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PREVIOUSLY:

• LOOK! Eureka’s Tribute to the Bluetooth Earpiece That Could Soon Grace the City’s South Entrance

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Press release from the City of Eureka:

Earlier this week, the City of Eureka and Caltrans celebrated the completion of Eureka’s South Gateway Sign with a small ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Herrick Avenue Overpass. Due to the location’s proximity to Highway 101, attendance was limited to staff and contractors who helped bring the project to life.

Funded through Caltrans’ Clean California Program, the monument will create a welcoming entrance to Eureka while reflecting the community’s character.

The monument was designed by local architect Julian Berg with guidance from a subcommittee of the City’s Design Review Committee, including Caroline Perez, Chuck Ellsworth, Lee Cunningham, and staff from both the City of Eureka and Caltrans. The design draws inspiration from Eureka’s architectural heritage, incorporating elements from the Sequoia Park Zoo’s entry gateways and the brickwork found throughout the city.

The project represents a collaboration between Caltrans District 1, the City of Eureka, and a talented team of local contractors and craftspeople. The City would like to extend its sincere appreciation to Allpoints Advertising, Julian Berg, Leo’s Redwood, Mad River Woodworks and Construction, Owsley Electric, Samara Restoration, and Whitchurch Engineering for their outstanding work and dedication.

The City is grateful to the many Caltrans staff members who supported the project, especially Julia Peterson, Clean California Coordinator. Through her vision and persistence, she turned Eureka’s dream into reality. This project would not have been possible without her leadership and commitment.

The City would also like to recognize Garth McCabe of Eureka’s Engineering Department for his instrumental role in guiding the project through its final stages and bringing it across the finish line. Looking ahead, the City hopes to install a complementary North Gateway Monument Sign when funding becomes available, creating a unified and welcoming sense of arrival at both ends of the community.

The City of Eureka and Caltrans hope residents and visitors alike will enjoy the new monument as it welcomes them to Eureka.

For questions regarding the South Gateway Monument Sign, please contact Swan Asbury, Economic Development Manager, at sasbury@eurekaca.gov.

PREVIOUSLY:

• Humboldt County Supervisors Adopt Long-Awaited Climate Action Plan, Set Greenhouse Gas Emissions Threshold
• ‘A Huge Endeavor’: Eureka City Council OKs Regional Climate Action Plan
• SINKHOLES: Arcata City Council Approves Emergency Spending to Fix Two of ‘Em, Also Adopts RCAP

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The Regional Climate Action Plan is finally complete. Now we need to implement it. To do so will demand a change in how local governments conceive of their mission, both integrating decarbonization in all parts of their existing work and adding new tasks to reduce emissions and plan for more resilient communities. It will require breaking out of ordinary silos and working together, as jurisdictions, to accomplish big things. Making big changes like this requires political courage. Thankfully we have that.

To coordinate cross-jurisdictional climate action, the plan calls for the creation of a Climate Program Manager. The person selected for this position would be in charge of convening a Regional Climate Committee, implementing the plan, and writing an annual progress report on said implementation. It’s important for there to be a singular person who is accountable for progress on the plan and who will help local jurisdictions work together to ensure the plan’s success. This position must be paid for jointly and proportionally by each of Humboldt’s separate local jurisdictions.

Despite facing a budget deficit, the Redwood Coast Energy Authority has volunteered to host this position and contribute both funding and oversight to the new Climate Program Manager. Redwood Coast Energy Authority makes sense as the local agency to house this regional position. RCEA is an agency already deeply invested in climate action, from pushing to decarbonize buildings, to reducing emissions from transportation, to sourcing clean, renewable energy for our community.

But nothing good can come easy. City managers balked at contributing to this shared position, expressing that their own budgets left them without room to contribute. Thankfully, the Arcata and Eureka City Councils demonstrated their commitment to climate action, expressly funding the Climate Program Manager position. In addition to our two largest cities, Humboldt County has pledged to contribute its fair share too. The County, Arcata, Eureka, and RCEA deserve our recognition and appreciation for stepping up with their contributions at this critical time.

Smaller jurisdictions, from Fortuna to Trinidad, must commit to funding the position as well. While their proportional contribution will be small, the benefits will be large. There are also other reasons to make sure they participate. Funding is not just about paying for the position, it’s a declaration of importance and cooperation. It’s putting skin in the game.

The Regional Climate Action Plan isn’t perfect, but it is important. With the retreat of the Trump Administration, state and local governments need to be the drivers of climate action. As the plan reflects, local governments have influence over most of our local climate emissions. And many of the plan’s implementation measures will have other local co-benefits besides greenhouse gas reduction, such as improved public health, better indoor and outdoor air quality, and economic development.

Tom Wheeler,
Executive Director, EPIC

Colin Fiske,
Executive Director, CRTP

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On June 11, 2026, at approximately 2:59 p.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the 200 block of Bowie Road in Loleta for a report of a male reportedly running around with a machete and threatening people.

Once deputies arrived on scene, witnesses reported the suspect, 39-year-old Cody Meyers, fled into a nearby residence.  As deputies were establishing a perimeter around the residence, Meyers ran out of the residence onto Bowie Rd. holding the machete and continued running, ignoring deputies’ commands to stop running.  

Due to Meyers’ actions, and the immediate threat he posed to nearby bystanders, a Sheriff’s K9 was deployed and successfully apprehended him. During the apprehension, Meyers sustained a bite injury to his lower body. Emergency medical personnel responded to the scene where he was evaluated before being transported to a local hospital for treatment.

Following treatment and release from the hospital, Meyers was transported to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility, where he was booked on the following charges:

• PC 978.5 Bench warrant/Failure to appear of felony charge
• PC 148(A)(1) Obstruct/resist peace officer

Meyers is on active CDC Parole.

Anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.

It slipped under the radar last week, an Arcata City Council consent calendar item freezing all hiring for unfilled city jobs. It was approved without comment. Enacting the freeze only affected one job, a city planning position that opened up a few weeks ago after a resignation — but its passage means the city is in a tough spot financially. Why is it necessary?

Like every complicated economy-related problem, the city felt it was the right move for a few reasons, the city’s finance director, Tabatha Miller, told the Outpost. The city’s being squeezed in multiple directions. Revenues are down, expenses are up. Freezing hiring seemed like one of the best options available, though the savings represent only a drop in the bucket towards making ends meet. City planners for Arcata make between roughly $50,000 and $70,000 annually, and Miller said the city was, at one point, staring down a $5.6 million deficit for the next fiscal year. The number-crunchers stuffed about $4.4 million back into the budget, but the remainder will have to be yanked from general fund reserves. 

Cutting the first $3 million was simple, Miller said, mostly just “cleanup” and moving expenses around, taking a few capital expenditures out of the budget. Work on the Reconnecting Arcata project slowed down to a near-halt; road paving and work on the Sunset Avenue roundabouts was delayed. (Money for the Annie and Mary Trail got a pass. The city’s $484,000 let it leverage a further $7 million in grant funding to finish work.) But the next $1.6 million wasn’t as neat; city accountants assessed every expenditure, cut part-time staff by 10%, sliced off $250,000 just in supplies and materials.

“That was just to be more realistic,” Miller said. “It’s, like, ‘OK, this is what we spent last year. There’s no room for any extras.’”

Though the freeze only affects the one job, she said there were likely going to be some retirements on the horizon, which would save the city a few more bucks when their jobs stay unfilled. It was better than furloughing employees — making them work 10% fewer hours for a 10% reduction in pay — because it’s not a very “efficient” solution, especially for first-responders like police. 

“We’re taking a more conservative approach,” Arcata City Manager Merritt Perry told the Outpost. “I think we’re going further than some jurisdictions by estimating a 5% decrease in sales tax. What we’d rather do is make some adjustments sooner rather than later if the economic conditions continue to be worse than we think…and be responsible, to estimate those revenues in line with where we think they’re going to be, not in an optimistic manner.”

The vast majority of the city’s jobs are filled, Miller said, almost fully staffed in every department. That’s pretty new, Miller said. In the past, the police department struggled to fill all of its roles, but after a long push to attract more employees, they’re actually slightly overhired. It’s not a situation unique to Arcata. Nationwide, fewer and fewer people are changing jobs.

Miller said the city has no desire to do a round of layoffs. 

Much of the blame can be placed on two factors: a decline in the city’s tax revenue, and an increase in health insurance. The 10% tax Arcata levies on hotel guests and Airbnb renters took a large hit, as did all of the various forms of sales tax money Arcata earns, a projected 5% decrease. Some had it worse than others: earnings from measures H and G, which add a combined 1.5% to most purchases made in the city, dropped 13.7% last quarter, the largest decrease Miller said she’d seen in her tenure with the city. 

Some of that decline can be attributed to the completion of several construction projects on Cal Poly Humboldt’s campus, which had been propping the revenues up for a few years. The partial destruction of Hensel’s Ace Hardware in the Jan. 2 fire also didn’t help, Miller theorized. It was always in the top 25 highest-paying contributors in sales tax to the city’s coffers, and losing two-thirds of their retail space was tough for both the business and Arcata.

Expenses are also climbing. Inflation is rising, a problem the world over, much of it here due to rising gas prices caused by the Iran War. Although higher gas prices could theoretically make more money for the city through higher sales tax revenue, that hasn’t been the case, as consumers often spend less money elsewhere after being robbed at the pump. However, more residents may choose to vacation locally this summer because jet fuel is so much more expensive than normal.

“I think there’s always this idea, especially here in Humboldt County, that you’d like to be more self-sustained and not impacted by the greater world,” Miller said. “And that’s somewhat true, but it’s just not reality.”

Locally, city hall was also slammed with rising health insurance prices. REMIF, the insurance provider for about a dozen municipalities in Northern California, jacked its premiums up 50% in one year, a $1.2 million increase for Arcata if it had kept using REMIF as a healthcare provider. The increase was mostly caused by employees in cities further south choosing to opt in to cheaper, less extensive plans, leaving mostly the sicker people on the REMIF insurance, which drove the cost way up. (REMIF doesn’t operate like a normal insurance carrier; all of the members pool their money together to pay for health care claims.) Miller called it the “death spiral,” a bottleneck that only rewards areas with better choices and punishes those that don’t. Arcata switched providers to CalPERS before it got slammed with the full brunt of the rising costs, but was still hit with a $700,000 increase from the previous year. Fortuna and Eureka have also dealt with the same problem. 

Amy Conley, REMIF’s executive director, confirmed that the plan most Arcata employees are on was due to experience a large increase (almost 30%) for the upcoming plan year. 

“Costs are driven primarily by the actual health care claims and prescription drug expenses incurred by the covered population,” Conley wrote in a statement sent to the Outpost. “Like many employers and health plans across California and the nation, the REMIF program has experienced significant increases in health care and prescription drug costs in recent years. These challenges are not unique to REMIF and have contributed to rising health care costs throughout the public and private sectors.”

Liability insurance prices also went up 29% last year, following two consecutive years of large increases.

It looks rough, but Miller said there was reason to be optimistic. The city has applications out for several infrastructure grants, many of which have money included for staff expenditures. Later in the year, when the city knows how well it did this quarter, they’ll take a look at unfreezing hiring.

It’d be easy to cheat, Miller said, shuffle things around on paper so it looks like there’s no deficit, close ranks and wait a few years until maybe things get better. But long-term that’s idiotic.

“The council has done a really good job of building reserves over the last five years and being supportive of us putting money aside for rainy days,” Miller said. “We don’t want to just blow that because we put our heads in the sand.”

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This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

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California Senate Democrats want to put the brakes on a new program by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration that steers free pollution permits to oil refineries and other major polluters — and they’re using the state budget to force the issue.

In the spending proposal they released last month, the senators moved to block the program until the state funds a three-party climate deal the governor struck with the Legislature last year, an agreement they say Newsom is now breaking. They call their counterplan “Deal is a Deal,” signaling a standoff that could stretch through the summer.

“We really need to stay to the deal,” said Sen. Eloise Gómez Reyes, a San Bernardino Democrat and chair of the Senate’s climate budget subcommittee.

At stake are billions of dollars earmarked for public transit, safe drinking water and affordable housing raised from climate market auctions. The Senate is also threatening to hold up many of Newsom’s own priorities, including funding for high-speed rail and wildfires, electric-car tax credits and a clean jet fuel subsidy.

At issue is a new incentive program created last month by the California Air Resources Board, which overhauled the state’s carbon market under pressure from Newsom and heavy lobbying by the oil industry. It offers free pollution permits worth as much as $4 billion to companies that pledge to invest in clean energy and efficiency initiatives, with half slated for the fossil fuel industry.

That program threatens to drain funds for a series of air quality, housing and transit programs that lawmakers and Newsom agreed to fund last year, when they extended the state’s carbon market through 2045, rebranding it “cap and invest.” The overhaul also puts up to $1 billion guaranteed to the Legislature for discretionary projects in jeopardy.

A climate bargain under threat

California’s carbon-trading program, launched in 2013, is California’s way of putting a price tag on greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change.

Last year’s late-session deal set a new pecking order for the billions of dollars the program raises by auctioning pollution permits.

Under the deal, high-speed rail gets $1 billion a year before many other climate programs are funded; another $1 billion annually is dedicated to lawmakers’ priorities.

Last in line are the programs that turn carbon-market money paid by polluters into tangible benefits for some of California’s most burdened communities: affordable housing projects near transit, cleaner buses and rail, safe drinking water, wildfire protection and neighborhood air monitoring.

Last month, following intense lobbying by the oil industry and ballooning gas prices, the air board adopted rules to cut the number of auctioned pollution permits drastically through 2030 with Newsom’s blessing. It also created a new incentive for oil and gas refineries and other industries investing in decarbonization.

“It’s unfortunate that the state of California empowers the oil industry to freak everyone out and adopt bad policies,” said Sen. Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat.

The Legislative Analyst’s Office projects the changes could cut annual auction revenue for state climate programs from roughly $4 billion to $2 billion, which would wipe out community-focused programs.

Newsom spokesperson Anthony Martinez said the changes keep the carbon market “durable” while helping consumers and industry.

“That is not a retreat from climate leadership — it’s how California keeps leading while the federal government is retreating,” Martinez said.

Senate holds Newsom priorities hostage

Senate Democrats have countered with their own plan. It would protect the $1 billion lawmakers control, then steer as much as $2 billion to the housing, transit, clean air and drinking water programs. Newsom’s priorities would move to the back of the line, meaning if the climate fund brings in only $2 billion, Cal Fire, high-speed rail and other programs would get little or nothing.

“Why, at this time … would we take away critical funding to build affordable homes in California?” said Sen. Jesse Arreguín, an Oakland Democrat and chair of the housing committee.

Wiener said public transit should not have to fight for survival. “Every year, transit funding becomes a political football.”

Meanwhile, Assembly Democrats are mum on the rule change in their budget plan and have not proposed any alternatives.

Assemblymembers Jacqui Irwin and Cottie Petrie-Norris, Democrats who chair key climate and energy committees, have supported the air board’s plan, saying the changes reflect the Legislature’s focus on affordability, including potentially more money for Californians’ electric bills.

The governor and the Legislature have until June 30 to agree on a budget deal before the new fiscal year starts. But much of the climate funding tied up in negotiations is not bound by the deadline and can be hashed out before the legislative session wraps in September.

The Senate’s opposition is threatening to hold up many of Newsom’s priorities.

One is his January proposal to spend $200 million on electric vehicle incentives, $115 million of which would come from the climate fund. Senate Democrats have deferred negotiations on it and talks could last through the summer.

The Senate also rejected Newsom’s proposed sustainable aviation fuel tax credit, which Newsom argues would encourage the production of greener fuel and boost refinery jobs. The initiative, which would allow eligible producers to pay less into the state’s road repair funding, followed intensive lobbying by petroleum refining company Phillips 66, the only company that has publicly announced it would benefit from the credit.

Cleanup tool or polluter subsidy?

The climate funding dispute turns on the idea that California may be using its carbon market to soften the rules for some of the state’s biggest polluters.

Air regulators say the permits created through its new program, the Manufacturing Decarbonization Incentive, will go only to companies that cut their own emissions. They say the program has guardrails, including requirements to return the permits if companies fail to deliver. They argue the program will help keep refineries and other major industries in California while sustaining clean-energy investment as President Donald Trump withdraws federal support.

“The cap-and-invest program was updated to do what it was always designed to do: reduce pollution cost-effectively, protect ratepayers, and keep businesses operating in California,” Lindsay Buckley, a spokesperson for the board, said. “The program was never designed to maximize auction revenue.”

Critics of the new program see only a subsidy for polluters that does not guarantee emissions reductions. They argue the new program could threaten California’s ability to meet its legally mandated 2030 emissions targets.

Several board members shared concerns. The overhaul passed 10-3, but only after the board required further review before the new incentive program launches.

The Senate plan would block climate-fund spending unless the Department of Finance certifies that last year’s deal can be funded. It would also stop the air board from handing out the new industrial permits unless state officials show they align with California’s climate targets, lower gasoline prices and leave enough money for threatened climate programs.

The budget fight could have political consequences for Newsom as he defends his climate record beyond California, said Katie Valenzuela, a policy advocate who focuses on environmental justice issues.

“If this (rule) goes forward and isn’t fixed, this is a huge stain on his climate legacy,” Valenzuela said. “He is showing loud and clear that the most vulnerable residents who are most impacted by climate change are not his priority.”

It is with deep regret that we announce the passing of Helen (Nan) Underwood on June 5, 2026. Helen passed away peacefully surrounded by love.

On October 27, 1947 the earth was blessed with the birth of Helen Ann Lindsey. She was born to Jeraldine Thomas and Dewey Lindsey. Helen was the eldest child in her large family with six younger siblings — Edward, Jerry, Fern, Betty, DJ and Steve.

Helen spent her younger years winning dance competitions. She always bragged about being a great dancer. That was something she loved and missed. She also had the privilege of helping her working mom care for her younger siblings. A joy she bragged about until her dying day.

Helen was lucky enough to meet the love of her life Edward Underwood at a very young age. She found and married that man at the young age of 17. That marriage saw her through 61 years of the happiest most loving life. A life filled with cooking, dancing, laughter, hunting, fishing and camping. A life filled to the brim with love.

In those 61 years, Ed and Helen had three beautiful children who became their life — Brenda, Michelle and Edward — along with their son-in-law Martin and daughter-in-law Gina, who they loved and cherished tremendously. Those children gave Ed and Helen nine grandchildren — Cassie, Seymone, Jesika, Taran, Edward, Austin, Hunter, Nicko and Isabella — and 16 great-grandchildren — Mikhail, Desi, Liam, Lincoln, Koda, Henry, Zach, James, Arayla, Elayna, Elijah, Zoe, Payton, Amelia, Aurora and Charlie. A whole empire. There was nothing in this world that made Helen more proud than her grandbabies. She bragged about them to anyone who would listen.

Although in her later years Helen became more of a home body, she relished in the joy her memories gave her. Helen enjoyed nothing more than a vanilla ice cream cone and a drive up the coast with her loving husband.

Helen had a life well lived. She enjoyed a life full of love and laughter. She was an amazing cook and often talked about opening a restaurant one day. Nan was famous for her ocean abalone feeds. She loved cooking for all her family and friends. She had a huge love of playing canasta with family around the dinner table. She had many family card nights filled with laughter and great food she made. Her whole house full of friends and family eating fish, playing games and just enjoying each other.

She was the life of any party and she never minded laughing at herself. Helen (Nan) was full of life. Helen had many life long friends that became family. And a wonderful community that constantly surrounded her with love. She was grateful for all those that shared in the memories she cherished. She had such a will to be here for many more years. She fought so hard. Nan will be missed beyond any measure. Her absence leaves a deep wound in all our hearts.

To celebrate her life we will be having a celebration on August 22 at 2 p.m. at the Rio Dell Fire Hall. We invite any and all people who were impacted by Helen (Nan) to come and celebrate all that she was. She was an incredible woman and we will miss her deeply.

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At last night’s meeting, the Eureka Planning Commission approved the city’s plans to purchase a half-acre lot at Second and A streets in Old Town for a new emergency homeless shelter. The emergency shelter will host up to 40 prefabricated units, as well as bathroom, laundry and meal prep facilities, as well as other supportive services for people experiencing housing insecurity.

The City of Eureka has had its eye on the vacant parcel at 16 Second Street for a while now, but it hasn’t been able to secure the grant funding needed to buy the site. A few years ago, the Betty Kwan Chinn Foundation bought the property for roughly $300,000 and gave the city the right of first refusal, meaning the city will have first dibs on the property when the foundation is ready to sell.

The city has been working with a private donor to purchase the site, but the Betty Kwan Chinn Foundation would still oversee operations at the shelter.

Speaking at last night’s meeting, Commissioner Deborah Dukes asked Eureka City Manager Miles Slattery to explain the advantage of the city owning the site rather than the Betty Kwan Chinn Foundation.

“The donor is interested in putting a long-term deed restriction on it to maintain the property as a shelter/affordable property,” Slattery explained via Zoom. “That’s something that they felt more comfortable with the city having ownership, so that we can assure that that deed restriction can be placed on the property.”

Commissioner Delo Freitas made a motion to approve the property acquisition, which was seconded by Commissioner Dukes. The motion passed in a unanimous 5-0 vote.

Once funding is secured, the Eureka City Council will formally accept the donation and/or grant funds and set parameters for the emergency shelter project.

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A little earlier in the meeting, the planning commission narrowly approved a permit request for five three rental units and two long-term rental units on a single parcel at 1120 J Street in Eureka — but not without some modifications to the original application.

The applicants, Kathleen Stanton and Chris Morse, have been operating five unpermitted vacation rental units (Airbnb, Vrbo, etc.) in a converted Victorian and detached art studio at the J Street property for the last year or so. An application to convert the existing housing units into five vacation rentals was submitted back in 2024, but it was deemed incomplete, and the applicant did not respond to the city’s follow-up request, according to staff.

“During the permitting process, it was discovered that the detached unit was not permitted as a legal dwelling unit, but was being used as a vacation rental. The unit has since been brought up to code and was approved by the building official,” said Taylor Rayburn, an assistant planner with the city. “The applicant has set up a payment plan to repay transient occupancy tax (TOT) owed to the city for prior operation.”

Speaking at last night’s meeting, Stanton apologized for failing to go through the proper channels to get her vacation rentals permitted, claiming she misunderstood the process.

Stanton | Screenshot

“I have two other Airbnbs, one in Arcata and one in the county, and all you have to do is pay your fee, and you’re good to go,” she said, adding that she paid a roughly $1,150 fee for her Eureka rentals compared to $260 in Arcata. “When I got the letter a year later from the planning staff that I was not permitted, it came as a really big shock to me. But thankfully, with staff’s help, we’ve been able to work things out, and we’re now on the right track tonight to hopefully get officially permitted.”

Stanton noted that she and her husband both have backgrounds in historic preservation and had always wanted to remodel a Victorian. 

“We bought the house in March of 2024 and we put $150,000 into it,” she said. “It was a labor of love, but we’re very happy with how the renovation turned out. We think it’s a gift to the street and to the neighborhood.”

One of Stanton’s next-door neighbors urged the commission to approve the permit request during public comment, noting that she’s “never had a problem” with people staying in the rentals. “They’ve been wonderful neighbors,” she said. “When I have friends come to town, I would like them to stay there because it’s beautiful.”

Another neighbor took the opposite stance, expressing concerns that the vacation rentals would take away much-needed housing.

“I don’t believe that changing existing apartments into vacation rental units is good for the city,” she said. “I don’t believe that taking away places within neighborhoods like this from residents and giving them to tourists is appropriate for the life of the city.”

The commission echoed concerns about vacation rentals eating up the city’s affordable housing stock, though they did express appreciation to the applicants for investing in and beautifying the property.

Lazar | Screenshot

Commissioner Steve Lazar took issue with the number of units on site, noting that “this is at least two to three times larger than what we conventionally see” in vacation rental permit applications. Lazar also took issue with the applicant’s claim that she didn’t understand the city’s regulatory process. “These regulations have been in place for a long time by the time this came around, so I am not so sympathetic, frankly.”

The rest of the commission echoed Lazar’s concerns in one way or another, aside from Commissioner Freitas, who didn’t speak up during the discussion. 

“I don’t have a problem with Airbnb units per se, [but] having them in residential areas kind of rubs me the wrong way,” Commissioner Dukes said. “I recognize the support of your neighbor, and I also … worry about taking good housing stock out of what’s a very nice neighborhood.”

After some additional conversation, the commission cobbled together a motion to approve a minor use permit for three vacation rental units at the site, plus two long-term units to provide living quarters for an on-site caretaker. The motion passed 3-2, with commissioners Dukes and Michael Kraft dissenting.

After the vote, city staff addressed Stanton in the audience and said she would have ten days to appeal the commission’s vote to the Eureka City Council. Lazar thanked Stanton and attempted to assure her that the vote was “nothing personal.”