Fewer barriers and some big fish-friendly culverts to swim through, perhaps? City staff unveiled a project proposal on Tuesday night that would do just that.

The First Slough Fish Passage and Preservation Connectivity Project is a big restoration project that would remove barriers to fish passage along the First Slough, a tributary finger of the Eureka Slough, and allow fish to migrate through Cooper Gulch and upstream to the Eureka High School campus.

If you recall, the city installed a big fish-friendly culvert underneath Myrtle Avenue in 2019. This project furthers that effort to include the Cooper Gulch habitat area and additional barriers beneath Fourteenth, M and N streets in Ross Park neighborhoods. The existing culverts at Fourteenth Street and M Street would be replaced, whereas the existing culvert at the N Street crossing would be removed entirely.

Hilton | Screenshot

“By removing these barriers, we will be creating an additional one mile of anadromous habitat within the City of Eureka, which is targeting non-natal coho salmon and other anadromous species that are really imperiled state and federally listed endangered species,” said Andrea Hilton, environmental scientist and planner for GHD Group. “There’s this critical ecotone where the brackish waters coming up from Eureka Slough through lower First Slough mix with the freshwater habitat, and that’s like ‘fishutopia’ for little juvenile salmonids.”

Typically, the city would have to go through the CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) process for such a project. However, because the project is focused exclusively on restoration, it is statutorily exempt in accordance with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) Statutory Exemption for Restoration Projects (SERP) process. Part of that process, Allen said, is meeting with local governmental agencies, tribes and stakeholders.

“This project enjoys a wide variety of support from state and federal agencies,” Allen continued. “We’ve received letters of support from Assemblymember Jim Wood, Senator [Mike] McGuire, Congressman Jared Huffman, Senator Alex Padilla, [CDFW], former county supervisor Virginia Bass-Jackson and Cooper Gulch Common Ground, which is a local neighborhood group. … We’re actively working with the city to seek approximately $5 million in construction funds to implement this project.”

During public comment, Eureka resident Joan Carpenter offered her support for the project and emphasized the “wonderful and underappreciated natural resource values” of the proposed project area.

“Based on some study I did of watersheds in Humboldt Bay, it’s also probably habitat not only for the [salmonids] but for the lamprey, which were an important traditional food source. So you might want to add that to the plus side of the project because Lampreys are often overlooked.”

Carpenter also suggested the city “take on a more holistic management plan of the watershed” to address some of the environmental degradation and hazardous waste associated with encampments throughout the project area.

Councilmember Leslie Castellano, likewise, expressed her enthusiastic support for the project.

“I want to thank Director [Brian] Gerving for really thinking ahead when we did have that big construction on Myrtle and that we were able to restore the habit there because this wouldn’t be possible if that wasn’t done,” she said. “Also, I’m really excited about sloughs! It would be neat to have something like ‘Slough Days’ or, maybe that’s not the best, but it’s something to think about.”

The council did not vote on the item.

Participatory Budgeting

The results of the city’s first participatory budgeting process are in, folks!

For the last few months, a group of 25 community members has worked with the City of Eureka to determine how the city should spend a $75,000 chunk of this year’s budget to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods. The top five projects selected focus on traffic safety and alternative housing.

The bulk of the funding – $45,000 – will go toward rental and utility assistance for folks in need. Those funds are expected to roll out sometime next month. The remaining $30,000 will be divvied up as follows:

• $10,000 will go toward the creation of a tiny home village and/or a city-sanctioned encampment for people experiencing homelessness. The city hopes to get the ball rolling sometime in May.
• $10,000 for RFFBs, or Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons, to improve traffic safety at California and Wabash streets. The RFFB will be installed sometime in March.
• $10,000 for an intersection mural at X and West Fourth Street Summer and 14th streets. The city still has to find an artist to paint the mural and acquire supplies, but it should be underway in June. [My fault. —Ed.]

“We did learn a lot through this process,” said City Manager Miles Slattery. “If this happens to go through their next strategic visioning and this becomes a priority for counsel and we want to do this again we definitely took notes and have an understanding of some of the areas where we could have improved. Obviously, more participation is what we’d like to get out of this.”

The council unanimously approved the $75,000 funding allocation in a 4-0 vote, with Moulton absent.

Lundbar Hills Development Project

The council also considered a request to extend a development agreement for the​​ Lundbar Hills Subdivision at the south end of town, near the golf course. The development agreement concerns “Southwood Unit No. 6” of the subdivision which is set to expire next month. 

“The application … was conditionally approved in 2007 to subdivide 19 relatively flat hilltop acres into 56 new lots ranging in size from 6,500 to 49,000 square feet with the remainder parcel retaining 8.5 acres,” said principal planner Cristin Kenyon. “Since 2016, the city has issued two statutory exemptions, the most recent of which was approved in 2021 for a one-year extension that’s set to expire on February 20 of this year. … The development agreement is proposed to extend the life of the approved subdivision map another 10 years.”

Castellano asked why the development had not taken place within the allotted time frame. Property owner Will Burnam said it was a matter of weighing “investment and economic risk” as another recession looms ahead. Burnam also acknowledged the recent passing of his father who initiated the Lundbar Hills Subdivision development over fifty years ago. 

“This particular project, in today’s dollars, would be in excess of $4 million,” he said. “What do I get by making the investment and taking the economic risk? … It’s scary right now. We’d like to get some advantage with all the good things we see in the near future with offshore wind, Cal Poly Humboldt and the Nordic fish farm. … It just comes down to that.”

After a brief conversation, the council ultimately approved the introductory item in a unanimous 4-0 vote, with Councilmember Kati Moulton absent. The development agreement will come back to the council for further discussion in the near future.

SB 58: Decriminalizing Psychedelics

While discussing recent legislative actions at the state level, Bauer asked if the council would consider supporting Senate Bill 58, which seeks to decriminalize the possession and personal use of certain psychedelic drugs, including psilocybin, psilocin, Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), mescaline (excluding peyote) and ibogaine.

Several California cities have already decriminalized “natural” psychedelics, including Oakland, San Francisco and Santa Cruz. Similarly, the Arcata City Council voted to decriminalize the use of entheogenic plants and fungi in the city in October 2021.

“I feel like it’s important to consider this, to support it, and I say that thinking about the [veterans] out there in our community,” he said. “There are a million studies that show that the use of these substances in a controlled setting helps people with [post-traumatic stress disorder]. Not just vets, but terminally ill cancer patients.”

Bauer emphasized the need to help people that aren’t having success with other treatment methods. “I think about a colleague of mine who committed suicide and he was on a prescription medication and I think he saw no other way out,” he continued. “I’ve heard about this before, that it can help people rewire their brains and give them another opportunity, a different life.”

The bill was introduced last year but did not make it through the Senate. It is currently held up in the Senate Rules Committee.

City attorney Autumn Luna suggested the council revisit the subject at a future council meeting. The council offered three thumbs-ups in agreement.

###

The council also received a rundown on the fourth installment of the city’s Coastal Land Use Plan, which focused on the “Coastal Core Area.” The council still has three additional chapters to review before reviewing the draft plan in its entirety.

###

You can find a recording of Tuesday’s meeting here.

PREVIOUSLY:

• Boil-Water Notice Issued for Much of Mitchell Road and the Surrounding Area, Says Humboldt CSD

###

Press release from the Humboldt Community Services District:

On January 1, 2023, the Humboldt Community Services District (HCSD) experienced a main break in the Mitchell Road area that may have allowed storm water to enter our distribution system. As a result, and out of an abundance of caution, you were notified of the need to boil/disinfect all tap water used for drinking and cooking purposes.

The Humboldt Community Services District Water System in conjunction with the State Water Resources Control Board, has determined that the water is safe to drink, through comprehensive testing of the water quality. Again, your water is safe to drink.

It is no longer necessary to boil your tap water or for you to consume bottled water.

PREVIOUSLY:

• (PHOTOS) Early Morning Fire Erupts in Vacant Eureka House

###

Press release from Humboldt Bay Fire:

At 0647 Wednesday morning, January 4, 2023, Humboldt Bay Fire units including 3 engines, a ladder truck, and two duty chiefs, were dispatched to a structure fire in a residential structure at 2135 California Street in Eureka.

The first arriving unit was quickly on scene and reported a working fire in a single-story vacant residence with earthquake damage from 2010. Due to the extensive existing damage to the building, the decision was made to conduct a defensive firefighting operation. The fire was quickly elevated to a second alarm. Fire control was achieved in 1 hour.

After approximately 5 hours, the fire was completely extinguished. In order to complete extinguishment and remove any remaining hazard presented by the residence, the building was torn down. The fire originated in the back section of the residence, and the cause of the fire is under investigation at this time.

Damage was estimated at $200,000. There were no injuries to fire personnel on scene. Humboldt Bay Fire would like to thank its allied partners for their assistance during this incident. Samoa Fire District, Arcata Fire District, and Fortuna Fire Department helped to ensure the safety of the HBF community while our resources were committed.

Additionally, we would like to thank PG&E, City of Eureka Code Enforcement, and City Ambulance.

UPDATE, Jan. 5, 9:15 a.m.:

From the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

Robert Samek has been located safe in the City of Eureka. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the community and the Eureka Police Department for their assistance with this investigation.

###

Original post:

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office needs the public’s help to locate at-risk missing person Robert Wayne Samek, age 66, of Myrtletown, Eureka. 

Samek was reported missing on Dec.30, 2022 by his DHHS case manager. He was last seen December 27 in Eureka.

Samek is described as a white male, approximately 6 feet 2 inches tall and 164 pounds, with blue eyes, short grey hair and a beard. Samek suffers from medical conditions which may put him at increased risk.  

Anyone with information for the Sheriff’s Office regarding Samek’s possible whereabouts should call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251.