This Sunday, the city of Eureka will hold the second of its series of Town Hall meetings on community health, and particularly on homelessness, substance abuse and mental health. These Town Hall meetings are part of Mayor Kim Bergel’s initiative to focus on those hot-button issues.

To preview this Sunday’s event — which goes under the title of “Dynamics of the Unhoused” — Bergel and City of Eureka mental health clinician Jacob Rosen recently met with the Outpost’s John Kennedy O’Connor to talk about what they hope the meeting will accomplish.

The Town Hall meeting takes place from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Eureka City Hall – 531 K Street. More details at this link. There will be tacos!

Video above, rough transcript below.

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O’CONNOR:

Well welcome to another Humboldt Conversation. I’m really pleased to say today we’re back with two guests that we’ve chatted with before and that’s of course Eureka mayor, Kim Bergel and Jacob Rosen. And Jacob, you work in the mental health awareness team. Remind us again what your role is and your title.

ROSEN:

So my title is managing mental health clinician, and I work for Crisis Alternative Response of Eureka.

O’CONNOR:

Now, we had a previous conversation about the work that you’ve done, and Kim, when we last chatted to you you just actually done your first workshop for mental health. But you have another one coming up this weekend which is the reason we want to come back and chat with you.

BERGEL:

That’ll be Sunday right here in council chambers. Doors open at 1, 1:30 to 4:30 is the event. There’ll be tacos and some excellent experts that you can ask questions from.

O’CONNOR:

So what is the goal from this particular workshop that’s going to be happening?

BERGEL:

So again, I would say that the goal generally is to engage the public and give them an opportunity to ask questions and be heard and answered. Because unfortunately, council, that’s something that we don’t do, which I understand why. But it’s nice to be able to have those opportunities to express your frustrations and all of those things and have those questions answered in real time.

O’CONNOR:

And Jacob, how is your department partnering with the city on this particular?

ROSEN:

So we’ve really wanted to push it, right? I mean, the idea of being able to do something like this, it also falls under the client advocacy piece. And so being able to start this conversation and make it more public and involve the community, a lot of these issues really require community buy-in to start generating solutions. And so participating in this is kind of a no-brainer for us just because it furthers so many of our goals, whether we’re talking about mental health or homelessness or substance use. We really want to engage the community in that discussion and bring everyone into the fold so that we can help people better.

O’CONNOR:

Now it is obviously very much a community focused event. Who is this actually for?

ROSEN:

The community. Absolutely, yeah. I mean, we, you know, when I came to the city and after the first council meeting that I sat in on and saw, you know, I noticed that there was a lot of passionate frustration. There was a lot of folks who very obviously care for the community and want things to be better, but maybe don’t know, you know, whether it’s where to put that energy or how to apply that energy to improve it. And so, you know, one of the things I was thinking is, well, let’s channel that. How do we kind of take this energy that is, I think, well intended and then turn it into something that can be a little more functional? And I think that, you know, starting that dialogue is the first step, right? If we’re not communicating, we’re not able to talk about solutions. We’re not able to talk about how to apply this. And so that was really kind of the idea behind let’s create that forum and use the setting to engage the community better.

BERGEL:

I would say too, I think it’s an opportunity to dispel some of the myths that are out there about specific populations or specific issues. As I said, we have a panel of experts. We have Jacob here. And so that really opens the doors for positive communication, respectful dialogue.

O’CONNOR:

And as you’ve said, it is very much for the community, so you don’t need to be homeless, you don’t need to be perhaps in any kind of distress or…

BERGEL:

You’re welcome. If you don’t love Eureka, you’re welcome. We just love to see you and engage with you. Absolutely.

O’CONNOR:

This is the second forum, the second workshop. Is it going to be different from the first or is it somebody who attended the first and there’s a reason for them to attend the second?

BERGEL:

Oh yes, the topic is completely different and still the same. Just a different focus. Would you like to speak to that as well? Yeah.

ROSEN:

So the topic this time, we’re calling it dynamics of the unhoused. And the reason we went with dynamics in particular, we wanted to focus in on the idea that for folks who experience homelessness, there’s medical issues, there’s mental health issues, there’s substance use issues, there’s issues accessing social services, where, you know, they can get more support to get out of that state of homelessness. And so we really wanted to kind of cover the gamut. The first one, we really covered mental health specifically and kind of like, what is mental health and how do we talk about this? And, you know, that is a piece of this next discussion. And yet this, I think, is kind of zooming out a little bit more and focusing on kind of all the pieces that go into that.

O’CONNOR:

Great. And Kim, of course this is something that’s very very much a passion of yours, it’s something you really wanted to take on as Mayor. Are you seeing any sort of changes, any shift in attitude or even in the community since you’ve been really pushing this?

BERGEL:

Well, I am hopeful. I have had people reach out to me on both sides of the of the issue. And so again, I think it’s just important to keep having these conversations because you know Rome wasn’t built in a day, right? Things aren’t going to change overnight. But if we continue, continue to have these conversations, my hope is that we’ll be able to shift some of the the narrative and really start looking at how we as a community can work together. Because we know this, that community problems, we need community solutions. We need people engaged. We need people’s opinions. We need people’s solutions. And we need to know where they’re at, you know, with their frustrations, so that we can build these relationships that are so important for a healthy community.

O’CONNOR:

Now, I agree entirely and I think it’s very important that we at Lost Coast as well are supporting you in this as well, because we we see some negativity … people say well they you know people should help themselves it’s not up to the city I disagree with that fundamentally and I assume you do you both do too. It needs to be…

BERGEL:

Yeah, I think it’s both and, you know, but I do think that, you know, when people are willing, they’ll get the help that they need. And as a community, we do all need to be educated and understand some of the things that are happening, you know, from an expert’s perspective instead of from, you know, this brief or this very narrow view that we see from where we sit.

O’CONNOR:

Okay, so remind us again, the date, time, place? Thanks.

BERGEL:

Time, the date.

ROSEN:

Sunday, June 4th from 1 to 4.30.

O’CONNOR:

And you’ve got a panel of experts as well. And of course, you’ll both be here. And there’s tacos. 

BERGEL:

Tacos! And then NAMI and Hope Center again will be tabling. Yep. So there’ll be good information there too for people that want to engage in that regard.

O’CONNOR:

Well Mayor Kim, Jacob, great to see you both again. Thank you so much for sharing a Humboldt Conversation with us today. Thank you so much for having us. And thank you for joining us for a Humboldt Conversation. We’ll hopefully see you all the next time. Until then, bye bye. Thank you.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s State of the State tour to jump start his second term cost taxpayers at least five times more than the traditional prepared speech that launched his first, according to records obtained by CalMatters.

That’s the price of California’s governor seeking a new approach to push his agenda — a high-profile, highly-choreographed four-day journey that spanned the state, each day focusing on one policy area.

“We’re just trying to do something to generate a little more energy so people understand what our priorities are,” he said on the fourth and final day of his March tour, which started in Sacramento, proceeded to the Bay Area and Los Angeles County and ended in San Diego.

Newsom’s February 2019 speech to a joint session of the Legislature in Sacramento cost taxpayers a little less than $7,000, mostly travel expenses for two consultants and teleprompter services.

The 2023 tour cost at least $38,000, according to receipts obtained through public records requests. The receipts include flights, hotel and transportation expenses for the governor and his staff.

Newsom’s office pushed back, saying the comparison between the traditional speech and the tour was “not apples to apples.”

“Not a lot of people pay attention to what’s happening in Sacramento on a daily basis,” Anthony York, spokesperson for the governor, told CalMatters on Tuesday. “A 30-minute speech in Sacramento, it’s over. And I think it adds to the disconnect between people and their government.”

“It’s important for any politician — whether that’s the Legislature, the governor or the president — to be out among their constituents to be talking about what their government is doing,” York added.

The governor’s office, which paid all the costs, did not provide an estimated budget for the high-profile tour.

But the total bill could be higher.

The receipts provided by the governor’s office don’t include security costs, which are paid for by the California Highway Patrol. CalMatters asked for those costs, but they were not available for this story.

The governor’s office said some of the travel costs in the receipts were not for the tour specifically because “other official business required some staff involved in the tour to extend their trip to join other events or meetings.” Large portions of some documents were redacted, to protect “personal privacy,” the governor’s office said.

Tracking the spending for the internal operations of the governor’s office can be difficult — because many expenses are offloaded to other departments, said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

It’s also complicated to parse out expenses necessary for the governor to do his job from the political events, Coupal said.

One example: “If he flies down to the Central Valley to look at the Tulare Lake flooding, that’s legitimate. But is he gonna make some campaign stops in the lake? Probably … It’s very, very difficult to break down.”

The association tracks, and has sued, over outright political advocacy paid through the state budget, Coupal said, critiquing Gov. Jerry Brown for campaigning for Proposition 30, a 2012 ballot measure to increase the statewide sales tax rate.

The Newsom tour locations spotlighted different programs in which he wants to invest more state money to make progress on complex problems.

At Cal Expo in Sacramento, he toured tiny homes, another of his strategies to help people experiencing homelessness — which he called a “disgrace” and put at the top of his agenda in his 2020 State of the State speech. At San Quentin State Prison, he unveiled a plan to “transform” education and skills training for inmates as part of his prison reform efforts.

At a Kaiser Permanente warehouse in Downey, he launched the state’s low-cost insulin program, a significant step in his goal to lower prescription prices, and disclosed that he wants the state to make its own naloxone, used to save people from fentanyl overdoses. And at a hospital in San Diego, he discussed expanding behavioral health programs and proposed a $3 billion bond measure in 2024 to expand psychiatric treatment centers.

At each stop, state administrators, advocates and state and local elected officials flanked the governor.

The events, which drew widespread media coverage, went far beyond what was required of Newsom. The governor’s only obligation, according to California’s Constitution, is to submit a letter to the Legislature — which he did three days after the tour ended.

While the tour promoted Newsom’s efforts as the state’s chief executive to tackle some of California’s most pressing problems, the attention also didn’t hurt any future political ambitions.

He insists he’s not running for president and he’s enthusiastically backing President Biden’s 2024 reelection, but the governor is still amping up his national presence. Less than two weeks after the tour, Newsom launched a new Campaign for Democracy and jetted off to three Southern GOP states to meet with Democrats — a trip paid for by his newly formed political action committee, seeded with $10 million in leftover money from his 2022 campaign.

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

Most renters know securing housing isn’t as simple as finding the perfect place.

California’s renters must save up thousands of dollars to provide security deposits that can legally be as much as two months’ rent, or three months’ for furnished units.

Add in the requirement that renters put up the first month’s rent before they can move in and low-income families are most likely to give up hope of finding a home.

The state Assembly on May 22 passed a proposal that could change that.

Assembly Bill 12 would limit security deposits to one month’s rent, regardless of whether a unit is furnished or not. If the bill passes and gets Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature, California could become the 12th state to limit security deposits.

“Security deposits present barriers for people to move into apartments, which can lead them to stay in apartments (and) in homes that are too small, crowded or even unsafe,” said Matt Haney, the Democratic Assemblymember from San Francisco who authored the bill. “In other cases, people take on debt or financial burden that leaves them unable to afford other necessities.”

Haney said the bill has attracted widespread support in the Assembly, including from lawmakers who are landlords as well as labor organizations representing teachers, nurses and grocery store workers.

Assemblymember Diane Dixon, a Republican from Newport Beach, was among the Nos in the 53-14 vote. She cited concern about the bill’s potential to reduce the housing supply.

“The more we over-regulate people’s ability to offer a successful product, the scarcer it will become,” she said in a statement. “Landlords charge security deposits to cover potential damages and any unused funds are returned to the renter.”

Like a downpayment

Haney said the issue caught his attention when a janitor in his district described living with his wife and three children in a one-bedroom apartment.

“He wanted to move into a larger unit so his kids didn’t have to sleep in the same room as him and his wife,” Haney said. “He said he could afford the rent, but he couldn’t afford the deposit and first month’s rent to move in. Unfortunately that’s not an uncommon situation.”

In California, the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $2,538 and for a three-bedroom home is $3,795 according to Zillow. For a $3,000-a-month unfurnished unit, a landlord can charge as much as $9,000 for a security deposit and the first month’s rent.

“People are being asked to pay the equivalent of the down payment of a home in many parts of the country just to move in,” Haney said. “It’s really untenable.”

Tina Rosales, housing attorney and policy advocate with the Western Center on Law & Poverty, said the bill could help fight homelessness.

She came across a San Francisco apartment that called for $10,000 up front, including a security deposit, first month’s rent and fees.

“That’s a lot of money for anybody,” she said, “but especially for low-wage workers, and particularly for Black, Latin and indigenous households. No one can afford market rate housing, plus first, last and two months of security deposits, on top of other excessive fees landlords are permitted to charge.”

Alternatives to security deposits

Debra Carlton, spokesperson for the California Apartment Association, said the landlord group is disappointed that Haney did not consider alternatives.

“The vote on the bill came earlier than we thought, and we had hoped that he would work with us to find perhaps a different solution, but obviously that didn’t happen,” she said.

Carlton said security deposits are important because they allow landlords to pay to repair damage to units. And, should an eviction be necessary, deposits help landlords cover those costs. The average court eviction can take as long as six months and cost an average of $10,000, the association said.

Carlton suggested tenants participate in insurance or bond programs, which could help cover potential damages, like security deposits.

“People are being asked to pay the equivalent of the down payment of a home in many parts of the country just to move in.”
— Matt Haney, Democratic Assemblymember from San Francisco

She added that the bill could force landlords to increase rents and become stricter when vetting tenants, ultimately making it harder for tenants to find housing.

Haney said his staff met with the California Apartment Association and he is open to talking with them, but he believes the limits are necessary.

He said he would consider amending the bill to exempt homeowners who rent out a single room or a guest house.

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

Our beloved father, grandfather, and great-grandfather Wayne was called home unexpectedly on May 8, 2023. Wayne was born on June 8th, 1936, in Colburn, Colo., to Prairie and Zella King. When he was 16 he moved with his father and two brothers to Orleans, where according to Wayne they all lived in a tent on the old mill property that they worked at.

It was there in Orleans that Wayne met the two women who gave him the greatest joys in his life. He met Marilyn, who gave him his oldest daughter, Marla. He met and married Elsie, who gave him Kristen, Wayne II and Charla.

In 1958 Wayne was drafted at age 22 into the U. S. Army. Right about now most folks are thinking, “But wait, Wayne was a Navy man, what gives?” Well as he told it the story goes like this:  “Me and Billy Horn and Joe Horn and Dick Wolf all got drafted at the same time, so we all went to town together to the recruiting office. They were getting ready to send us to Fort Ord, he (the recruiter) says ‘you’ve only got one option, you can defer and join another branch, either way you’re leaving today’. My brother-in-law Ran Beck always said, ‘go in the Navy’, so that’s what I did, ‘cause that Navy’s where it’s at”.

Wayne was sent to bootcamp in San Diego. He was then stationed there after finishing bootcamp, and was assigned to the USS Oklahoma City. From there he was deployed to shore patrol in the Saigon River area of Vietnam. After San Diego Wayne was also stationed in Bremerton, Wash. During his time in the Navy Wayne was sent to “Nookie Pookie” school as he called it and became a certified nuclear welder. He was assigned to the “Floating White House” where he met and shook hands with President Kennedy. Wayne was able to go to seven continents, see thirteen countries, and became a “Double Shellback” (meaning he crossed the international date line twice while on board a Navy vessel).

After leaving the Navy, Wayne, and Elsie along their three kids moved back to Orleans, where Wayne held many jobs and hobbies. He started King Trucking and drove logging trucks to the mill and timber trucks from the mill. He went into business with his younger brother Bert, and after his divorce he owned the Ishi Pishi club, a one-of-its-kind bar in Orleans. Wayne eventually moved from Orleans to the coast, near the mill in Arcata where he stayed for a few years before he settled in the Hoopa Valley. He remained there in the Valley for over 25 years, until he moved home to Orleans two years ago.

He spent many Memorial Days cooking hundreds of pancakes for the annual VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) pancake breakfast in Willow Creek. He was active with VFW in both Hoopa and Willow Creek until his passing. When Wayne “retired” from trucking he started to carve some of the most beautiful abalone and antler earrings and hair sticks. You’d be hard pressed to walk through Hoopa, Orleans or Willow Creek and not see at least a couple pairs of his earrings hanging from a lobe or two.

Wayne was preceded in death by his parents Prairie King and Zella Morris, his son Wayne II, brothers Orval and William (Bert) King, brother-in-law Ran Beck, sister-in-law Barbara Pearson and her husband Bill Pearson, loved ones Elsie King Gillespie and Marilyn Attebery.

Wayne is survived by his daughters Marla Hillman (Randy) and Kristen and Charla King. His Grandchildren; Bambi Maxwell (Vinny), Leaf Chook (Annelia), and Ike Hillman, Harold “Sonny” (Tawnia) and Kristofer (Mariah) Mitchell, Wayne III (Rena), Eric, Ruby, Vanessa, Chloe, and Violet King, Sereena and Travis King. Great-Grandchildren; Tishannik Bowen, Carter and Marilyn Maxwell, Ishikiihara and Vuunsip’ Hillman, Bessie, Grant “Son Son”, Keech, and Thadeus Hillman, Javon and Jaliya Mitchell, Kristofer “KJ” Jr and Davonte “Hanky” Mitchell, BellaAnn, Wayne IV, Kion and Lovayah King. Wayne is survived by his brothers Delbert “Bert” and Gary King and Sisters Helen Beck and Evelyn King. He has far too many nieces and nephews to list but he loved each and every one of them.

Wayne is also survived by his honorary family — Kadoo Henry, Lacie Lewis (Justin), beloved “grandson” Brady Brink, Lindsay McCovey and Uriah Cheng, WU-Ti McCovey and Tee-tom, Neveah, Sregon Stone and Sregon Barney McCovey.

Wayne’s family is currently planning a celebration of his extraordinary life and will make announcements once a date and time are settled on. In lieu of flowers please consider donating to or volunteering with the Willow Creek VFW or your local hall in Wayne’s honor.

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At 2 a.m. on May 17, 2023, the world lost a wonderful, talented soul. David Jager (68) died in his sleep at his home in Eureka.

David was born in Eureka in 1955. He was the fifth child of Frank and Fredia Jager. He attended St. Bernard’s school and graduated with the class of 1973. Shortly after high school and encouraged by his good friend, Father Tom Devereaux, he entered St. Mary’s Catholic seminary in Kentucky and began his studies to become a priest. After two years he returned home convinced that the priesthood was not his calling. Once back in Eureka he attended College of the Redwoods and briefly Humboldt State University. During this time he obtained his EMT certification and became a member of the Eureka Volunteer fire department.

In the late 1970s he earned his commercial truck driver’s license and began his career as a long-haul truck driver. He traveled all over the United States and had many stories to tell about the various cities he visited and adventures of driving in New York City. Dave was a certified scuba diver and enjoyed his many trips to the Gulf Coast and Florida, where during down time from driving truck he could dive in the warm waters.

During his early teen years David was a proud member of Boy Scout Troop 54. He completed several 50-mile summer hikes with the troop in the Trinity Alps and Marble Mountains.

In his youth David was an accomplished rock climber and mountaineer. He completed numerous climbs in Yosemite, the Trinity Alps, the Sierra, and the Cascade mountains of Oregon. When he was home his practice ground for climbing was old Patrick’s Point State Park (Now Sue-Meg State Park). He and his brother pioneered many of the climbing routes still used today. His climb of the Grand Teton in Wyoming was a proud moment in his climbing career.

David had Native American roots. He was a tribal member of the Citizen Band Potawatomi. His ancestry on his mother’s side was the Bird Clan of the Degraff-Navarre families.

In his retirement he operated a lawn care business to keep active until his health failed. He was a caring person and donated to many charities both on the local level and nationally.

His brothers and sisters would like to give a special thanks to Hospice of Humboldt — especially Robert, who cared for David in his final days.

David was a lifelong bachelor and was predeceased by his father, mother, and his younger brother Paul.

He is survived by his sisters and brothers: Dora Kaliamos, Patty Roberts, Dot Wentworth; Frank, Michael and Adam Jager.

A memorial service will be held later this summer.

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Marla Kay Smoker passed away on March 7, 2023 in Eureka.

She was born on January 24, 1944 to Percy and Wiletha Munsell in Klamath Falls, Oregon. The family eventually moved to Redding, where Marla was a member of the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls, of which she was very proud. She graduated from Enterprise High School Class of 1962. She continued living in Redding while working for AAA Insurance for several years.

In 2002 she met George Smoker. She knew the day they met they were meant to be together forever. They were married on April 16, 2004 during Kool April Nights in Redding. The ceremony took place on the drive up to the second story of the Convention Center. Marla wrote their vows and their friend Gene Davenport performed the ceremony. Marla felt that Gene was taking too long and finally asked when he would say “You may now kiss the bride.”

Marla moved to Eureka with George. They owned and operated Redwood Coffee Service for 7.5 years and made many friends during that time. They belonged to Redwood Vintage Rods and traveled to many car shows and rod runs. So much fun and close friendships were made. They also enjoyed camping whether by roughing it or going in their camp trailer. Marla’s pride and joy was their vegetable garden and her beautiful flowers. She definitely had a green thumb. She also made the best applesauce from their apple tree (with George’s help).

Marla was a special person with a heart of gold and great personality. She was loved by many and will forever be in our hearts and thoughts. She was preceded in death by her parents Percy and Wiletha Munsell and her brother Forrest (Bo) Munsell. She is survived by her loving husband George Smoker of Eureka, her daughter Laura Stevens of Redding and several nieces, nephews and cousins. Her many friends and family will miss her deeply. RIP Marla, until we meet again.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, June 17, 2023 between 12 and 3 p.m. at the Loyal Order of Moose Lodge, 4328 Campton Road, Eureka, CA 95503.

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Catch up quick with the LoCO’s local newscast! Press play above and check below for today’s pressing poll question.

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• Denied by Supes and a Judge, Enviro Groups Continue Fight Against Remote SoHum Weed Farm With Appeals Court Filing