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Even a magnitude 6.4 earthquake couldn’t stop the Eureka City Council from missing its last meeting of the year! Come hell or high water – or trembling Earth – the council was dead set on swearing in its newest members and giving Mayor Susan Seaman and Councilmember Natalie Arroyo a proper send-off.

Before getting into the heartfelt goodbyes on Tuesday evening, the council approved a resolution to accept the results of the recent General Election and approve the appointments of Leslie Castellano for the First Ward, G. Mario Fernandez for the Third Ward, Renee Conteras de Loach for the Fifth Ward and Kim Bergel as Mayor. The motion passed unanimously with Councilmember Kati Moulton absent.

Before passing the torch to her successor, soon-to-be Supervisor Arroyo took a moment to thank each of her peers and city staff for their friendship and support during her time on the council.

“Everyone [has been] very patient with me and my occasional long-windedness,” she laughed. “I really do feel that there is a sense of love amongst city employees and the city council. A love and a deep respect that doesn’t come easily to public agencies, or any workplace really. …That doesn’t mean that we always agree with each other! In fact, we’ve disagreed with each other in, I think, a very productive and effective way. And that’s really important too.”

Likewise, Seaman fondly recalled her time as mayor, from the return of Tuluwat to the Wiyot Tribe to the recent Sara Bareilles concert at Halvorsen Park.

“Through it all, I got to work with this amazing, wonderful team on council and I don’t take that for granted,” she said. “It felt like lightning in a bottle to find this kind of synergy. I expect it to continue into the new council. … I just hope that you guys get to keep this momentum going because it’s just really been a treat, and you get a lot of stuff done when people are willing to work together.”

Turning to Mayor-Elect Kim Bergel, Seaman said she felt comfort in leaving the mayorship “in the hands of somebody who is so capable, so kind and ready to carry the culture that we’ve developed here.”

Councilmember Castellano thanked both Seaman and Arroyo for their service to the city as well as their collective capacity to “embrace change while also acknowledging that our community is all of us and we need to work together.”

Similarly, Councilmember Scott Bauer thanked Arroyo and Seaman for helping to show our community “what public service means.”

“I think we get a lot of we get beat up a lot and, Mayor, you keep it cool as my heart’s pounding out of my chest because I’m getting heated,” he laughed. “And I respect that so much, to be able to operate with poise and dignity through a lot of trying situations. … And Natalie, I think our loss is the county’s gain. … You’re perfect for it and the county is so lucky. We all are lucky.”

Bergel also expressed her appreciation to her outgoing peers, noting that Seaman will be “a tough act to follow.” 

“I’m so looking forward to my new job and I’m so looking forward to reaching out to you for some tidbits and in those kinds of things,” she said. “It’s been really just a delight and … what a gift it has been to work with the last couple of councils that we’ve had. Everybody is respectful and concerned about our city and not their own motives. I’m just really grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to work with people on that level.”

With all the mushy stuff out of the way, Seaman invited Bergel and her family to approach the dais for the swearing-in ceremony. Shortly thereafter, Mayor Bergel swore in Castellano and the council’s newest members, G. Mario Fernandez and Renee Contreras de Loach, who appeared virtually.

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Local Emergency Resolution

Before adjourning for the evening, City Manager Miles Slattery asked the council to ratify a local emergency declaration in response to Tuesday’s earthquake. The resolution would provide a path for the city to get reimbursed for costs associated with the emergency response, Slattery explained.

“Before I get into it, I really want to thank all of our staff – the response was incredible,” he said. “We had literally all hands on deck. … It really took a village to make this happen today and I’ve received a lot of personal phone calls about how impressive our presence was out there in making people feel comfortable.”

Eleven residential endured significant damage from the earthquake, Slattery said. Four commercial buildings have been “red-tagged,” meaning the structures are uninhabitable for the time being.

The council unanimously approved the emergency resolution in a 4-0 vote with Councilmember Moulton absent.

Water and Sewer Rate Hike

It looks as though Eureka residents will pay a bit more for water and sewer services in the new year. 

The council approved the contentious water and sewer rate increase during a special meeting on Monday night. The rate increase seeks to raise the City’s water and sewer rates incrementally over the next five years to cover improvements to the City’s aging infrastructure. 

The last rate study, which was completed by NBS Consulting in 2016, implemented yearly rate increases through 2021. The City retained the same firm to perform the 2022 rate study for both utilities, assess alternative rate structures and review how costs are allocated to different customer classes. 

How much will your utility rates increase? Water rates are expected to go up by eight to ten percent each year for the next five years, for a total increase of 58 percent, NBS consultant Jordan Taylor explained to the council. Sewer rates will go up by about four to ten percent per year for the five years for a total increase of 34 percent.

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Castellano asked whether the City could cash in on grant funding to help pay for these infrastructure improvements to ease the burden on ratepayers, adding, “I don’t imagine anyone loves raising water and sewer rates.”

Public Works Director Brian Gerving said the staff has not yet identified any grant opportunities that would apply to local jurisdictions but said, “potentially in future fiscal years.” 

Arroyo hinted at “something that could help” ratepayers that will be discussed at a future council meeting but said, “it’s not going to come before council ‘til the next meeting.”

Each of the council members acknowledged the downsides of the rate increase but, ultimately, felt the increase was an essential component in maintaining city infrastructure.

“It’s a bummer that the can has been kicked for decades but … water is life and sewer systems are critical to not having things like cholera, all these horrible diseases that struck cities centuries ago,” Bauer said. “We’re past that and we have really old infrastructure that needs to be upgraded. It’s unfortunate that we all have to bear the burden of that but I don’t see any alternative.”

The council passed the motion in a 5-0 vote.

Press release from Caltrans:

State Route 211 at Fernbridge in Humboldt County is expected to reopen as early as 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21. Crews will be on-site to control the flow of traffic on both ends of the bridge.

“Thanks very much to the residents that use Fernbridge for their patience,” said Caltrans Resident Engineer Tai Morgan-Marbet. “Please plan extra time into your route in anticipation of delays in the area. For the first couple of days, we’ll have flaggers conducting one-way traffic control, and eventually, we’re looking at using a temporary signal. Please be alert and follow prompts patiently and safely.” Morgan-Marbet added the bridge will still accommodate its typical sizes of trucks.

The bridge was closed following a magnitude 6.4 earthquake centered near Ferndale in the early morning of Dec. 20. District 1 engineers conducted an initial inspection and observed damage to the bridge’s underlying structure and the bridge deck. The bridge was closed until additional inspections could be conducted in daylight. All other nearby bridges, overcrossings, and roadways in the district remained open following inspections.

A team from the Structure Maintenance and Investigations unit at Caltrans Headquarters was dispatched to conduct a complete inspection of the bridge. That team determined repairs could be made with one-way control traffic in place.

Emergency funding in the amount of $6 million was allocated for initial repairs, which have already begun. Crews worked throughout the day to repave damaged parts of the roadway and add additional support to the bridge’s approaches to allow for reopening.

Caltrans District 1 will continue to update the community on any changes in traffic control or road closures through social media, quickmap.dot.ca.gov, and the QuickMap app. Follow Caltrans District 1 on Facebook and Twitter.

About Fernbridge

Fernbridge on State Route 211 is a concrete arch bridge crossing the Eel River that first opened in 1911. At 1,320 feet long, it is the longest poured concrete bridge still operating in the world and serves as the main connector between the town of Ferndale and U.S. 101. The bridge has withstood numerous natural disasters, including earthquakes, and floods.

PREVIOUSLY:

• “McKinleyville Structure Fire” 

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Press release from the Arcata Fire District:

On 12/20/2022 at 5:04 P.M. Arcata Fire District units were dispatched to a report of a residential structure fire on the 100 Block of Timmons Lane, in the Essex area of Arcata. The residents had returned to their home and found it full of smoke with fire spreading in the living room area. One of the occupants entered the home in an attempt to rescue family pets, suffering minor smoke inhalation while doing so. The occupant denied needing any medical treatment at scene.

The first arriving Arcata Fire unit found the double-wide manufactured home with smoke and fire coming from the roof area. The first unit immediately set up for fire attack. Additional units arrived and began ventilating the structure. All other occupants of the residence were out of the building at the time of the Fire District’s arrival. Fire personnel attacked the fire and had it controlled within fifteen minutes. Units transitioned to overhaul and extinguished remaining hot spots. A pet boa constrictor was rescued from the residence, but unfortunately, two dogs succumbed to smoke inhalation prior to being rescued.

Arcata Fire personnel conducted an origin and cause investigation and determined that the fire was accidental and appeared to originate near a stovepipe through the ceiling and spread through the living room area.

The estimated damage to the home is $80,000.

Arcata Fire would like to thank Blue Lake Fire, Fieldbrook Fire, Samoa Fire, and Cal Fire for their assistance at the incident and covering the Arcata Fire District jurisdiction. Particularly now that winter is here, Arcata Fire District would like to remind our residents to have their chimneys and stovepipes checked and cleaned annually.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

Recovery efforts continue following yesterday’s 6.4M earthquake causing significant damages to the Eel River Valley community.

CURRENT SITUATION

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) remains activated and is coordinating with local, regional and state partners. 

At least 17 injuries have been reported as a result of the earthquake. As previously reported, two elderly individuals with preexisting conditions have died as a result of medical emergencies occurring during and/or just following the earthquake. Their conditions are believed to have been exacerbated by the stress of the earthquake. 

Approximately 3,400 residents in the Rio Dell community are without water. A Boil Water Advisory has been issued for the city of Rio Dell and the following Fortuna neighborhoods:  Forest Hills Drive, Newell Drive, Valley View Drive, Boyden Lane, Scenic Drive, and Cypress Loop Rd. Residents impacted by these advisories should not drink the water without boiling it first for at least one minute. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking and food preparation until Potable water is available at the following locations: Rio Dell Fire Hall, 50 West Center Street, Rio Dell and Rohner Park Pavilion, 9 Park Street, Fortuna.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company is actively working to restore power to those who remain without today.

Damage assessments continue today in impacted areas. At least 30 residences and one commercial structure have been determined structurally unsafe. Total cost of damages has not yet been determined. State Route 211 at Fernbridge remains closed due to damages. CalTrans crews are onsite conducting repairs. There is no estimated time of reopening. Residents are encouraged to utilize an alternative route.

Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal has proclaimed a Local Emergency as a result of the widespread damages sustained throughout Humboldt County. The declaration allows for the county to seek state and federal reimbursement for damage repairs and other associated impacts. The cities of Eureka and Rio Dell have also proclaimed local emergencies for their jurisdictions. Yesterday evening, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Humboldt County to support the emergency response.

RESOURCES FOR THE COMMUNITY

OVERNIGHT SHELTER:

The American Red Cross-Gold Country Region has established an overnight shelter for community members displaced due to earthquake damages in Humboldt County. The Overnight

Shelter is located at the Rohner Park Firemen’s Pavilion, 9 Park Street, Fortuna, CA. At this site, community members will be able to access temporary indoor overnight shelter accommodations, meals, water, electronics charging and earthquake information. Small animal sheltering is also available at this location. For shelter-specific questions and information, contact 707-506-5083.

DONATIONS

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services is not currently accepting material donations. Please do not drop off donations at the Firemen’s Pavilion. 

To make a financial donation, please contact:

• Pay it Forward Humboldt: 707-616-9191, payitforwardhumboldt@gmail.com

• American Red Cross: 1-800-435-7669, redcross.org

REPORT DAMAGES

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

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For updated information regarding the Humboldt County earthquake response, please go to humboldtsheriff.org/emergency and visit @HumCoOES on Facebook and Twitter, or call 707-268-2500. 

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The power’s back on in Eureka and parts north, and today comes a more sober-headed assessment of what the quake hath wrought.

Eureka City Manager Miles Slattery tells the Outpost that two homes in the city have been red-tagged due to chimney collapse, with another three being inspected today. That seems to be the extent of the residential structural damage.

On the commercial side of the equation, Slattery tells us that a couple of buildings in Old Town were provisionally shuttered yesterday, including the ones that house Humboldt Bay Provisions and the Taste of Bim restaurant — but that reinspection after the power came back on showed them to be just structurally sound. They’re back in action.

The city’s biggest headache by far is the Lloyd Building, that big brick behemoth on Fifth Street between C and D streets. One lane of traffic is still closed on Fifth while engineers and inspectors tally up the exact damage to the building, which is known to be very vulnerable to seismic events. It’s not likely that they’ll find the damage to be none — it’s just a matter of how much they find.

“Once we make a determination, we’ll work with a property owner on the best path forward,” Slattery said.

Again: That owner is Betty Squires, widow of famous Eureka landlord Floyd Squires III. And also again, do go check Ryan Burns’ interesting piece on the history of the Lloyd, if you’ve never done that.

In less than two weeks, job seekers in California will finally know how much a job pays when they apply for it — if companies don’t figure out a way around a new law.

Starting on Jan. 1, employers with at least 15 workers will have to include pay ranges in job postings. Employees will also be able to ask for the pay range for their own position, and larger companies will have to provide more detailed pay data to California’s Civil Rights Department than previously required.

California isn’t the first state to force businesses to put their cards on the table. Colorado took that step in 2019, and a similar requirement went into effect in New York City in November. Washington state has its own version that will also kick in on Jan. 1, and a similar statewide bill in New York awaits the governor’s decision.

The goal of the California law is to reduce gender and racial pay gaps. But New York City’s measure had a bumpy start, with some employers posting unhelpfully wide ranges the first day the law was in place. When Colorado rolled out its law at the beginning of 2021, some companies posted remote jobs that they said could be done from anywhere in the U.S. — except Colorado — dodging the requirement. That wasn’t widespread; about 1% of remote job listings included a Colorado carveout, according to reporting in The Atlantic.

But since California has nearly 7 times as many people as Colorado, according to U.S. Census data, excluding Californians in a remote job listing would come at a higher cost.

“California’s just such a huge economic center,” said Lisa Wallace, co-founder of Assemble, a compensation management platform. “There just aren’t that many industries that are not going to be touched by this.”

What’s the pay range?

Here’s what California job seekers can expect to see more frequently come January: $44 an hour to be a plumber in Berkeley; $18.38-$28.51 an hour for an assistant teacher job in Los Angeles; $74,600 – $141,000 per year for a future compensation analyst in Davis. If companies aren’t adding ranges, people can sue or file a complaint with the Labor Commissioner’s Office, which can issue a penalty of $100 to $10,000 per violation. Companies that don’t have pay ranges in job postings won’t get penalized for their first violation, so long as they add the information.

In addition to preparing to post pay ranges in job listings, companies that don’t already have pay bands for current employees should put them in place, and they should make sure that there aren’t pay disparities based on race, sex, or other protected classes between employees doing substantially similar work , said Jacklin Rad, a lawyer who advises employers on California workplace laws at Jackson Lewis, a law firm.

Businesses are about to have their pay scrutinized by job candidates and employees, said Wallace, the compensation platform company co-founder. “You better make sure that you have a really strong answer for why an employee is paid less,” than the posted range for a similar-looking job, she said. The new California law is uncovering that a lot of organizations have been operating without pay bands, Wallace said. Many of the company’s earliest customers were tech and biotech businesses, Wallace said, but since bill was signed into law she’s seen increased interest from other sectors, including manufacturing and utilities.

One question that arose immediately when New York City’s law went into effect was how wide can a pay range be without violating the law? Some postings included ranges where the high end was about $100,000 more than the low end.

California’s law explains the required payscale as “the salary or hourly wage range that the employer reasonably expects to pay for the position.”

“It’s really ambiguous,” said Rad, the lawyer. “A lot of attorneys that work in this sphere ask themselves: ‘You know, if the range is too wide, then does that defeat the purpose of pay transparency?’”

CalMatters reached out to the Labor Commissioner’s office, which is charged with enforcing the payscale component of the law. The office didn’t make anyone available to be interviewed, and did respond to a detailed list of questions about how the law will be interpreted.

California government agencies include pay scales in job postings, and some of the ranges are large. The Civil Rights Department, for example, recently had a posting for an “Assistant Deputy Director, Workforce Data Officer” with a listed pay range of $7,976 – $19,321 per month, which translates to about $96,000 – $232,000 per year. Another posting, for a Deputy Chief Counsel at the Civil Rights Department had a similar range.

Pay ranges are set by the state’s human resources agency, CalHR, and are influenced by bargaining with unions, said Adam Romero, deputy director of executive programs at California’s Civil Rights Department. Those two positions are “very senior,” and most roles don’t have pay ranges that wide, Romero said.

Reporting pay data

The second major component of the new law is that businesses with 100 or more employees will have to start reporting more detailed data on what they pay workers to the state.It builds on a 2020 law that required companies to submit reports to the state’s Civil Rights Department breaking down how many employees they have in each job category and pay band by sex, race, and ethnicity. The goal was to enable state agencies to more identify wage disparities more efficiently, and to prompt companies to assess their own pay.

The reports are used “in individual investigations of complaints of pay discrimination or other types of complaints of civil rights violations against employers,” said Romero at the Civil Rights Department. The data on its own doesn’t prove there’s been a violation of the law, but it provides context, said Romero. The Civil Rights Department cited the pay data, for example, when it sued Tesla for race discrimination and harassment in February.

The law taking effect Jan. 1 requires employers to add median and mean hourly rate for each demographic group within each job category and include pay data for contractors.

“We are really trying to shine more light on this growing shadow workforce of contract workers,” said Mariko Yoshihara, policy director for the California Employment Lawyers Association, which supported the new law. Google, for example, has more temps and contractors than full-time employees, according to New York Times’ reporting. The new law will reveal how contractors’ pay compares to that of full-time employees, Yoshihara said.

An early version of the new law would have made each company’s pay data public. But after intense pushback from business groups — who said the data is not a reliable measure of pay disparities and that it would “set up employers for public criticism with incomplete, uncontextualized reports and create a false impression of wage discrimination where none may exist” — the bill was amended to keep the reports private.

If companies don’t submit their pay data, the Civil Rights department can take action. It sued Michaels, the craft store chain, and JP Morgan Chase Bank for not submitting the data; both companies settled, paying a combined total of about $23,500 to cover the department’s fees and costs.

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

Press release from the Humboldt County Office of Emergencies:

Recovery efforts are underway following a 6.4M earthquake early this morning causing significant damages to the Eel River Valley community.

CURRENT SITUATION

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) has been activated in response to this emergency and is coordinating with local, regional and state partners. 

Approximately 11 individuals have been reported as injured. Additionally, two individuals have died as a result of medical emergencies occurring during and/or just following the earthquake. Power remains off for over 70,000 customers in the county. Pacific Gas and Electric Company is actively working to restore power with no estimated time of restoration. 

Damage assessments are currently underway, with significant structural damages, including gas and water lines, observed in the Rio Dell community and moderate damages to properties throughout the Eel River Valley. 

A press conference has been scheduled for 2 p.m today at the Rio Dell City Hall (675 Wildwood Ave, Rio Dell, CA 95562) for credentialed members of the media. A live stream of this conference will be available on the Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services Facebook Page, technology allowing. 

REPORT DAMAGES

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

CURRENT ROAD CONDITIONS

The following roads are closed due to damages:

• Monument Road southwest of Rio Dell
• Tompkins Hill Road at Hookton Road
• Walnut Drive at Greenbriar Lane.
• SR 211 at Fernbridge 

Residents are encouraged to visit http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/ to check for updated state highway closures. 

RESOURCES FOR THE COMMUNITY

The City of Eureka will have a “charging center” available at the Eureka Municipal Auditorium, 1120 F Street from 10 AM until 5 PM today, December 20, 2022. The auditorium will have power available for residents to charge phones, tablets and necessary medical equipment. Please dress warmly as the Muni is a large building and difficult to heat.

Humboldt County OES is actively coordinating with the American Red Cross to establish a Local Assistance Center for impacted residents in the Eel River Valley. More information regarding this center will be released when available.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For updated information regarding the Humboldt County earthquake response, please go to humboldtsheriff.org/emergency and visit @HumCoOES on Facebook and Twitter, or call 707-268-2500.