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Negotiators for Russia and Ukraine are currently meeting in Istanbul for peace talks. As of this writing, international news outlets are cautiously reporting that they seem to be making some progress.

Earlier today, James Tressler, the former Times-Standard reporter who writes the “Letter From Istanbul” column for the Lost Coast Outpost most Sundays, took a ferry over to Dolmabahçe Palace, where the talks are being held. He sends along this video report from the scene.

California wants to lure all 4-year-olds to public schools within the next four years. But will there be enough teachers there to meet them?

School districts across the state are scrambling to hire an estimated 11,000 teachers and 25,000 teacher assistants to expand transitional kindergarten. It’s a tall order for school district officials already in the midst of a daunting educator shortage and coming out of the pandemic.

“If we can’t find staffing, we just flat can’t do it,” said Mike Martin, superintendent of the County Office of Education in Modoc County. “It’s not like we have a pool of folks lined up asking to come to work in our districts. We are competing with everybody else out there for these same folks.”

The main potential source for these thousands of public school teachers are already teaching pint-sized kids in early childhood education. So now private and nonprofit preschool and child care providers are worried about losing not just 4-year-olds, but also their qualified teachers and staff members to the higher wages and free summers that public schools offer.

Their solution: A bill in the Legislature that would extend the state-funded expansion to their childcare centers and preschools for all 4-year-olds.

Gov. Gavin Newsom touts the expansion as a way to close the achievement gap and included $600 million in the 2020-21 budget, growing to $2.7 billion in the general fund by 2025-26. The budget also includes $130 million for student access and $300 million for planning and teacher training in one-time Proposition 98 money. A related policy bill flew through the Legislature and Newsom signed it.

The roll-out begins this fall for kids turning 5 between Sept. 2 and Feb. 2. Each year, more children will be able to enroll based on their birthdates until 2025-26, when the program will be available to all 4-year-olds.

California is home to about 500,000 4-years-olds. One in five of those children are already in transitional kindergarten, known as TK. It began in 2012 for kids who turn five between Sept. 2 and Dec. 2. Previously, those children had been able to enroll in kindergarten at age 4, but then the rules changed limiting enrollment in kindergarten to mainly 5-year-olds.

Transitional kindergarten is optional; parents can still choose to stay in their private pay program or subsidized state preschool.

Advocates say the benefits of the expansion are two-fold.

Access to free transitional kindergarten will benefit children who qualified for subsidized child care but could not find a slot, and those who do not qualify for help but whose families can’t afford to pay for child care or preschool, said Patricia Lozano, executive director of Early Edge, a nonprofit advocacy group that supported the new law.

Also, moving 4-year-olds out of early childhood education — such as state preschool, childcare centers or private preschools — and into public school is designed to open up seats for younger children, especially in state-run preschool and federally-funded Head Start programs.

Now, state preschool serves only 32% of eligible 4-year-olds and 13% of eligible 3-year-olds, Sarah Neville-Morgan, deputy superintendent of the state Department of Education.

The participation rate for transitional kindergarten is expected to be 75% to 80% of all 4-year-olds, Neville-Morgan said. That is roughly an additional 345,000 children once the program is fully implemented.

“We are leaning in,” Neville-Morgan said. “Having universal transitional kindergarten for all 4-year-olds opens up opportunities for all 3-year-olds.”

Lofty goals indeed, but these do not help solve the labor shortage facing school districts that is so dire that schools needed to start hiring 300,000 teachers a year since 2018 to get caught up.

Ultimately, California school districts will need to hire an additional 11,000 new credentialed teachers for transitional kindergarten classrooms and 25,000 to 26,000 teaching assistants, according to Berkeley Children’s Forum.

Minimally, this year the state will need at least 2,400 teachers to be able to serve the 58,000 new children expected to enroll in transitional kindergarten in the fall. The following year another 3,600 credentialed teachers will be needed, said Bruce Fuller, professor of education and public policy at UC Berkeley who heads the Children’s Forum.

“It’s a huge and hopeful experiment, and I think a lot rests on how school districts will respond,” Fuller said. “And, secondly, can the nonprofit sector turn on a dime and re-equip and adjust to this new market reality?”

Now, the state is allowing teachers with bachelor’s degrees and multi-subject credentials to teach transitional kindergarten. By August, those teachers will also need to have completed 24 units of early childhood education classes, or they will need to have a child development permit.

In addition to the teachers and aides already working in early childhood centers, this also creates an opportunity for paraprofessionals, such as teacher assistants, to consider moving into teaching, said Xong Lor, legislative advocate for the California School Employees Association, which sponsored the expansion law.

She said declining enrollment in schools, equal access for all 4-year-olds to access transitional kindergarten and the opportunity for career growth drove the union to back the proposal.

“Our members are being paid so low, so having that opportunity to advance themselves that is something that we are supportive of,” Lor said. “When you take a para out and they become a teacher, now you’ve created this vacancy. So we need assistance to make sure these positions are being filled.”

Will private preschools get raided?

While some school districts will see some teachers moving from other grades into transitional kindergarten, the main source of new recruits may come from California’s early childhood education world. There are an estimated 31,000 teachers with bachelor’s degrees working with the under 5 set, said Hanna Melnick, senior policy advisor at the Learning Project Institute.

The Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at UC Berkeley published a study in August that found that early childhood educators are well-equipped to teach transitional kindergarten. It found that 49% of early childhood teachers have a bachelor’s degree or higher and among those 76% also have a child development permit at the teacher level or higher.

“It seems like a no-brainer that these people should absolutely be eligible to teach TK,” said Elena Montoya, senior research and policy associate at the UC Berkeley center. “We are hoping and encouraging that these pathways be made available to early educators that have the most experience working with 4-year-olds.”

And they could have incentive to move to public schools: The median hourly wage for kindergarten teachers is $41.86, or about $73,000 a year, while preschool teachers earn $16.83 an hour, or about $35,000 a year, according to the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at UC Berkeley.

The potential exodus, however, will impact early childhood education, where it’s already difficult to find teachers and assistants. It may also leave behind those, especially women of color who stack the sector, without the formal schooling required to transition over, according to research from the Berkeley Center.

“The message for the rest of the sector and the workforce seems to be that California is focusing on TK and centering resources even if it disrupts the rest of the system,” Montoya said. “They talk about it as a package, but is it really a package if these are the consequences, destabilizing the rest of the system?”

That is why the center supports including current child care providers and preschool centers to reach the goal of expanded transitional kindergarten. It also recommends creating an alternative pathway to qualify as a TK teacher so early childhood education experience can be recognized and count toward a credential.

“We don’t just want public schools to decide what quality pre-K looks like. We want to have a diversity of organizations.”
— Bruce Fuller, head of the Berkeley Children’s Forum

The new bill, SB 976, would require that private and nonprofit providers be included in the expansion to give parents choice and to ease the staffing burden, said Dave Esbin, executive director of California Quality Early Learning, an organization that advocates for private child care providers.

Incorporating non-profit and private preschools would create better quality, Fuller agrees.

“We don’t just want public schools to decide what quality pre-K looks like. We want to have a diversity of organizations,” he said. “That’s good for parents because they can find a Montessori pre-K or a heavily disciplined pre-K, a hippy-dippy learning through play pre-K. Parents can find whatever they want if we continue to fund a diverse array of pre-K organizations.”

State Deputy Supt. Neville-Morgan, however, said transitional kindergarten is focused in public schools because much of the money for the expansion is from Prop. 98 funds, which must go to public schools.

“One of the things we hope is that California gets to a place where we are not saying, ‘You are stealing or taking (teachers),’ but that we are all in this together in a shared way,” she said. “We know that teachers are the most important thing for our little kids.”

School districts prepare

School districts have been providing transitional kindergarten for nearly a decade. Some have been providing it for even longer under different names. Long Beach Unified School District was offering what it called “Preppy K” before the state created transitional kindergarten, said Brian Moskovitz, assistant superintendent of early learning and elementary education.

Now, the district runs transitional kindergarten classes, as well as state preschool and federal Head Start programs. In addition to recruiting more teachers for next year, the district is also leveraging existing staff to make the expansion work.

In one transitional kindergarten classroom, students who are in state preschool are combined with other transitional kindergarteners with the same teacher. The children are simply paid for by different pots of money.

In Humboldt County, officials are relying on a grant-funded residency program to train teachers on the job, but it’s going to take time, said Colby Smart, assistant superintendent of the Humboldt County Office of Education.

“We don’t have the level of qualified teachers to fill those positions,” he said. “This residency capacity grant is designed to plan and also to build the pipeline to get those teachers.”

The county will need 70 transitional kindergarten teachers. Currently, the county has 30 residents in training who should be fully credentialed by 2023.

San Diego Unified is a bit ahead of the curve. The district tested transitional kindergarten for all 4-year-olds this school year in 70 classrooms in its lowest-income schools, said Stephanie Ceminsky, who oversees early learning for the district.

“It’s such a special place. It’s not TK and it isn’t K and it’s not a 3-year-old,” she said. “4-year-olds are a special niche that early childhood educators do know.”

Next year, the district is rolling out the program across all campuses for all 4-year-olds regardless of birthday. Ceminsky estimates a need of 40 to 60 teachers for the incoming 3,200 students.

The district has most of its staff already because of the pilot program and plans a career fair in May.

“We don’t have the level of qualified teachers to fill those positions.”
— Colby Smart, assistant superintendent of the Humboldt County Office of Education

In Modoc County, in the northeastern corner of the state, the three school districts serve a total of only 1,300 students. So combo classes with kindergarteners and even first-graders are the norm for 4-year-olds.

“We don’t have big enough number of students to justify the single classroom,” Supt. Martin said.

But Deputy Superintendent Misti Norby calls the combo classes “developmentally not appropriate.” So Martin and Norby will work closely with families to select the right placement, which may be staying in their current preschool setting.

Meanwhile, child care and preschool providers say they fear that they will lose staff and potential staff members, who will opt to go to school districts instead.

One preschool director called it “a slap in the face” after struggling to stay open during the pandemic to ensure little children got the care and learning they needed while public schools closed.

Many early childhood educators want to know: If the governor was going to dedicate money to kids under 5, why didn’t he bolster the early childhood system that already exists?

“All the statistics of the success of child care or preschool are based on our programs, Preschool is a cozy place with little child furniture and a teacher and a director,” said Holly Gold, who owns Rockridge Little School in Berkeley and two other locations that cater to 2 to 5 year-olds. “Now, they take all of that and they use it to jack all of the funds and divert them to public school systems because public school enrollment is down.”

At the Old Firehouse School in Lafayette, program director Alexandra Dutton said she doesn’t blame preschool teachers who may want to earn more money in public schools, but it worries her.

“They are going to get paid more, they are going to get vacation, they are going to have a union,” Dutton said. “I can’t compete with that. Most (private and nonprofit) schools won’t be able to compete with that, and that will directly impact the quality of early childhood centers because a lot of educated teachers are going to think about going.”

One of Dutton’s teachers is attending classes at night.

“She sees the writing on the wall,” Dutton said. “She is trying to get her bachelor’s because she’s realizing that things might change.”

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CalMatters reporter Joe Hong contributed to this story. CALmatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

Amid rising concerns about crime and recent criminal justice reforms, California’s law enforcement groups are spending big this year in several high-profile races.

So far in the 2022 election cycle, these groups have contributed more than $1 million to campaigns for the state Legislature and several statewide offices, slightly less than the $1.2 million contributed at the same point in 2020 and significantly more than the roughly $305,000 in 2018, according to a CalMatters analysis.

As of Monday, nearly $1 out of every $6 donated by law enforcement groups has gone into the attorney general’s race, specifically to Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert. The $176,900 in cop cash given to Schubert is about 10% of her total contributions.

Shubert campaign photo.

She is a Republican turned independent who is the preferred pick of these groups looking to unseat Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat who was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021.

Schubert is endorsed by one of the largest contributors: the Peace Officers Research Association of California, an advocacy and lobbying group. The organization has given Schubert $16,200, the maximum allowed for the June 7 primary, while none of her opponents have reported any law enforcement contributions so far – not Bonta, who has raised $6.4 million total so far, and not Republican challengers Nathan Hochman or Eric Early.

This is the first time since at least 1999 the organization has not contributed to the coffers of the incumbent in the attorney general’s race, according to Secretary of State records. The Peace Officers Research Association sees it differently. Brian Marvel, president of the association, told CalMatters that “PORAC doesn’t consider there to be an incumbent in this race” because Bonta was appointed and not elected.

The other major sources of law enforcement cash are unions: the California Association of Highway Patrolmen and the L.A. Police Protective League. The CHP union has contributed $112,800 in 38 races so far, with $11,000 going to Schubert’s campaign, its first donation to a candidate for attorney general since 2007. The protective league has donated $146,600 in 25 races so far, but nothing to Schubert.

As the attorney general is the state’s top law enforcement officer, agencies can be directly impacted by decisions, including investigations of police officers.Bonta and Schubert have different priorities about what they would do in office. Though both their campaigns discuss gun violence and prosecuting polluters, Bonta’s website highlights “fighting hate and protecting civil rights” and Schubert’s promises to “aggressively [prosecute] violent criminals.” Both candidates support the law Bonta wrote while he was a legislator that directs the attorney general’s office to investigate when law enforcement officers kill unarmed civilians.

The attorney general’s race isn’t the only statewide election where law enforcement groups are giving money. For the primary, they are limited to giving $16,200 for statewide offices, other than governor ($32,400), and $9,700 in legislative races.    

Fiona Ma, who is running for reelection as state treasurer, has received the second most so far. Why do law enforcement officers care who is treasurer? The treasurer can affect their pensions as a board member of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System. 

Ma’s campaign has taken in $55,200, with ​$​47,100 coming from two of the three big police groups: the Peace Officers Research Association and the Los Angeles Police Protective League. Ma’s relationship with law enforcement unions isn’t new. According to campaign finance watchdog OpenSecrets, the Peace Officers Research Association is the fifth largest contributor to Ma over her career.

So far in the 2022 election, law enforcement groups have also placed bets in 42 of the 80 Assembly races and in seven of the 20 state Senate campaigns, after redistricting dramatically changed many of the legislative districts and after a rash of resignations and decisions not to seek reelection created open seats.

Assemblymember Phillip Chen, a Republican who is running in the 59th District near Los Angeles, has raised the most from law enforcement groups of all legislative candidates, $47,400 so far, even though he’s unopposed. 

While accepting cop cash might be a contentious issue within the California Democratic Party, some Democratic candidates for Assembly aren’t shy. Assemblymember James Ramos from Rancho Cucamonga has taken $37,200, while his foe in the 45th District, Republican Joe Martinez, has received no cop money. 

Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris of Laguna Beach has raised $27,100, while her opponent, Republican Assemblymember Steven Choi, hasn’t taken any as they compete to represent the new 73rd District centered around Irvine. And Democratic Assemblymember Evan Low of Cupertino has received $26,900, while his opponents in the 26th District, Democrat Long Jiao and Republican Tim Gorsulowsky, haven’t reported any law enforcement contributions.

In the state Senate, the top four recipients of law enforcement money are also Democrats, including three sitting senators: Tom Umberg from Garden Grove who got $26,200, Bob Archuleta from Pico Rivera took $22,700, and Anna Caballero from Salinas accepted $16,700. 

Democrat Angelique Ashby, a Sacramento City Council member, is one of the few top recipients of law enforcement money who isn’t already in the Legislature. She has taken $14,900 while Democrat Dave Jones – her most prominent opponent, a former legislator and state insurance commissioner – hasn’t reported any contributions from law enforcement. The fifth largest recipient so far is Republican Sen. Brian Jones of El Cajon, who has pulled in $6,000 in his campaign for the 40th District, while his opponents have reported no police donations.

Law enforcement unions invested about $2.7 million during the 2019-20 election cycle and more than $2.1 million in 2021 when Newsom faced a recall. With $1 million already contributed more than two months before the June 7 primary, it’s possible law enforcement groups will be even more generous in 2022.

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

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As a dry summer looms, California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered water suppliers across California to step up their local drought responses, but fell short of requiring water rationing or setting a statewide conservation target.

Despite pressure from experts urging a strong mandate, the order leaves the exact conservation measures up to the urban water providers and major water wholesalers that supply the vast majority of Californians. It does not affect agricultural water providers, or the small water systems that are especially vulnerable to drought.

Newsom also ordered state water regulators to consider banning irrigation of decorative lawns at businesses and other institutions.

California’s water watchers said that the order wasn’t enough.

“I would have liked to see a more directed statewide mandate that would have taken into consideration regional per capita water-use levels,” said Newsha Ajami, chief strategy officer for research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. “However, I am glad to see he is initiating efforts to curb outdoor water use and banning non-functional turf.”

Water systems, however, applauded Newsom for leaving water conservation up to local agencies.

“The Governor’s Order today recognizes the diversity of California communities and their water supply conditions,” Jennifer Pierre, general manager of the State Water Contractors association of public water agencies, said in a statement. “Ordering agencies to exercise their specific plans strikes that important balance of statewide needs and local action.”

Under the order, which will require emergency regulations that are expected to take effect mid-June, local water suppliers must act as if their water supplies have dipped by at least 10 to 20%.

“Our current restrictions are already more restrictive than what the governor announced.”
--Liann Walborsky, San Jose Water

Each agency has spelled out what actions this degree of reduction — called a stage two water shortage — will trigger in their required Water Shortage Contingency Plans. This could include cutting the number of days when outdoor irrigation is permitted.

“That’s what we’re aiming towards: That everyone has a clear message of the need to conserve, but tailored locally based on the experiences of those suppliers,” said Jared Blumenfeld, California’s secretary for environmental protection.

Already, 41% of 385 water suppliers have reached or surpassed this level of shortage, administration officials said.

That includes San Jose Water, which supplies thousands of customers in the heart of Silicon Valley. Under a stage two water shortage, it would cut irrigation to three days a week — but it’s already reached stage three and cut customers back to two days of outdoor watering a week.

“Our current restrictions are already more restrictive than what the governor announced,” said Liann Walborsky, director of corporate communications for San Jose Water.

State officials tally 55 water providers — or about 14% of the water systems reporting their conservation efforts to the state — that have not yet activated their water shortage contingency plans.

Many are in Southern California, according to state data, including the Yorba Linda Water District in Orange County. Stepping up local conservation to the level Newsom called for will require increased customer outreach and education, expanded rebate programs, and a requirement for customers to promptly repair leaks. It does not include mandatory conservation measures.

“A mandate to conserve would need to come from the state. Then, (Yorba Linda Water District) would enact the level of the plan that matches the mandate,” said Alison Martin, the water district’s public affairs manager — who noted it’s currently raining in Yorba Linda.

Asking nicely isn’t working

Many residents, particularly in cities and towns, appear to be ignoring the state’s pleas to take the drought seriously and cut back: In January, Californians used nearly 3% more water statewide compared to before the drought emergency was declared.

Overall, from July through January, Californians cut back by less than 7% statewide compared to 2020, according to state data.

The increase came during the the second-driest January on record, despite Newsom’s call in July for Californians to voluntarily cut back water use by 15% percent.

Over the past several weeks, administration officials have made appearances across the state, live-streaming the same request against backdrops of drought-tolerant landscaping: urging Californians to conserve water as another dry summer looms.

The tour appears to have been laying the groundwork for a water conservation mandate, but one far more complicated than the mandate former Gov. Jerry Brown issued during the last drought, which called for water suppliers to cut back by an average of 25% statewide.

“A mandate that identifies a reduction target I think is an easier message for people to understand,” said Heather Cooley, research director with the Pacific Institute, a global water think tank.

Still, she said, there are benefits to tying Newsom’s conservation order to water providers’ existing plans for weathering dry spells: “They should be able to get started on it immediately.”

The news comes on the heels of the driest January and February on record. Historically dry conditions prompted California water regulators to cut deliveries from the state aqueduct to 5% of requested supplies, down from 15%.

Though rain and snow quenched the parched state Sunday and Monday, severe drought nevertheless continues to clutch nearly all of California. Across the San Joaquin Valley, North Coast, and the deserts of California’s southeast, extreme drought remains entrenched.

As of last week, reservoir storage had dropped to just 69% of average across the state, and the dwindling snowpack shows little hope of substantially refilling them in the dry months ahead.

California water restrictions: Deja vu?

Newsom’s order is more nuanced than the statewide conservation mandate that former Gov. Jerry Brown issued at the height of the last drought in 2015.

Under Brown’s mandate, water suppliers were required to conserve 25% statewide, with each assigned a specific conservation target depending on their existing use. Those that failed to conserve enough faced escalating consequences that could include fines.

This time, Newsom has taken a more localized approach, instead ordering water providers to activate stage two of their water shortage contingency plans.

Urban water suppliers are required to submit these plans for drought and other water shortages every five years, and they spell out how water systems will respond when their supplies dwindle.

Water systems step up their planned responses in six stages, depending on the severity of the water shortage. A stage one shortage reflects a 10% hit to the system’s water supply, and could trigger a range of actions including calls for voluntary conservation. A stage six shortage reflects a catastrophic cut to 50% of the system’s supply, and could trigger requirements to reduce water use by half including bans on landscape irrigation.

Felicia Marcus, a former chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, called the step welcome, yet “the least we can do…We need to put all of this on speed and change the expectation that this is a short-term moment to get through. I hope the water board and other agencies think big (versus) tinkering at the margins.”

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CalMatters data reporters Jeremia Kimelman and Erica Yee contributed reporting.

Leslie Norlene Lollich
June 14, 1959‐March 22, 2022

Leslie was born on Flag Day in Nevada City to James Lollich and Melanie LeGate. She was the oldest child in a blended family of 10 children. As her dear friend Kym Pokorny put it, a big wonderful complicated family. She kept us in line and kept us together.

Leslie made many accomplishments throughout her life. She graduated in the top of her class at Cordova Senior High in 1977 receiving several scholastic awards. Having spent many summers and school vacations in her beloved Orleans, she decided Humboldt State would be where she attended college. She at first studied forestry but then discovered journalism and changed her major beginning a long successful career in that field.

Leslie started in radio as a news announcer at KINS then moved on to TV to become the face of the nightly news in Humboldt County for many years.

She loved to travel and thought nothing of jumping into the car and going on a road trip. She also loved camping and back packing. She took many trips overseas visiting China, Switzerland, France, England, Scotland, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. She also made trips to Mexico and Canada.

Leslie is predeceased by her parents Jim Lollich and Melanie Kuhnel and her stepmom Marion Lollich. She leaves behind her husband Paul, son Nick, wife Caprice and granddaughter Brenna Leslie, and son Nathan Allen. Her sisters, Martha McLaughlin and husband Clifford, Becky Woodman and husband Lloyd, Crystal Petersen and husband Kelly. Brothers, Steven Berry and wife Shannon, Joshua and wife Becca Kuhnel, David and wife Darlene Kuhnel, Bobby Pete Erickson, John “Gunner “Erickson, and Scott Berry. Leslie is also survived by Uncles Spencer, Lawson and Chris LeGate, Aunt Celeste LeGate, and Stepfather Ron Kuhnel. As well as, many nieces, nephews and grandnieces and nephews and many cousins.Leslie passed peacefully at home surrounded by her family.

A memorial will take place later this spring in Eureka.

Donations in her honor can be made to a charity of your choice if you would like. Leslie donated to many charities and gave selflessly throughout her life.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Leslie Lollich’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.

Eugene (Gene) Philip Horning passed away Monday morning, March 21, 2022, at the age of 63, with his wife by his side. Gene was preceded in death by his parents, Eugene and Sheila Horning, brother, Stephen Horning, father-in-law, Thomas Sanders, and many other friends and family.

Gene is survived by his wife, Kim Horning, of 43 years, his daughters Rebecca Horning and husband Jonathan Wilson, Cynthia and husband Ted Herman, grandchildren Joaquin and Sloane Wilson (Rebecca), sister Francine Michelsen, lifelong friend/brother Rick Johnson, mother-in-law, Carolyn Sanders, brother-in-law, Kevin Sanders, nieces and nephews, his beloved dog, Lucy, and many other friends and family, many of which reside in England.

Gene was born in San Diego on June 9, 1958, to Eugene and Sheila Horning. He started working on vehicles in high school, where he specialized in Volkswagens. He graduated from Granite Hills High School in 1976. Gene, Kim, and their oldest daughter, Rebecca, moved to Northern California in 1981 and welcomed their youngest daughter, Cynthia, into the world two months later. Gene continued his career when he started working for Dave Ansley at Dave’s Shell. He remained at the business for 41 years, working through multiple name changes from Dave’s Shell, to Dave’s BP, and then Dave’s 76 Station; the last 10 years, he enjoyed working for Shannon McWhorter at Sequoia Gas, where he remained loyal to his community and customers. If you brought Gene a car to fix, and he didn’t already know how to fix it, he figured it out; he loved his customers, and he met so many wonderful people and made many lifelong friends. He will he missed by his coworkers Daniel, Hunter, and Laura.

He was known by many titles, including husband, dad, grandpa, brother, crew chief, fisherman, and friend.

Gene started working on race cars in San Diego, with his dad, at the age of 12; this is where his love of fixing cars and working on race cars began. He worked for many different race teams in San Diego, and after moving to Humboldt County in 1981, he was crew chief for Don McKay, Terry Gardner, and three time champion, Glenn Shewry; he also helped with Luke Hall’s race car and built many engines for Wendt Construction. Gene was also the crew chief for Preston O’Dell at Redwood Acres and went to Mexico twice for the Pan American Road Race. Gene retired from the racing scene 9 years ago, but any time someone needed a part, help, or advice, Gene was always willing to offer his time and expertise.

Gene was an avid fisherman, and would drop just about anything, if it meant a day of fishing. Anytime he heard fish were biting, he was more than willing to head to the nearest fishing hole. He loved fishing any rivers, especially the Klamath, which became an annual fishing trip with friends from all over. He went on many fishing trips with Chuck Lukas (Coyote), John Miranda, Guy Gin, and Jim Goodale. He also loved fishing in the ocean with John Senestraro and Dale Westman. He always looked forward to fishing in the annual bass tournament at Ruth Lake with Chas Jenson for the last 28+ years. He fished with many other friends, but there are too many to list.

When gene wasn't wrenching or fishing, he loved spending time at home working in his vegetable and flower gardens, barbecuing for his family, watching NASCAR, playing with his dogs, and working on home improvement projects. He loved hanging up Christmas lights and decorating the whole yard at Christmas. He also loved the Fourth of July, and many of his friends and family have great memories of the fireworks and barbecues he hosted. He started doing fireworks at Newburg Park before it was even a park.

Gene passed away after a very brief battle with cancer. He was incredibly strong, courageous, and brave, and he will be missed by many. A special thanks to Hospice of Humboldt for making his final days as comfortable as possible.

A celebration of life will be held on April 22, 2022 from 4-6 p.m. at the Veteran’s Hall in Fortuna. Please bring your favorite stories about Gene to share. All friends and family are invited.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Gene Horning’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.

Louis Henry Walton, Jr.
May 2, 1942 - December 30, 2021

Louis Henry Walton Jr., 79, passed away peacefully on December 30, 2021. He was prepared to go and was able to say goodbye to his family. Louie was a storyteller and loved to convey a good one, long or short, given the opportunity. We get to share his story now.

Louie was born May 2, 1942 in Glendale, California to Clare Ostrander Walton and Louis Henry Walton Sr. The family moved to Willow Creek, and then on to Arcata where Louie attended High School. He would later spend the better part of his adult life, and raise a family in Willow Creek. Louie and Judith Kjer were married in 1960 and had their first child, a daughter, Barbara. sons, Jeff and Greg, were not too far behind. He and his family would live in Arcata dairy farming; Klamath Falls potato farming, and Willow Creek, where he would develop his tough work ethic working on the Fountain Ranch.

He was a jack of all trades to support his family - he did plumbing work, ranching, farming, big equipment labor and just about anything involving his hands. He worked for McCullough Plumbing doing backhoe and dump truck work - and that is where he found his passion. Eventually he went out on his own to become a backhoe and dump truck operator full time for himself. A special thank you to Jim Pelley for his friendship along with the numerous hours spent helping Louie keep his equipment running as his business thrived.

Louie never met a piece of lumber, metal, scrap or tin that he didn’t like. If you visited his shop and property, you know it was in fact, a treasure trove of “needed” materials. If you could think of it, Louie could design and make it. He was an innovative and amazing inventor of equipment that could get the job done, or at the very least, make it much easier. He subscribed to the adage that necessity is the mother of invention.

He would spend early mornings and late nights working hard to finish the job, and as many of you know, if you needed a final resting place, you could count on him to do it…rain or shine. He would crawl under your house to unclog a pipe, show up to move a humongous boulder, or drive the long mile to deliver a few yards of rock or change a flat tire. It was his work, but really it’s what made him happy.

He would have liked an outhouse and a shop with a stove, but tolerated indoor plumbing and electricity. He loved to pack up the travel trailer and hit the road; enjoyed camping at Indian Mary Campground, and loved to take the houseboat out on Shasta Lake. He loved the idea of a transcontinental train ride back to St. Louis. He loved spending time in Alaska, Canada, Quartzite, Hawaii, Mexico…but mostly he loved being in Willow Creek with a project to work on, and one to back that up just in case.

Louie married Caroline Fleming in 1998, after sharing many years together. They enjoyed running the backhoe business, traveling, as well as a tremendous love for an ever-growing, blended family. Caroline’s siblings became his own, and her grown became his family too. Together, they’d take nine of the twelve grandkids (three lived out of the area) for the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day - as a gift to their adult children. They relished being Papa and Granny, and lived up to their titles. All the grandkids sat in the backhoe seat with Papa and took a turn at doing what he loved to do. Dig holes in the dirt. They enjoyed many years together until Caroline’s unexpected passing in 2008.

In the last season of his life, Louie spent his years with Mary Roberts - a treasure to all that know her. She, and her family, loved and treated Louie with kindness and care. He was thankful for her friendship and love, and he wasn’t shy about it. He picked her flowers, wrote her notes and genuinely loved spending the rest of his days with her. He enjoyed having bonus grandkids and their families in his life. We are thankful for Mary, her family, and the “soft place” she provided for Louie to land.

Louie loved to talk about times gone by, and if you bumped into him at the PO or the store, you better hope you had time to spare - because there would be storytelling. When you were ready to leave the house, you’d best plan on an hour to say goodbye because there was a story to tell. If he was visiting, showing you the ropes, making breakfast or calling, plan an hour…you get the picture. He enjoyed many lifelong friendships, and acquaintances along the way; so many of you were a part of the story of his life, and he wanted to share it with you. In his later years, Louie was able to reconnect with friends from early childhood, and with family far away. He was truly happy to take a call or receive a letter from those he did not get the chance to see more frequently. How truly fortunate he was to find so many great people willing to listen.

Louis Walton Jr. is preceded in death by his wife Caroline; mother, Clare Ostrander Walton Marx (Larry); father, Louis Henry Walton Sr (Phyllis); son-in-laws Robert Boyer; Gary Hignite and his nephews Eric, Micheal, and Scott.

He is survived by his brother, Otis (Sharon) Walton; daughter, Barbara Boyer; son Jeffery (Wendy) Walton; son Greg (Mandee) Walton; Cathy Hignite; Chris (Mindy) Fleming; Carol (Robert) Benson; Larry’s Family; and Phyllis’s Family. Companion Mary Roberts and her family, as well as fourteen grandchildren; and fifteen great-grandchildren.

Louie’s family would like to give a special thank you to the Willow Creek Volunteer Fire Department for their quick responses, the entire staff at St. Joseph’s Hospital, and Pastor David Groe. To honor Louie’s wishes there will be no services, but there will be a celebration of life for the family in Redding.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Louie Walton's loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.