Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced that he has signed the first of a series of bills that aim to transform California’s mental health system. Depending on who you ask, this transformation represents a long overdue humanitarian response — or a worrisome step backward on civil liberties.

The signature loosens long-standing rules about who is eligible for involuntary treatment under the half century-old Lanterman-Petris-Short Act, the landmark mental health law that regulates involuntary civil commitment in the state. Advocates and county leaders expect the new legislation to lead to more people being placed in treatment facilities against their will.

“California is undertaking a major overhaul of our mental health system,” Newsom said in a written statement. “The mental health crisis affects us all, and people who need the most help have been too often overlooked. We are working to ensure no one falls through the cracks, and that people get the help they need and the respect they deserve.”

Newsom also is expected to sign legislation sending two key ballot measures to voters next March: a $6.4 billion bond to pay for 10,000 new treatment beds and supportive housing, and an overhaul of California’s 20-year-old law that funds mental health services with a tax on millionaires. A majority of voters would need to approve those measures.

All of this comes just as CARE Court, Newsom’s signature mental health legislation from last year, begins rolling out in an initial cohort of seven counties. Glenn, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne counties opened their Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Courts on Oct. 2; Los Angeles County will open its court on Dec. 1. The rest of the state will follow next year.

Addressing serious mental illness among the state’s growing unhoused population is a major focus of all of these initiatives. That population has burgeoned to more than 170,000 people, less than a quarter of whom have severe mental illness, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

A recent survey of people experiencing homelessness by the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, found that the majority had experienced serious mental health conditions at some point in their lives but the main reasons most became homeless were high housing costs and low incomes.

CARE Court allows family, close friends, first responders and behavioral health workers to petition a court to compel a person with untreated schizophrenia spectrum or other psychotic disorders into a court-ordered treatment plan. The ballot initiative that would redesign the Mental Health Services Act would require that 30% of tax dollars brought in under the plan go toward housing programs, half of it to serve people who are chronically homeless or living in encampments.

Taken along with the signature of the involuntary confinement law, Senate Bill 43, the moment marks a significant departure from the decades in which the civil liberty protections for Californians with mental illness seemed virtually untouchable because of the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act.

The authors of that law — Assemblyman Frank Lanterman and Democratic Sens. Nicholas Petris and Alan Short — sought to end the inappropriate and often indefinite institutionalization of people with mental illnesses and developmental disabilities. At the time, it had been relatively easy for family members to force people into mental health treatment, often locking them away for long stretches in state hospitals where conditions were abhorrent.

New standard for involuntary treatment

The law, which then-Gov. Ronald Reagan signed in 1967, established strict criteria to determine who was eligible for involuntary treatment as well as specific timeframes that limited involuntary holds. This included the 72-hour hold known as a 5150. But concomitant promises to build up community-based support programs did not materialize.

Susan Talamantes Eggman, a social worker turned Democratic state senator from Stockton who has become one of the legislature’s main authors of mental health policies, is among those who feel California went too far back then.

“For fear of doing something wrong we did something even worse,” she said.

Eggman authored the law, carried the legislation to redesign the Mental Health Services Act and also co-authored last year’s CARE Act.

She told CalMatters she has tried five times in recent years to introduce legislation amending the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act. Stiff resistance from disability rights groups and some legislators impeded those changes, she said.

This year’s attempt sailed through the Legislature without opposition. It expands the legal definition by which someone can be deemed “gravely disabled” and treated against their will. The new, expanded definition allows for consideration of whether a person fails to provide for their own medical care or personal safety. It includes not just mental illness, but also severe substance use disorder and chronic alcoholism.

She called the current constellation of policy changes “the most significant thing we’ve done in the mental health, behavioral health workspace easily within the last 50 years.”

Why some families want involuntary treatment

Many families of seriously mentally ill individuals say they are thrilled with Eggman’s bill and with the other policy shifts, having long felt sidelined in their efforts to press for treatment when loved ones refused it.

“I think personally that the tide is finally turning, that we are on our way to really doing something to help these very sick people get the treatment that they need,” said

Linda Mimms, vice chair of the national Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance.

She lauded Newsom’s interview with 60 Minutes last month, in which he called out critics of the changes, saying: “Change has its enemies. I get it. But one thing you cannot argue for — with all due respect to all the critics out there — is the status quo. You can’t. And in the absence of alternatives, what the hell are we going to do to address this crisis?”

But those critics say they aren’t defending the status quo at all. Rather, they point to other parts of the system — including affordable housing and an array of voluntary treatment services — that have suffered after decades of underinvestment.

“We’re never having the right conversation,” said Kelechi Ubozoh, a mental health advocate and author of We’ve Been Too Patient: Voices from Radical Mental Health. “It is a conversation around poverty. We’re still saying ‘let’s blame it on mental health and the mental health system.’”

Many who live with mental illness have had traumatic experiences with involuntary treatment, Ubozoh said, and are “really scared” by the current direction the state is headed.

“For no one to oppose this huge erosion of civil rights is just a really concerning change in the state legislature,” said Samuel Jain, senior attorney with Disability Rights California. He believes state leaders feel pressure to address the homelessness crisis, and as a result are conflating homelessness and mental illness.

“We don’t feel that this is going to change anything on the streets,” he said. “This strategy seems to be to take people with mental health disabilities and put them into institutions.”

In the meantime, he said, the organization’s clients often find themselves stuck in emergency departments and locked psychiatric settings because there are no community-based beds for them.

Worry about California’s mental health tax

Some mental health advocates also are wary of Newsom’s ballot initiative to reallocate money from the millionaire’s tax, which raises several billion dollars every year for programs.They say the redesign of the Mental Health Services Act will inevitably redistribute some funds away from current programs.

That worries Tiffany McCarter, executive director of the African-American Family & Cultural Center in Oroville, which provides children with food, after-school care, and other services, such as anger management.

“I was pushing and pulling within my own self,” she said. “I want to help the homeless on a mass level for sure.” But she worries: “When it came to this measure, if they do this, what about our kids?”

That’s because her organization depends almost entirely on money from the Mental Health Services Act. She’s trying to rush to apply for grants but worries that she doesn’t have enough time. She says other organizations that serve people of color in her community — and around the state — are in the same position.

“It’s a lose, lose, lose all the way around,” she said.

Counties, which are charged with implementing many of the mental health policy programs coming down from the state, including CARE Court, caution that change will take time.

“It is a very positive thing that there are higher expectations around behavioral health in our communities,” said Graham Knaus, CEO of the California State Association of Counties.

But after decades of underfunding, he says, resources are still finite. The state continues to face significant shortages of appropriate housing placements, public guardians and mental health workers.

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

Joseph Marcus Williams passed on Sept. 10, 2023, at the age of 80. Joe was born on Jan. 1, 1943, to Frank and Fern Williams in Columbus, Ohio. Joe was the first baby born in Columbus in 1943, and among other gifts, he received a free ride home from the hospital in an ambulance with his mother. Each New Year’s celebration was accompanied with “Happy Birthday Joe!”

The Williams family moved to Eureka immediately after WWII, when Joe was two years old. Joe was very much a homebody, and rarely ventured from Eureka or Kneeland since his arrival in 1945. He often said everything he needed was in Humboldt County.

Joe attended local Eureka schools while pursuing his passion for horsemanship and roping, becoming a ranked team roper in the early 1960s. Joe met the love of his life, Linda Marie Jackson, as part of the horse community when she was a member of the Pegasus Patrol, and they were married in 1961.

Joe worked for Precision Lumber Company from 1960 until 1970 when the company closed. He then worked briefly for Twin Parks Lumber Company before beginning work for Schmidbauer Lumber Company in 1972, where he stayed until 2017. Joe was a model employee and quickly rose from the green-chain to debarker while at Precision Lumber Company. A great story about Joe concerns a meeting with George Schmidbauer, the owner of the fledgling Schmidbauer Lumber Company, who visited Joe in the hospital after an injury at Twin Parks Lumber Company to recruit him for work at his new sawmill. Joe’s reputation for quality hard work and reliability had become well known.

Joe and Linda dreamed of living a bucolic life on the Williams’ Kneeland family ranch, and they made their dream come true in 1971. Along with their three boys, Joe and Linda raised cattle, swine, goats, and chickens while supporting community events at Kneeland Elementary School. Joe also was on the Kneeland Volunteer Fire department board.

Much to the chagrin of Joe’s three boys, Schmidbauer Lumber Company had a 3.5-day work schedule (3x11, 1x6), which allowed 3.5 days per week to work on the ranch fixing fences, digging ditches, constructing buildings without electricity, and animal husbandry. Joe’s reputation for hard work definitely included working on the ranch.

Joe had a very close relationship with his parents, and therefore despite rising each workday at 4:30 a.m. to work a 11-hour shift at the mill, he would stop to visit his parents in Eureka each evening before making the 45-minute drive home to Kneeland.

Joe and Linda met at the age of 15 and were married at the age of 18. To say their relationship and marriage was the very definition of commitment and partnership would not be sufficient to describe the oneness they were and are.

Joe lived his life exactly the way he wanted to live it. He’ll be greatly missed by his family and friends, and everyone who ever had the pleasure of meeting him.

Joe was preceded in death by his parents, and his sister Veralee Biancani.

Joe is survived by his loving wife Linda, his brothers Cliff Williams and Bob Williams, his children Wayne Williams, Ed Williams (Lisa), and Patrick Williams (Stephanie), his grandchildren Danielle March (Jim), Brittany Brown (Rob), Joey Williams, Bill Williams, Bryan Williams, and Brye Williams, and his great grandchildren Lyra Brown, Jaxon Brown, Bennett March, and Margaret March.

No formal services will be held.

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UPDATE, TUESDAY MORNING: Gail Rymer, public relations spokesperson for both Citizens for a Better of Eureka and other Arkley-related initiatives, received and responded to the email we sent to Arkley seeking comment. She wrote that Arkley would not be the proper person to respond, as he is not a member of Citizens for a Better Eureka, nor, she said, is he a majority owner of Security National.

Whatever the case with that, Security National is a financial backer of Citizens for a Better Eureka, according to the group’s website, and though Rymer said she wasn’t sure whether this was still the case, Arkley is still listed as the president of the company with which he has been associated most closely for two decades or more.

Here’s the statement Rymer sent on behalf of Citizens for a Better Eureka:

On behalf of the Citizens for a Better Eureka, let me set the record straight regarding the organization’s efforts. The number one focus is not about stopping housing but on the economic vitality of downtown. Downtown businesses will suffer significantly if parking is taken away. They rely on visitors coming into Eureka and employees from around the area being able to drive to work to keep their doors open. Restaurants will not be able to survive if close-by parking is lost – people do not feel safe walking downtown at night.

The Citizens for a Better Eureka members know that Eureka needs housing and favors housing developments. Still, there are more sensible options that won’t destroy downtown businesses. They are not trying to stop development; they are simply trying to save their businesses. Mr. Slattery wants to eliminate more than 600 downtown parking spaces. That will kill the economy of Eureka.

As shown in maps distributed by an anti-driving/parking organization, the city has many other potential lots to build housing that would not disrupt and economically impact downtown businesses. For years, many downtown businesses have tried to work with the city on its plans to build housing without compromising parking. It’s documented in your publication from City Council meetings going back to 2020, if not further. The Citizens for a Better Eureka was left with no choice. Bringing these lawsuits was the only avenue to force the city to reconsider its housing plan. It did not need to come to this if the city had worked with local business owners.

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ORIGINAL POST:

Rob Arkley’s fight to preserve parking lots in downtown Eureka continues.

With a third and fourth lawsuit filed against the City of Eureka last week by the Arkley-affiliated group Citizens for a Better Eureka, the Security National CEO and sometimes-resident continues to follow through on threats he made to sue the city over plans to develop affordable housing on vacant, city-owned parking lots. 

Arkley has called parking lots “the lifeblood” of a thriving downtown, and in response to the city’s plans he has feuded with city officials, threatened to move his business’s headquarters outside city limits, helped launch a ballot initiative that would block the projects and, through this group, filed four lawsuits, counting the two filed last week.

As in the earlier suits, filed in April and May, these latest ones claim that the City of Eureka failed to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

This time, the suits pertain to affordable housing developments planned in two locations — one at the corner of Eighth and G streets, the other at the corner of Sixth and M. 

The city has awarded the bid for these planned developments — plus a third complex at Myrtle and Sunny Avenues — to Long Beach-based Linc Housing, and just last month the California Strategic Growth Council awarded Linc and the city a grant of $30.1 million to support the project, which would include a total of 90 units across the three locations. 

In its new lawsuits, which you can download via the links below, Citizens for a Better Eureka argues that the city improperly approved the housing developments by failing to simultaneously declare the land “surplus” in the manner required by state law.

The city says the housing developments are exempt from CEQA review because they represent infill projects on surplus land, but Arkley and his allies say the developments will have potentially significant impacts on traffic, air quality and public safety. The suits demand that the city analyze those potential impacts thoroughly before proceeding.

City Manager Miles Slattery said the group’s true motives have nothing to do with environmental impacts.

“It’s pretty clear that this group is doing everything in their power to stop any [housing] development in the city,” he said. “And as developers, some of the people who are part of this [group] should realize that parking is one of the biggest deterrents to development. Anything pro-parking is anti-development.” 

Environmental advocates are also skeptical about the motives behind these lawsuits.

“This is yet another example of Rob Arkley’s abuse of our environmental laws,” said Colin Fiske, executive director of the nonprofit Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities (CRTP).

“The removal of some public parking spaces does not count as an environmental impact, no matter how much those parking spaces are beloved by Mr. Arkley,” Fiske continued. “We hope the courts will quickly dismiss these frivolous lawsuits. If they are allowed to proceed, they could delay or even stop the construction of the affordable, climate-friendly housing Eureka so desperately needs. Furthermore, there are nearly $70 million in state investments in Eureka’s downtown that are potentially at risk due to Arkley’s recent lawsuits and his cynical, misleading ballot initiative. These latest suits are more evidence of his reckless disregard for downtown businesses, residents and the environment.”

An email to Arkley seeking comments and additional information was not immediately returned.

Click the links below to download pdf copies of each lawsuit, which are identical to each other save references to the project locations.

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DOCUMENTS:

• Citizens for a Better Eureka vs. City of Eureka, et al. (Sixth and M)
• Citizens for a Better Eureka vs. City of Eureka, et al. (Eighth and G)

PREVIOUSLY:

• Arkley Threatens Lawsuits, Referendum, Recall Drive Over City of Eureka’s Plans to Convert Parking Lots to Housing
• ‘Furious’ Rob Arkley Says He’s Moving Security National HQ Out of Eureka After Clashing With City Staff About Development Priorities
• Will Eureka Finally See Development on the Big Gravel Lots by the Boardwalk? City Looks to Declare the Parcels Surplus and Seek Proposals for Mixed-Use Project
• New Group — ‘Citizens for a Better Eureka’ — Says It Will Sue Eureka Over Downtown Housing Development
• Eureka City Council Approves Surplus Designation for Vacant Lots by the Boardwalk Despite Lawsuit Threats, Paving the Way for Affordable Housing and Mixed-Use Development Along the Waterfront
• Here is the Housing Development/Parking Lot Lawsuit Served on the City of Eureka Today
  
• Arkley-Affiliated Group ‘Citizens for a Better Eureka’ Files Second Lawsuit Against the City Over Development Plans
• Local Group Announces Intent to Stop the City of Eureka’s Conversion of Downtown Parking Lots Into Housing With New Ballot Measure
• Open Letter Urging Eureka Voters Not to Sign the ‘Housing For All’ Petition Endorsed by 100+ Humboldt County Residents, Including Local Leaders in Politics, Business and Culture
• Backers of Eureka’s Pro-Parking ‘Housing for All’ Initiative Say They’ve Gathered and Submitted Enough Signatures to Get It On the Ballot
• (UPDATE) Eureka Gets $30 Million Grant for Housing Projects That the ‘Housing For All’ Initiative Hopes to Block

Press release from the office of Assm. James C. Ramos:

Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino)and Yurok Tribal Chairman Joe James today issued the following statement upon learning of the governor’s veto of AB 273 which would have established additional requirements for social workers, probation officers, and juvenile courts when a child or non-minor dependent (NMD) is missing from foster care, including immediate notification requirements, hearing timelines, and due diligence reporting deadlines.

I am disappointed and saddened by the governor’s veto of AB 273. When foster children go missing, county practices are routinely out of compliance with both federal and state law, and the minimum California Department of Social Services guidance standards. This carelessness can lead to grave, life changing, even lethal consequences for children. The potential risk is magnified for Native American children in the system. It is long past due for us to do better by our children.

However, I am heartened by his direction to the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) “to work with county partners to assess existing protocols and identify any needed improvements. With that information, CDSS will work with the author and stakeholders to inform additional guidance, training, or recommend statutory changes to protect all foster youth, especially tribal youth.”

I will work with the administration, the bill’s sponsors, the Alliance for Children’s Rights, California Tribal Families Coalition and Yurok Tribe and the Department, to ensure that local counties are consistently employing the best practices and protocols to locate, place, and stabilize missing foster children.

In July 2022, NBC reported that a Health and Human Services regional inspector are not complying with screening or reporting requirements when foster children are missing. That same news report stated, “In 36 states, the average number of days foster children were missing varied from seven to 46, and nine states reported that missing children disappeared for more than 50 days on average.” NBC also cited a National Foster Youth Institute estimate that 60 percent of child sex-trafficking victims have been in foster care or another part of the child welfare system.

Indian foster youth are even more vulnerable. Native American children enter the child welfare system at a rate that is 2.7 times their representation in the population, the highest of any racial group (AFDC 2020). National data shows that 85% of all missing Indigenous children over a 10-year period were endangered runaways. Nationally, American Indian or Alaska Native children had the highest rate of victimization at 14.8 per 1,000 children in the population of the same race or ethnicity.

It’s critical that we do all we can to support our missing foster youth, especially as we know that disproportionate numbers of these missing and vulnerable youth then become part of the grim statistics around child trafficking or in tribal communities, victims of our Missing and Murdered Indigenous People cases.

Yurok Tribal Chairman James stated:

We at the Yurok Tribe, in partnership with Tribal leaders, and communities of color who are also disproportionately impacted by the foster care system, know that our children are our most valuable resource and must be protected. While we are disappointed AB 273 was vetoed, we want to thank Assemblymember Ramos and the State legislature for their hard work and commitment to our children, and the children of many other under-represented poor people in California. In the spirit of addressing the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People and ending the pipeline from the foster care system to MMIP, we will continue to fight for our children’s safety and protection, and for their futures.

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Assemblymember James C. Ramos proudly represents the 45th Assembly district which includes the Cities of Fontana, Highland, Mentone, Redlands, Rialto and San Bernardino. He is the first and only California Native American serving in the state’s legislature. Ramos chairs the Assembly Committees on Rules.

Back on Aug. 31, 2023, the Outpost published a story about the sudden departure of Jeff Andreini, an executive with Crowley Wind Services who had led efforts to develop a port facility serving the offshore wind industry at the Port of Humboldt Bay.

We recently received a letter from a representative of Mr. Andreini. This letter expressed concern that our story might have led a reader to conclusions that the story never intended to convey.

We are happy to unambiguously assert the following:

· Jeff Andreini was not, and is not, involved in, nor was he responsible for, incidents of sex trafficking. 

· Jeff Andreini was not involved in, nor did he play a role in, the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people.

· Yurok Tribal Chairman Joe James was not referring to Jeff Andreini’s conduct when he wrote about that crisis in an Aug. 30 Times-Standard op-ed column, which called upon the Harbor District to reconsider its port development agreement with Crowley. 

We unequivocally retract anything within the Outpost’s Aug. 31, 2023, article that states or implies anything to the contrary. 

Cheers and laughter erupted as Rep. Barbara Lee pitched a $50 per hour federal minimum wage during a labor-hosted U.S. Senate candidate forum Sunday in Los Angeles.

Fellow Democrats and primary opponents, Reps. Adam Schiff and Katie Porter supported half that, but still far more than the current $7.25 an hour, with Schiff advocating for $25, and Porter a $20 federal rate and a $25 in California, indexed to inflation.

The three were trying to woo 350 delegates of the National Union of Healthcare Workers, who will vote by Tuesday on whether, or who, to endorse in the March 5 primary.

But the person of the moment in California politics wasn’t in the room: Brand-new U.S. Sen. Laphonza Butler, who took office last week after Gov. Gavin Newsom tapped her to replace the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Butler won’t say yet if she will vie for a full six-year term next year, or in the simultaneous special election for the final two months of Feinstein’s term.

When asked Sunday if Butler should run, Lee, Porter and Schiff briefly congratulated the new senator. They said they looked forward to her tenure, but said that they were focused on winning the race and suggested they can do the job better.

But if Butler, a former labor leader, decides to run, she could have the inside track to securing a formidable ally in some of California’s historically powerful labor unions. And that could shift the dynamics in the already heated March primary, in which three big-name Democrats have already been campaigning for months.

Butler’s decision is one that some powerful groups in California are willing to wait for before deciding their endorsements.

The Service Employees International Union, with 700,000 members in California, and the 2-million-member California Labor Federation are closely watching Butler’s choice, according to union officials. The federation won’t make an endorsement until its Dec. 5 statewide convention — three days before the candidate filing deadline. And Oscar Lopez, political director of SEIU California, said members deserve the opportunity to hear from Butler first.

“I would imagine that Sen. Butler would decide … in short order,” said Arnulfo De La Cruz, president of SEIU Local 2015, a chapter that represents long-term caregivers, that Butler used to lead and that holds its annual convention Nov. 6-7. “We definitely don’t want to move forward without being able to capture potentially what could be the full list of candidates.”

Already, the primary field is crowded with the three labor-friendly Democrats, whose policy takes on worker issues are barely different from one another. “We have an embarrassment of riches here,” Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, leader of the California Labor Federation, said at its May candidate forum.

Butler, however, would be the only candidate to have lived and breathed union organizing. The longtime political consultant served as the president of both the SEIU California State Council — the political coordination arm of the union — and SEIU Local 2015.

Still, to mount a competitive campaign in the five months before the March 5 primary, Butler would have to quickly tap into her labor background for the millions of potential voters and millions more in campaign contributions labor has to offer.

She would face a series of challenges: The lack of name recognition, delays in fundraising, and her stint representing Uber against gig workers in 2019 that drew criticism from liberal organizations and commentators.

“She needs something to sling-shot her campaign if she ran,” said Wesley Hussey, professor of political science at California State University, Sacramento.

Labor support is already split, however: Schiff has received endorsements from a handful of statewide unions representing firefighters, operating engineers and electric, construction and transit workers, as well as local chapters. Lee and Porter also have the backing from union chapters within their districts. On Friday, Lee joined SEIU-UHW workers on their picket line against Kaiser Permanente.

Unions that have already endorsed likely won’t change course because they tend to “place their bets on horses that they have relied on in the past, that they feel have the best chance,” said Kim Nalder, professor of political science at California State University, Sacramento.

During the Sunday forum, Lee, Porter and Schiff repeatedly pledged not to take corporate campaign donations and vowed to crack down on corporate interests. Meanwhile, they touted their support for union jobs and labor-friendly policies. All three disagreed with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s veto of legislation last week that would have allowed striking workers to claim unemployment benefits.

Butler represented both corporations and labor. When asked whether Butler’s track record is “disqualifying,” none of the three Democrats offered a definitive answer, instead acknowledging that the voting record of any candidate should be scrutinized. But Butler, now in office, has a chance to “show Californians where she stands on this issue,” Porter said. “I think it’s important that we expect her to listen to all of her better angels on labor.”

With Sunday’s forum, which starts the National Union of Healthcare Workers’ endorsement process, the pool of undecided labor unions is shrinking.

Sal Rosselli, president of the healthcare workers union, told CalMatters on Thursday that Butler did not return his personal text or a separate invitation to appear at the forum. Because she didn’t announce her campaign by noon Sunday, she isn’t eligible for the endorsement. Members will have until 5 p.m. Tuesday to vote on the endorsement, which will be announced on Wednesday, Rosselli said.

“We are not going to delay it,” he said.

Butler’s spokesperson said she planned to be in Washington, D.C., during the event. She declined a CalMatters request for an interview last week, with the spokesperson repeating: “Politics can wait.”

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees — which represents roughly 100,000 workers in California — plans to host a Oct. 15 forum featuring Lee, Porter and Schiff. It is unclear whether Butler has been asked, or is scheduled, to join.

‘Un-elected political insider’

While never having held elected office, Butler is an “un-elected political insider,” said Thad Kousser, professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego.

While leading SEIU in California, Butler was instrumental in the 2015 negotiations to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour — then the highest in the nation. The union threatened to mount a pricey ballot initiative campaign, eventually forcing then-Gov. Jerry Brown and state lawmakers to enact legislation that means the statewide minimum wage will rise to $16 an hour in January.

Butler also advised Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign before becoming the president of EMILYs List in September 2021, helping the organization elect female Democrats advocating for abortion rights.

On Friday, Butler attended a previously scheduled fundraising luncheon for EMILYs List in New York. “I decided I wouldn’t let myself down by choosing to miss another opportunity to serve at my greatest potential,” Butler told the crowd, Politico reported. “To lead and deliver at my highest impact. To raise my voice to its highest volume on behalf of creating a better, stronger, more equitable future.”

While EMILYs List doesn’t plan to endorse in the Senate race until after the primary, Butler’s ties to the organization give her access to a “huge donor network,” said Hussey. Paired with grassroots support from labor unions, it could be “a strong combination” for fundraising, Hussey said.

SEIU California — where Butler used to be president — will gather input from union members and decide in the coming weeks who to endorse in the U.S. Senate race, De La Cruz of SEIU Local 2015 said.

De La Cruz, who used to work with Butler, praised the newly-appointed senator’s pro-labor record. “She has an uncanny ability to bring people from all different walks of life together,” he said.

But ultimately, he said his chapter will consider candidates’ track record on issues such as climate, immigration and benefits for caretaking workers, as well as their ability to raise money.

Gonzalez Fletcher acknowledged Friday that Butler’s track record in organizing “matters a lot.” But to win the labor federation endorsement, a candidate must secure at least two-thirds of delegate votes at the Dec. 5 convention, she said.

“Obviously, Senator Butler did come from organized labor. That definitely is something that is on her resume that isn’t on others,” she told CalMatters.

“But I think in the end, there’s a lot of questions about who would be the most effective, who would fight the hardest, who would push the most, who would be able to have that direct connection with our members.”

Starting late, but a leg up?

Compared to the three other Democrats, Butler would have several advantages, said Kent Wong, director of the University of California Los Angeles Labor Center.

She could receive a boost in name recognition as the first Black and openly lesbian person to serve in the Senate, and the 44-year-old would appeal to voters who were frustrated at Feinstein, who did not give up her seat until she was 90, he argued.

“In a short period of time, she will become a household name in the state of California,” Wong said.

Butler also does not have the “political baggage” Lee, Porter and Schiff have as members of Congress, Nalder said.

But time is running out on Butler to assemble a campaign staff and start raising money. Schiff, who reported last week he had a whopping $32 million in cash on hand, could boost his fundraising even more as he can now collect twice as much from each donor with the special election.

Even with a background in organized labor, it would take time for established Democratic donors to warm up to Butler or for her to build up grassroots support, Nalder said.

“The traditional political donor organizations and individuals won’t have had her on their radar until a minute ago,” she added. “Labor unions are helpful, but you need some big donors or lots of small donors, and California isn’t a state where you can do retail politics and knock on doors and do town halls and get elected to the U.S. Senate.”

Besides, labor unions are already in a good position, Hussey said.

“Labor is going to … get what they want for the most part with these candidates,” he said. “​​I think she needs labor more than them (needing her).”

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

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Frank Dutra on October 2, 2023. Frank, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle and friend, left us with a lifetime of cherished memories. He was 94 years old.

Frank was born to Antone and Rose Dutra in Alton, California, on February 27, 1929. He was raised on Humboldt Hill, where as a teenager he met his neighbor and future wife, Dorothy Mello. Their love story was nothing short of extraordinary. They married just two weeks after Dorothy graduated from high school and recently celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary together.

Throughout his life, Frank wore many hats with unwavering dedication and commitment. He worked as a mill worker, a dairyman, a school bus driver, and a truck driver. Together with Dorothy, he lived in Rio Dell, Arcata, Blue Lake, McKinleyville and Willow Creek. While living in Blue Lake they purchased a ranch and raised beef cattle during the 1960s.

It was during his time driving trucks for Arthur B. Siri that Frank’s entrepreneurial spirit shone through when he was given the opportunity to buy ten trucks. Over time, he and Dorothy grew the small trucking operation into the Dutra Trucking Company, expanding the fleet to over 200 of the iconic blue and white trucks that became an unforgettable part of the Humboldt County landscape. He was the first one at the shop each morning, ensuring every driver had what they needed to start their day. Frank knew every one of his employees by name and was known for his kindness and generosity to all. Frank also took great pride in being one of the founding fathers and directors of Humboldt Bank, which later became Umpqua Bank.

In 1964, Frank and Dorothy constructed their A-frame cabin in Trinity Village, where countless memories were made with family and friends. He and Dorothy embarked on numerous adventures together, traveling throughout the United States, including Alaska and Canada, in their motorhome, forming lifelong friendships along the way. In 1983 Frank and Dorothy joined the Outdoor Resort in Cathedral City, where they enjoyed spending the winters with friends and hosting family gatherings.

Frank will forever be remembered for his quick wit, fun sense of humor, and boundless generosity that endeared him to all who had the privilege of knowing him.

Frank was preceded in death by his mother, Rose Dutra; his father, Antone Dutra; his brother, Tony Dutra; his sisters, Albertina Cordiero and Mary Bianchi; and his son-in-law, Clint Hunter Sr.

Frank leaves behind a legacy of love and family. He is survived by his adoring wife of 75 years, Dorothy Dutra; his daughters, Susan Hunter, Diane Parker (Rich), and Vicki Long (Mike); his grandchildren, Clint Hunter (Misty), Dennis Hunter, Michelle Hunter, Jessica Parker, Kacey Bridgeman (Dan), Tara Laux (David), Kial Baker (Luke), and Ryan Long (Jenna); and 15 great- grandchildren, all of whom he loved dearly.

A service to honor and celebrate Frank’s life will be held at St. Mary’s Church in Arcata on October 15, 2023, at 12:30 p.m., with a reception to follow at Baywood Golf & Country Club. In lieu of gifts, the family kindly requests that you consider donating to St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Frank’s memory.

Frank Dutra touched our lives in profound ways, leaving behind a legacy of love, laughter, and enduring memories. He will be deeply missed but forever remembered in our hearts.

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