Phillip Earl Leavitt
Nov. 19, 1946 - Dec. 29, 2022

Phillip Earl Leavitt was born on November 19, 1946 in Chicago, Illinois to Nathan and Gertrude Leavitt. His family eventually moved to Gardena, Calif., where he attended grade school, Gardena High School and furthered his education at UCLA, where he majored inmMathematics. He was an outstanding scholar and was a member of the Mensa Society. He had a love and passion for math and science.

Over the years here he had many jobs but the one he enjoyed the most was working for a patent lawyer, where he would study and analyze patents day in and day out. Phil moved to Laguna Beach in the early 1970s, and this is where he met his soon-to-be wife Gail. They decided to move to an area less populated and both fell in love with beautiful Northern California. Carlotta became their home for over 40 years. He left for a short period of time to further his education at UC Berkeley in topology.

After coming back to Carlotta, Phillip and Gail wanted to start a family. This was Phillip’s biggest dream. In November of 1988 his first dream finally came true and they welcomed a baby boy, Nathan Samuel Lloyd Leavitt. Phillip was the best father a son could ever have. They played basketball, hiked, picked four-leaf clovers, went to hundreds of Sacramento Kings games together and went on many vacations together. His absolute favorite vacation was going to Trinity Lake every year and renting a houseboat.

In 2002 Phil and Gail opened a family business in Fortuna — Eel River Hydroponics — and Phil also started a fertilizer manufacturing company, Emerald Triangle/Humboldt County’s Own Products. The manufacturing company was where he got to put his love for math and science mixed with his patent research experience together to create some of the most unique liquid fertilizers the world has ever seen.

Phillip was also an active member in the Carlotta community. He served as the Chairman of the Community Service Board from 1998 to 2005. He played an instrumental role in the reform and reorganization of the Carlotta Volunteer Fire Department. His efforts helped turn the Carlotta Volunteer Fire Department into one of the very best volunteer fire departments in the dtate. He was also an active member in the Eureka Elks Lodge as well as the Ingomar Club.

A deep friendship enabled a peaceful divorce for Phillip in 2011. He met his partner Dawnda in 2016. They went on to have a relationship of countless fun times and endless laughter. They loved traveling the US and checking out new places together. Dawnda and Phil loved the idea of a big park-like garden so they could watch hummingbirds and other animals come visit. After countless hours of hard work that vision came to life at their home in Fortuna. They were looking forward to their future together and were dreaming of growing old together.

Phil always wished to have a big piece of property next to his son so that his grandkids could run over to visit him whenever they wanted to, and in early 2019 that wish came true and Phil and Nathan purchased their dream property together. The bond between father and son continued on to this day. Where they enjoyed drinking rare whiskies, watching Kings games, hanging out on the houseboat and running their business together. In September of 2020 Phil’s final family dream came true when his granddaughter Raylee Jane Leavitt was born. His heart absolutely melted the first time he got to hold her and you could see the love he had for her instantly. Phil would say time and time again how proud he was of his son and how perfect his little family was.

Phillip is survived by his partner Dawnda Berry, previous wife and mother of his son, Gail Leavitt; his beloved son, Nathan; his wife Jessica Leavitt (Castanos); granddaughter Raylee; siblings Richard Leavitt, Scott Leavitt (wife Janet), and Jennifer Tarling (husband Arnold); niece Alexis Fedor (Leavitt) and family.

He is preceded in death by his father, Nathan Leavitt, mother, Gertrude Leavitt and nephew, Travis Leavitt.

Phil’s celebration of life will be held on Saturday January 7, 2023 at the Fortuna Veterans Memorial Building at 2 p.m. Please come in casual attire or your best “Phil Casual” Tommy Bahama shirt!

In remembrance or in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Smile Train in the honor of Phillip Earl Leavitt.

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

In loving memory of Joseph (Joe) Jesse Riley, 68, who passed away of a sudden heart attack on Thanksgiving Day, November, 25, 2022, at his home in Eureka.

Joseph was born April 12,1954 in Patterson, New Jersey, to late Joseph Riley, Sr and Kathryn Riley. He was welcomed home by is loving sister, Kathleen. Joe attended Catholic and public school in New Jersey until age 11, when his family moved to California. He graduated from Cupertino High School in 1972.

After one semester at De Anza College, his adventurous spirit took him to Alaska. In Fairbanks, he settled in with a group of high spirited friends at a place called “Quarter Mile.” He joined the Laborers Union and worked for many years on the Alyeska Pipeline. In addition to working for the Union in Alaska and California he became an electrician and worked on many jobs in and around Eureka until his retirement.

Joseph married Roslyn Whaley on February 23,1984 in Mountain View, California and they made their home on the Palo Verde Ranch near Redway. Though their marriage turned out to be less permanent than either expected, they went on to raise two lovely daughters, Julia and Vanessa.

Joe became a man of many trades while homesteading for over 15 years in Northern California. There was no task or job too difficult or daunting for him to tackle. He loved learning and was always reading and studying about everything! His independent and self-sufficient nature made homesteading the perfect way of life, which brought out the best in him.

Joe loved to joke around. His sister remembers at holiday gatherings with relatives when Joe could get everyone laughing so hard around the dinner table they could barely eat their meal! He was on fire when he discussed politics and could discuss his views in depth for hours. Other interests included playing the drums, working on his cars, reading, listening to music, riding his bike, swimming, hunting, gardening, traveling, enjoying the ocean, kite flying, sailing and wind surfing.

He enjoyed seeing new places and visiting with his daughters, grandson, other members of his family and being a part of their lives as much as he was able.

In the past few months, Joe and his daughter, Vanessa, had been making plans for him to move to Oregon. He was looking forward to living with Vanessa and his grandson, Tristin.

Joe will be greatly missed by his family and friends. He is survived by his daughter, Julia Riley, Los Angeles; daughter, Vanessa Riley, Bend, Oregon; grandson,Tristin Riley, Bend, Oregon; sister, Kathleen Anderson Riley, Sacramento.

Joseph was preceded in death by his father, Joseph Jesse Riley Sr. and his mother, Kathryn Riley.

Thank you to Humboldt Cremation and Funeral Services for supporting and assisting the family in making the final arrangements. A private ceremony will be held at a later date.

To plant a tree in his memory, donations can be made to alivingtribute.org.

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

James Michael Tatka was born on August 2, 1953 and passed away with family by his side on December 16, 2022 at the age of 69, from complications due to Parkinson’s disease.

James — better known as “Jim” or “Freddie” — was born to Fred and Betty Tatka in Eureka. He attended South Bay Elementary, Jacobs Jr High and Eureka High School (class of 1971.)

He worked for Hilfiker Pipe Company and then went on to Pape Material Handling and Bobcat West at the age of 19. He retired at 64.

Jim was a family man and enjoyed spending summers at the family’s cabin at Ruth Lake. Weekly dinners at his parents house when they were alive, which were then spent at his sister’s, and daughter’s house. He was an avid hunter of anything with fur or feathers. He was a genuine man with a kind heart, and was always up for a drink or a joke. He will be greatly missed.

Jim is preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Betty, cousins Gary Davis and Michael Bowles, and ex-wife and mother to his girls Graico Cross.

He is survived by his daughters Tristan (Chad) Younger and Theresa Powell; his sister Janet (Brad) Smith; grandchildren Aubree, Alex, Trent, Madison, and Michael lll; aunt Anne Bowles; cousins Gail Fitzpatrick and Julie Crow; niece Caroline Albee; and good friend Curt Cross.

We would like to give a special thank you to his caregivers Melissa and Alesha, the doctors and nurses that cared for him at St. Joseph’s Hospital, and Hospice of Humboldt.

A celebration of life will be held at the Eureka Elks Lodge on Herrick Ave. on Sunday February 5 from 12 p.m. to 3pm. In lieu of flowers please donate to Hospice of Humboldt.

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

Press release from the Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services:

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services remains activated and continues in coordination with state and local partners to provide recovery resources to our community following two significant earthquakes affecting the county. In addition to the earthquake response, the county’s Emergency Operations Center is also monitoring and preparing for any potential impacts related to an upcoming winter storm system forecasted to reach the county within the next day. 

CURRENT SITUATION

On Tuesday, December 20, 2022, a 6.4M earthquake struck Humboldt County. Since this earthquake, the county has experienced over 200 aftershocks, one of which being a 5.4M on New Year’s Day. Community members are advised to be prepared to drop, cover, and hold on in the event of additional aftershocks. For earthquake safety tips, visit: ready.gov/earthquakes.

Over 70 structures have been determined unsafe throughout the county due to earthquake-related damages. Damage assessments are ongoing in communities that experienced earthquake impacts. Building inspectors from the County of Humboldt, local cities and fire departments, and the State of California have been deployed to assist the city of Rio Dell and surrounding communities with damage assessment. 

Residents are encouraged to report earthquake damages to the Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services at: https://humboldtgov.org/FormCenter/Office-of-Emergency-Services-23/Damage-Report-20221220-Earthquake-216

Over the holiday weekend, a Local Assistance Center was opened and connected nearly 300 community members impacted by the earthquake with state and local assistance. Those who were unable to visit this center and in need of additional assistance are encouraged to review the following information booklet: 

• Disaster Recovery and Assistance - English
• Asistencia y Servicios de Recuperación - Español por Desastre -Spanish

ASSISTANCE RESOURCES

RED CROSS OVERNIGHT SHELTER

The Red Cross Overnight Shelter remains in operation at Monument Middle School, 95 Center Street, Rio Dell. Services provided to overnight shelter guests impacted by the earthquake include temporary overnight sheltering, cots and blankets, showers, hygiene kits, snacks and full meals, water and charging stations.

Additionally, the Red Cross is available to connect community members impacted by the earthquake with a variety of other services to aid in the recovery process. To learn more, contact 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800- 733-2767).

EMERGENCY SUPPLIES DISTRIBUTION 

Water and nonperishable food items continue to be distributed at the Rio Dell Community Resource Center, located at 406 Wildwood Ave, Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

FOOD REPLACEMENT, MEDI-CAL, AND TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANCE

A representative with the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services is on site at the Rio Dell Community Resource Center to assist community members with applying for services such as CalFresh replacement, Medi-Cal, CalWORKs, the Transportation Assistance Program, courtesy applications to other counties and referrals to other community resources. This service is available from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Additional food assistance programs are available through Food for People. To find a distribution near you, visit: foodforpeople.org/need-food. 

CLEANUP ASSISTANCE

Rio Dell residents may utilize the two dumpsters located outside of Rio Dell City Hall, at 675 Wildwood Avenue, to dispose of earthquake debris. Please do not dispose of hazardous waste in these receptacles. Hazardous items not fit for disposal in these receptacles include leftover household products that can catch fire, react, or explode under certain circumstances, or that are corrosive or toxic as household hazardous waste. Products, such as paints, cleaners, oils, batteries, and pesticides can contain hazardous ingredients and require special care when you dispose of them. More information regarding hazardous waste disposal can be found at: https://www.epa.gov/hw/household-hazardous-waste-hhw

Residents in Rio Dell who are having trouble getting in touch with their landlords regarding earthquake related repairs to rented dwellings are encouraged to contact the city of Rio Dell at 707-764-3532.

Residents outside of Rio Dell with remaining excess earthquake-related debris should contact their local sanitation provider.

BUSINESS SUPPORT

Local businesses impacted by the earthquake are asked to complete a Business Recovery Survey, located online here. This survey was created by the County’s Economic Development Department, GoHumCo, and is being utilized to track, monitor and quantify business losses in Humboldt County following the earthquake. As of Jan. 3, 2023, businesses have reported a total of over $1.4 million in losses.

For more business support resources visit: https://www.gohumco.com/379/Economic-Earthquake-Recovery-Response

DONATIONS

Financial donations to assist with the response can be made directly to the following:

• Rio Dell Fire Department: Venmo: @RioDellFire-Department, GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/3036e4ec,  or mailed to 50 W Center St. Rio Dell, CA 95562
• Pay it Forward Humboldt: 707-616-9191, payitforwardhumboldt@gmail.com
• American Red Cross: 1-800-435-7669, redcross.org

STAY INFORMED

The most important thing you can do while the community recovers is to keep informed.

• Sign up to receive Humboldt County Emergency Alerts at: humboldtgov.org/alerts
• Subscribe to OES news releases at: humboldtsheriff.org/subscribe

For updated information regarding the Humboldt County earthquake response, please go to humboldtsheriff.org/emergency and visit @HumCoOES on Facebook and Twitter.

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In 2022, the California Legislature passed nearly 1,200 bills — and nearly 1,000 became law with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature.

Many of the new laws are minor fixes to laws that legislators and the governor previously enacted. Others are rather narrow or specific to a certain industry. Still others will be phased in over time.

Newsom has highlighted several, including a law limiting prosecutors from using rap lyrics and music videos in court and another requiring oil companies to publicly post their profits (the governor has also called a special session on his plan to impose a penalty on oil refiners for excess profits.)

And then there’s a select group of new laws that took effect on Jan. 1, 2023 — and that could have a noticeable impact on the daily lives of Californians, or on the policy direction of the state.

Here are nine of them, including audio segments for a few:

Will this law stop gender bias in prices?

Shoppers may have noticed that shampoos and other personal care products marketed to women sometimes cost more than very similar versions for men.

No longer. With this law, stores will be banned from charging a different price based on gender — and could be in the crosshairs of the attorney general’s office for any violations. Advocacy groups say that ending the “pink tax” is another step in the cause of gender equity.

CalMatters politics intern Ariel Gans summarizes the new “pink tax” law.

How much does that job pay?

It’s hit and miss how much applicants can find out about how much a job pays. And advocates say that allows for unfair disparities in salaries.

This new law will bring a little more transparency to California workplaces by requiring companies with at least 15 employees to put salary ranges into job postings. But intense business opposition blocked provisions that would have meant publication of pay data broken down by position, gender and race. And some specialists question how much difference the law will make.

CalMatters economics reporter Grace Gedye outlines the new pay transparency law.

Is this a return to Wild West bounties?

Back in the 1800s, the U.S. government offered bounties to stop the Union Army from getting cheated. In 2021, Texas passed a law restricting abortions and dangled $10,000 per violation to anyone who sued to help enforce it.

Not to be outdone, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature passed this new law that allows private citizens to collect $10,000 by suing those who make or sell illegal “ghost guns” or assault-style weapons. The U.S. Supreme Court, however, could throw out the Texas law and ones like it, including California’s. But that would be just fine with the governor and lawmakers.

Will this law stop spread of COVID lies?

In our COVID world, one of many concerns is disinformation that can have dangerous, even deadly, consequences. Even some doctors have spread myths or lies about the virus and how best to treat it.

This law, supported by California’s medical establishment, makes it easier for the state medical board to punish physicians who deliberately spread misinformation. But some doctors have already sued to stop the law, saying it violates their free speech rights.

Could this law correct state history?

The history of California is complicated, not least because it’s such a diverse state of immigrants, but also home to Native American tribes here well before European explorers or the Gold Rush.

This law encourages school districts to work with tribes to develop history lessons to give students a fuller understanding. The legislation also aims to raise the graduation rate and close the achievement gap for Native American students.

CalMatters education reporter Joe Hong discusses a new law on Native American history.

Will this law help stop sex trafficking?

Lawmakers took their latest steps in their fight against human trafficking by targeting what law enforcement says are frequent places where it happens. Civil liberties groups, however, say more law enforcement is the wrong approach.

One new law calls for fines and civil penalties against hotels if supervisors know about sex trafficking but fail to notify law enforcement, a national hotline or victim advocacy group. Another new law adds beauty, hair and nail salons to those businesses, as well as airports and bus stations, that must post information on human trafficking, including how to contact nonprofits in the field.

CalMatters California Divide reporter Wendy Fry talks about the latest effort to combat sex trafficking.

Could this law empty death row?

California hasn’t executed anyone since 2006. Even though voters want to keep the death penalty, a 2019 moratorium imposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom prevents executions.

Advocates are also seeking to limit when capital punishment is applied. This law aims at the 674 inmates already on death row, giving them a way to challenge their death sentences as racially biased. A disproportionate number of the condemned inmates are Black.

CalMatters political reporter Alexei Koseff discusses the potential impact of a new law on racial bias in death sentences.

Does housing trump environment?

California has a severe and persistent shortage of affordable housing — what Gov. Newsom even calls the state’s “original sin.”

These laws are designed to increase the supply, in part by bypassing some environmental reviews. One allows development along strip malls, as long as construction workers get union wages. A second is designed to ease the student housing crunch by exempting dorms from the California Environmental Quality Act.

Will more abortion protections matter?

In large measure in response to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, California lawmakers passed a slew of additional safeguards for abortion access, as well as putting a constitutional amendment on the November ballot, which voters overwhelmingly approved.

A headliner among the new laws is one that shields women from prosecution if they end a pregnancy, even if it’s self-induced or outside the medical system. The new law also ends the requirement that coroners investigate stillbirths, after two Kings County women were charged after testing positive for drugs.

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

Garberville is in a bad way.

The collapse of California’s cannabis market has devastated the local economy and left communities throughout Southern Humboldt struggling to stay afloat. Businesses are closing left and right, and residents who have built their livelihoods around the region’s prolific cannabis industry fear they will lose everything.

Communities nestled in the most remote corners of the county have been hit the hardest, but the cannabis industry’s decline is the most evident in Garberville.

You can spot pockets of energy up and down Redwood Drive, but the vacant shops and hints of glory days past are more obvious. There’s a lingering sense of “Now what?” in the air.

Dusty trucks still rumble down Redwood Drive, the unincorporated town’s main drag, on various dirty job missions. Neighbors stop by Getti Up for coffee and chat outside of the Woodrose Café. Christmas decorations still adorn several storefronts, and members of the Southern Humboldt Business and Visitor’s Bureau Southern Humboldt Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center have festooned light poles with holiday-themed banners and wreaths. Residents are still trying to make the best of a difficult situation. [Apologies for the error above. —Ed.]

It’s worth noting that Humboldt County is no stranger to economic downturns. Over the past two centuries, boom-and-bust industries have dominated our region, from a brief brush with gold mining in the 1800s to the crash of the region’s prolific industrial logging industry in the late 1990s. The difference between now and then is, when the timber industry began its descent, it was the black market cannabis trade that picked up the slack. 

The question is, what will replace cannabis?

“We’re in Crisis Mode”

For months, Garberville residents and business owners have taken to social media, Board of Supervisors meetings and other public venues to sound the alarm over a precipitous decline in local sales, a drop that is largely attributed to the ailing cannabis economy.

“It seems as though we’re hearing of businesses closing every day here,” Laura Lasseter, executive director of the Southern Humboldt Business and Visitors Bureau (SHBVB), told the Outpost during a recent interview. “There are some businesses that say, ‘My business has nothing to do with the cannabis industry’ and, well, how’s your business doing now? Some of them still think they’re not connected to the cannabis industry and they’re struggling, they’re closing. Cannabis has been the driving force of this economy. We’re in crisis mode.”

The iconic Hemp Connection closed its doors earlier this year. The Pineapple Express food truck announced it will no longer serve Garberville at the beginning of November, opting to relocate its operations to the Humboldt Bay area. Similarly, the owners of Calico’s announced their plans to relocate their Garberville eatery to Old Town Eureka last month. The beloved Redwood Drive café Local Flavors, formerly “Flavors,” permanently shuttered. Singing Trees Recovery Center closed after more than 30 years. The list goes on.

“We tried to stay afloat, but it is just getting worse,” Fernando Cabrera, co-owner of Calico’s Café wrote in an email to the Outpost. “We love the Southern Humboldt community … but the last couple of years have been really slow because of cannabis legislation and then the pandemic. [Several] small businesses have closed for good and … we just can’t afford to stay open [in Garberville] so we decided to try up north and relocate to The Ritz building in Old Town.”

Cabrera emphasized the importance of supporting small businesses when possible. “Every time you do, you’re not just supporting a local business, you’re keeping money flowing locally and that means bringing more work for us and our families,” he said.

As a fellow Garberville business owner, Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell can sympathize because she’s struggling too. Sales at The Bootleg have dropped by about 45 percent, she said, the worst decline in the business’s 41-year history.

“My store, which has been a staple in Garberville since 1981, has had its worst year ever,” she told the Outpost in a recent interview. “These last two months were the worst I’ve seen in the 12 years that I’ve owned The Bootleg. At this time, it’s not making ends meet. That’s a typical story for business owners in Southern Humboldt.”

Bushnell was reluctant to place all of the blame on the struggling cannabis industry, acknowledging the impact of COVID and the subsequent drop in tourism. And on top of that, “trimmers that used to shop in our stores and eat in these restaurants” were virtually non-existent this year, she said.

“Multitudes of things have happened,” she continued. “People aren’t out shopping as much because it costs too much to live due to inflation. There’s not a lot of available housing in Southern Humboldt, so people are looking out of the area to rent. There aren’t a lot of employment opportunities because business is slow. It’s not any one thing.”

When she’s not working at The Bootleg or representing the Second District on the Board of Supervisors, Bushnell oversees a cannabis farm and a cattle ranch with her husband. The key to financial stability, even during tumultuous times, is diversification, Bushnell said. 

“Right now, people are having to learn to diversify their lives,” she said. “My hope is that, in another six months or a year from now, things will stabilize and we’ll actually see some growth in the Southern Humboldt region. … But it is nerve-racking for me that people are struggling financially. I’m constantly thinking of what I can do, what [the county] can do to help. Every day I’m telling people, ‘This is going to be better in a year.’ ‘Please don’t give up hope because our community is worth it.’ We’re all sharing this, we need to work together to fix it.”

“A Culture That’s Misunderstood”

The Southern Humboldt Business and Visitors Bureau invited community members and several county officials to a town hall discussion at the Mateel Community Center in Redway last month to talk through some of the issues plaguing Garberville and to, hopefully, carve out a positive path forward.

“Our town is struggling right now, but all of you are here so that we can help each other [and] help our town,” Bushnell told the audience. “I know things are really tough right now and we want answers … . I’m hoping these leaders of our county can find some answers that will help sustain Garberville and get us through this.”

But to fully understand how Southern Humboldt ended up in this situation, Joshua Sweet, a Garberville property owner and founding board member of the visitor’s bureau, implored attendees to consider the community’s extensive history and its often tumultuous relationship with the county and state.

“Whether we agree or not – or appreciate its reality – Humboldt County is known internationally for two things: redwoods and cannabis,” he said. “Humboldt’s cannabis story is long and unique, and one I will not embellish tonight. I will, instead, speak of the relationship between the county, state agencies and this community, and how that relationship has seemingly failed everyone.”

Those who applied for state and county cultivation licenses “jumped through hoop after hoop after hoop” to come into compliance with state and county rules following the passage of Proposition 64, Sweet said. Rather than being treated as legitimate business owners, he asserted that applicants were met with “a calculated, premeditated barrage of attacks on the [cannabis] industry, specifically in Southern Humboldt.”

“The results of those attacks … have completely and utterly collapsed this community,” he continued. “Whether or not the overall intention was to destroy the cannabis industry’s ability to survive here, or whether it was just an overall ignorant bias of the system and a culture that’s misunderstood, the consequences have ruined so many lives. It has caused the entire community to suffer, whether they were directly involved in cannabis or not. No one is doing well.”

Over the last five years, the Southern Humboldt community – which accounts for an estimated 60 percent of the county’s cannabis licenses – has paid between $55 million and $70 million in county licensing fees and taxes, Sweet stated, adding that state fees are likely “one and a half times that.”

“We’ve calculated that Southern Humboldt alone has paid out around $250 million to $300 million total,” he said. “That is on top of the infrastructure for running a business, payroll and getting taxes multiple times. … And after all that, what do we have to show for it in any form? No capital improvements, no impactful beautification, no health and safety programs, nothing that would indicate what we have done for this county and the state. This is essentially taxation without representation.”

The Outpost contacted the county to verify those numbers. Sean Quincey, deputy county administrative officer, could not provide the exact figure paid by Southern Humboldt permit applicants but confirmed that Sweet’s estimate was pretty close. 

“Based upon some recent research we did, the Second District [paid] 67 percent of the tax in 2022 … This would be about $43 million in taxes paid by District 2” between 2017 and 2020, Quincey said, referring to revenue generated through Measure S, the county’s commercial cannabis cultivation tax. “This does not include fees paid, however. … Cannabis permit fees for all cultivation – not only Southern Humboldt – since 2016 amount to [a total of] $14.1 million.”

If you recall, Measure S, which was approved by Humboldt County voters in November 2016 and tweaked a bit by the Board of Supervisors in subsequent years, imposed a three-tiered cannabis cultivation tax of $1 to $3 per square foot to maintain and improve essential services throughout the county. However, the measure itself does not specify how the tax funds should be spent and prioritized.

For example, the budget summary for Fiscal Year 2018-2021 outlines how Measure S funds were spent, but it is difficult to tell where they were spent.

Looking at the breakdown of funding appropriations, $547,060 was spent on “one-time” road repairs between 2018-21 but the budget summary does not specify where those repairs occurred. Similarly, $111,000 was spent on vehicle abatement, $300,000 on economic development, $929,833 on capital improvement projects and $1.19 million on cannabis marketing and branding. The county also used $1.3 million in Measure S funds for its settlement with Friends of the Eel River.

There are only two items on the list that specifically benefit Southern Humboldt: $600,000 was spent on the “Garberville modular” and $41,000 was put towards the Southern Humboldt Business and Visitors Bureau. 

Quincey noted that Southern Humboldt communities have received $2.5 million in Project Trellis grant funding. “Another $4.4 million is either in the process of being disbursed or will be available in the next round,” he said.

Sweet acknowledged that the county has “tried really hard and has continued to adjust accordingly” to address Southern Humboldt’s concerns but said, “It still has a long way to go in supporting the [cannabis] industry.”

“So, what can we do as a community?” Sweet asked. “Having seen what I’ve seen in the past 10 years in the botched attempts to create an industry here in Humboldt for cannabis, I believe we have no other choice but to start focusing on an alternative plan. If the powers that be want to wake up to reality and help us create the vision that many of us had, [we must] build upon our international reputation and make this county the Napa Valley of cannabis.”

Marketing Humboldt as a Premier Cannabis Destination

The idea to market Humboldt County as the “Napa Valley of cannabis” came about a few years ago, after the county hired the Humboldt County Growers Alliance (HCGA) to develop a marketing assessment that would serve as blueprint for branding and promoting Humboldt County cannabis. 

The lengthy analysis, which was funded through the county’s marketing and micro-grant program, Project Trellis, focused on Napa Valley wine, Bordeaux wine, Kona coffee and Colombian coffee – four products that “successfully deployed collective regional branding strategies to promote long-term sustainable rural economic development” – and offered a series of recommendations for local cannabis marketing strategies.

Shortly after the marketing assessment was reviewed by the Board of Supervisors in May 2020, county staff issued a request for proposals (RFP) to recruit a local entity to market Humboldt’s cannabis. 

The county received a single application: from the Humboldt Community Business Development Center, a tax-exempt charitable organization affiliated with the HCGA. Long story short, the HCGA/HCBDC didn’t get the bid because the county had received complaints that the organizations were given an unfair advantage. After consulting with California Fair Political Practices Commission in October 2021 and discussing the matter with the county’s lead attorney, the county decided to scrap the whole thing and start the process over again.

As cannabis prices fell to historic lows about a month later, financially struggling farmers and industry representatives urged the Board of Supervisors to eliminate Measure S. The Board of Supervisors eventually agreed to temporarily slash the excise tax by 85 percent in February 2022. Just last month the board agreed to temporarily suspend the measure for two years.

The problem is, Project Trellis relied on Measure S funds to function. As a result, the county suspended its search for a cannabis marketing entity, putting the whole endeavor on hold for the time being.

In an attempt to fill the gap, the HCGA launched its own campaign – Ask for Humboldt –  to boost legal cannabis sales and “put faces to the local industry” by focusing on social media, community events and regional partnerships.

The Southern Humboldt Business and Visitors Bureau has partnered with the HCGA in recent months and, likewise, bolstered its own marketing efforts to more accurately represent the cannabis community. The organization’s website details the history of “America’s cannabis heartland” and highlights local farmers and producers throughout Southern Humboldt.

“We’ve been underrepresented and incorrectly represented through the Humboldt County Visitors Bureau for years and all of our requests have fallen on deaf ears,” Lasseter told the Outpost. “The county [recently] agreed to do an official assessment of what the tourism assets are and, quite frankly, a lot of them fall in Southern Humboldt, such as the Lost Coast and Avenue of the Giants. … It’s really unacceptable that we’re in this situation because the funds were here and this community built [Southern Humboldt] and believed in legalization and look at us today.”

“Let’s Talk Tourism”

Just about everyone can agree that promoting tourism in Southern Humboldt is a win-win for both cannabis and tourism industries. The question is, how do we do it successfully?

Matt Kurth, owner of Humboldt Cannabis Tours, maintains that the best way to protect the county’s legacy as a world-renowned producer of craft cannabis is to bring people here.

“[Humboldt Cannabis Tours is] the only licensed cannabis tour operator in the county right now – I’d love to see more!” Kurth said during the recent community meeting. “Last year I did about 150 tours for about 500 people. The economic impact to the county was something like a quarter of a million dollars. … I’m really proud of what we do and we want cannabis tourism to, obviously, be huge.”

John Casali, owner and operator of Huckleberry Hill Farms, was among the first of Humboldt’s cannabis farmers to offer legal farm tours. For Casali, sharing his farm with strangers presents an opportunity to showcase “our amazing community.”

“I’ve always known how amazing our farms are,” Casali said. “Taking people from out of the area and watching how they interact with plants and cultivars that are grown nowhere else in the world except my farm – strains that I bred and learned to grow with my mom when I was ten. It’s an amazing feeling to watch them resonate with who we are and how we support each other.”

Looking beyond cannabis tourism, Gregg Foster, executive director of the Redwood Region Economic Development Commission, emphasized the importance of replacing long-gone infrastructure to draw in tourists.

“You couldn’t go five miles along Avenue of the Giants without running into what we would call a ‘tourist trap’ or a tourist facility,” Foster said. “It’s time to rebuild all that. You could spend weeks going up and down the Avenue and do something different every day. You could even ride the Squirrel Bus, and if you remember the Squirrel Bus, you’re really old.”

Some folks had a less optimistic take. 

“This is a gathering about tourism [but] who wants to come here when they see zombies in town?” said Charlotte Silverstein, owner of the Garberville bead store Garden of Beadin’. “They come to the hotel to stay in their room and they leave. It’s scary for visitors to come here. … I want to be a compassionate person for homeless people, but when they constantly leave trash behind … and are rude and obnoxious to anybody who comes to town. … I’m up to here.”

Thomas Mulder, Southern Humboldt cannabis farmer and county planning commissioner, echoed Silverstein’s concerns and emphasized the need for improved “curb appeal” in Garberville.

“Curb appeal is very, very important,” he said. “What can we do to continue to promote this community as somewhere that you would be proud to raise your children, proud to raise your grandchildren?”

To successfully promote tourism throughout Southern Humboldt, Garberville needs a facelift.

Garberville Complete Streets Infrastructure Project

Back in November, the Southern Humboldt Business and Visitors Bureau created a petition to draw attention to a yearlong effort to revamp Garberville’s main drag and market the town as the southern gateway to Humboldt County.

The Garberville Complete Streets Infrastructure Project aims to upgrade the town’s curb appeal through general improvements including new sidewalks, enhanced crosswalks and pedestrian lighting, landscaping, and parking as well as improved drainage and underground utility upgrades.

The county has already completed virtually all of the design and engineering aspects of the project. The only issue is funding.

“A lot of times, the feds like to come out and say, ‘If you’ve got a shovel-ready project we have money.’ … That’s the remaining piece,” Public Works Director Tom Mattson said during the recent town hall meeting. “We think [the project] is going to be a big boost to the economy. … It sounds like, because of the wave of calls from Southern Humboldt, Congressman [Jared] Huffman might bring it up [to Congress] as well as Senator [Alex] Padilla.”

Bushnell added that the project has been “approved for federal funding” but noted that the funding award hinges on the federal budget.

“Don’t get excited,” she cautioned. “Money doesn’t always work out like it’s supposed to. But it is approved, and that’s a step forward from previous years where it was rejected. We’re waiting to see what will happen with the federal budget. Huffman has promised to help us try to get this done. It’s really important for Southern Humboldt.”

“Developing a Relationship of Trust”

Looking beyond tourism and infrastructure improvements, county department heads also spoke to the existential struggles and complex challenges afflicting Southern Humboldt communities.

Planning and Building Director John Ford acknowledged the historically strained relationship the county has had with members of the cannabis community and emphasized the importance of “developing a relationship of trust” with Southern Humboldt communities and working together to think outside of the box.

“One of the things that [this community] has taught me is that everything that I thought I knew … in order to really address some of the things that we’ve had to confront together, I had to forget about and try something else,” Ford said. “That has been something … that is on the forefront of my mind because the difficult circumstances, the new world we live in, the new economic reality we share; it doesn’t require the same old thing. It requires a new way of doing business and a new way of doing government.”

Specifically, Ford mentioned Kurth and Casali’s efforts to further cannabis farm tours and their willingness to work with the county to bring make their vision a reality. “I appreciate Johnny [Casali] for trusting me enough to take on that dialogue and that debate and work through it,” he said.

Ford also touched on the ongoing issues between the county and Pacific Gas & Electric. Earlier this year, state and local officials learned that PG&E has all but reached the limits of its capacity to provide electricity to new projects throughout the Eel River Valley and Southern Humboldt, threatening critical community developments.

“Fortunately this issue was elevated to Senator [Mike] McGuire and Assemblymember [Jim] Wood and some things are happening,” he said. “It is apparent right now that there is an improvement that’s going to come to Garberville in four years … that will enable the [new] hospital … as well as some extra capacity. My commitment to all of you is that we continue to ask the questions … and hold PG&E accountable.”

Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal returned to the issue of mental health and homelessness, noting that “these are societal issues that are plaguing all of us.”

“I want you all to know that we’re here and we’re trying; we’re doing our best,” Honsal said during the town hall discussion. “We’ve partnered with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and we actually have mobile mental health teams that are going to be a part of our outreach with law enforcement. … We’re evolving as a department and we’re focusing on that as well.”

Deputy staffing levels have “gotten a lot better,” Honsal added. “We’re staffing 24 hours a day with at least two deputies — sometimes there’s three [in Southern Humboldt].”

DHHS Director Connie Beck also acknowledged the issue of mental health, noting that it’s difficult to provide services to people who aren’t seeking help.

“​​I know that there [are] folks that you see on the street that you say, ‘Why in the world are they still here and why aren’t they receiving treatment?’ And it’s really important to know that folks have to engage in treatment,” Beck said. “Whether they end up with law enforcement or with our staff, unless they engage there’s not a lot that we can do at this point.”

Back in July, the Board of Supervisors launched a Laura’s Law pilot program that allows for court-ordered assisted outpatient treatment. While there are no legal ramifications to an individual refusing to participate, involving the courts and a judge often makes it more likely for individuals to comply with assisted treatment.

“We have, I think, 12 people right now that have been referred to that program … [who are] severely mentally ill, have had crimes and have had the judge refer them to services,” Beck added.

In the days following the town hall meeting, the Southern Humboldt Business and Visitor’s Bureau took to Facebook to thank county officials and community members for coming together “for the greater good of the Southern Humboldt community.”

“Our county representatives were very much engaged in the conversations and brought next steps and possible solutions to moving forward,” the post stated. “This wasn’t just a dog and pony show; this was real.”

The bureau has tentatively scheduled another series of Let’s Talk Tourism discussions in May.

Travis Roger Low
November 12, 1952 to December 28, 2022.

Travis Roger Low, a devoted family man, loving father, enthusiastic grandfather, weekend cowboy, small business owner, integral community member, and loyal friend, passed away on December 28, 2022.

Travis was born in Scotia on November 12, 1952, to Roger Low and Carolyn Comfort Low. He was the younger brother of Kevin and David and the older brother of Garvin and his sister Alison. He attended grade school and high school in Fortuna. After graduating in 1971, he briefly attended College of the Redwoods before joining his father, Roger, in the running of family-owned and operated Low’s Furniture, located on Main Street Fortuna. He lived and thrived in Humboldt County his entire life. No one was more proud of that fact than himself.

Travis was a passionate horseman since the day he got his first horse, ‘Raisin,’ when he was just 12 years old. An avid member of the Sonoma County Trail Blazers since 1989, Travis especially looked forward to connecting with his fellow cowboys every year on the annual Trail Ride.

Travis’s daughters will remember his unwavering love and consistent support of their various sports, 4H, and FFA projects. They will always cherish the many brandings with their left-handed roper, skiing dilly dally alley at Mt. Bachelor, Sunday morning horse rides on the beach to discuss life, the moves to college with his horse trailer, visiting Kristina and her family in Australia, and meeting Viktoria for a sail on the boat she captained in the Caribbean. He kept the coziest fire stoked all winter long and will forever be thought of while enjoying morning toasties and coffee.

Nobody was prouder of his kids than Travis, and they always felt it. Kristina and Viktoria will hold close to the most recent visit Travis had with his grandkids. Pictures of them riding with their Pappa will be treasured forever.

Travis married Kale, a former exchange student, in 1982 after meeting during Kale’s visit to Fortuna to visit her ‘American parents’ Marnie and Fred Nunnemaker. In 2016 he subsequently married Teri Hopkins, a fellow FUHS 1971 classmate, and they made a new and loving life together in Fortuna. They made special memories adventuring all over, visiting friends and family in Arizona, Oregon, Southern California, Arkansas, and beyond.

Travis sat on the Humboldt County Fair Board of Directors for 23 years. He was a member of the Fortuna Chamber of Commerce, Fortuna Rotary Club, the Humboldt State Advisory Board, and the Coastal Regional Board Member for Umpqua Bank for many years. He also sat on the Fortuna Planning Commission and was a long-time member of the Ingomar Club. Travis loved his community and was proud to be involved locally in any way he could. Many will remember him stopping by their offices on Main street to say hello while he was out and about. He always greeted everyone with a big smile, a solid handshake, or a huge hug.

Travis is survived by his wife Teri, previous wife and mother of his daughters, Kale, daughters Kristina and Viktoria, son in laws Andrew Chino and Chris McNamara, grandchildren Vera, Siena, Enza, Mila, and Henry Wilder, brothers and sister-in-law Kevin, David, and Jeanne, nephew Kevin, stepsons Lance and Preston, step-grandson Austin, his dog Jessie Lou Lou and horse Dewey. He is preceded in death by his father, Roger, mother Carolyn, his brother Garvin, sister Alison, and beloved dogs: Bonnie Basset, Timmy, and Murdoc.

A celebration of his life will be held on July 20, 2023, at 2 p.m. at The Barn by Fernbridge. In remembrance or in lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to the Sonoma County Trail Blazers.

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