New heaters for buildings at the City College of San Francisco, solar panels and electric vehicle chargers at Riverside campuses, free textbooks for students in San Bernardino — all of these projects depend on state money that the governor wants to cut.

The cuts, proposed in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s May budget revision, are particularly controversial because they would require community colleges to effectively return nearly $800 million they received last summer.

“That’s unprecedented,” said Jose Torres, the executive vice chancellor of the San Bernardino Community College District.

Some of the cuts to maintenance funds could put students across the state at risk. At Ohlone College in Fremont, representatives from the Deaf Studies program told administrators last year that the fire alarm in their building had no visual cues. Christopher Dela Rosa, a vice president, said the college has since replaced that alarm but there isn’t enough money in the state grants to see if the other buildings have the same problem.

“I just need to prioritize which ones I can with the limited funds I have,” Dela Rosa said.

In San Bernardino, Torres has already signed contracts and committed those dollars towards certain projects.

However, his college district has yet to spend the money.

That’s typical, said one of the governor’s advisers at the Department of Finance who was not authorized to comment: “It takes time for districts to determine which projects they would fund in which order. It takes time to try and get up to contract.”

As a result, the finance staff member said, colleges should still have time to revise their plans in light of the proposed budget cuts.

Torres already made his plans public, though. One of those state-funded projects is the first thing students see when they visit the websites for either of the two community colleges in his district: Free tuition and textbooks this summer.

Torres said he isn’t willing to pull his commitment for free textbooks and summer tuition away from San Bernardino students. Instead, the community college district will draw down a quarter of its savings in the event that the governor’s budget passes and the state money falls through.

Budget cuts turn up the heat on California community colleges

These budget cuts come as a direct result of the state’s $31.5 billion budget deficit.

Community colleges will still receive over $9 billion in state funds this year, if the governor’s budget is enacted. That includes a percentage increase in per student funding based on inflation and more money to build affordable housing for students.

But something had to give to make up for the state’s budget deficit.

The Department of Finance proposed cutting two major investments from last year: a one-time grant to support maintenance and green energy projects, and another one-time grant to help colleges recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. In both cases, the dollars arrived last summer, but colleges have years to spend them.

Many community colleges put the state’s dollars toward small-scale maintenance issues, such as replacing old heating and AC units or making routine repairs to roofs and streets.

These improvements are often low on the priority list and are frequently deferred, but if colleges wait too long, the consequences can be drastic nonetheless: At the City College of San Francisco, aging heaters gave out this winter, leaving students and professors to resort to hand-warmers.

The San Francisco City College board has since moved to fix the broken heaters with emergency funds, but other buildings with aging HVAC infrastructure, like the library, will depend on the state’s money for regular repairs.

In Riverside, community college leaders had planned to fix the AC units in its aging cosmetology school, but the project may not materialize if the budget passes in its current form.

The Riverside Community College District also used $5 million of the state’s grants for a renewable energy initiative that would offset 60% of the district’s power through solar panels and EV chargers. The project has taken years to finance and months of planning by administrators and a contractor, all of which will stop if the state needs the money back.

Alternatives to cut

Lizette Navarette, interim deputy chancellor for the community college system, said that there are roughly 5,000 such maintenance and construction projects that have either already used these funds or plan to. Most of those projects are in the planning phase, but CalMatters identified at least one school, Ohlone College, that has already spent half of the $3.6 million it received for maintenance costs.

“We recognize that tough decisions had to be made,” Navarette said. She wasn’t surprised that the budget included significant cuts but said the state should explore other options to reduce costs.

Instead, she asked the governor’s budget team if they could defer payment to a later year when the state’s financial outlook is brighter.

A student studies in the library at San Bernadino Valley College on May 30, 2023. Photo by Lauren Justice for CalMatters

That option comes with its own liabilities. The state already owes roughly $11 billion in deferred payments across its agencies, which might take more than a decade to pay off, said the staff member at the Department of Finance. “The state very likely will face more budget problems over the next few years,” said a recent report from the Legislative Analyst’s Office.

Alternatively, Navarette has asked the state to consider giving colleges more flexibility about which programs to cut, which in turn gives colleges more agency to decide which promises to keep.

Both the State Assembly and State Senate have been receptive to her requests, she said, though the governor makes the ultimate decision.

Even if the community colleges keep all the state dollars that they received, it still would not solve the colleges’ maintenance problems. The state’s investments last year — the largest in history for deferred maintenance, Navarette said — were estimated to account for roughly half of what colleges needed.

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

Martina Scarfia
Friday, March 20, 1998 - Sunday, May 14, 2023

Martina died as she lived: pursuing her passions. Martina was well known for putting all of her heart into fulfilling her dreams and using her talents and gifts to the full. Although most of you now reading this have heard of her tragic surfing incident, not all of you had the opportunity to know Martina, to enjoy her talents, or to benefit from her gifts.

Martina was a gifted writer, from serious drama to absolute hilarity. She was a compassionate and self-sacrificing caregiver. She had a beautiful singing voice with an impressive range and control. Martina learned sign language at the age of 16 to help the deaf spiritually. Martina was known by many friends and family for her discernment, wisdom, and comprehensive understanding of the “hallway of consequences”. She was a friend to those who struggled with friendship. She was also well known as an enthusiastic “adrenaline junkie” who, in her short life, traveled to three different continents. Her favorite spot in the world was the Cliffs of Moher on the west coast of Ireland, which she has chosen as her resting place until Paradise.

Martina was passionate about being a licensed doula, an organ donor, and an animal lover — especially snakes and her dogs. By the age of 13, she had made up her mind to become a nurse with the ultimate aim of disaster relief. She was accepted into nursing school and began the RN program at College of the Redwoods in the fall of 2021. While attending nursing school Martina continued her full-time, volunteer ministry which she had begun in 2019. Although having serious educational challenges due to significant ADHD, she graduated from nursing school with honors on May 13, 2023, having also completed a Preceptor program in the ED.

Martina is survived by her parents Larry and Anita Scarfia and her dogs Clara ‘Oswin’ Oswald and ‘Raven’ Roberta Jones. She is also survived by her biological siblings Asia Scarfia-Ward, Shauna Johnson, and Aaron Scarfia; her brother-in-law Randy Ward; her siblings of the heart Chenoa Cantua, Amanda Betts, Kara Roberts, and Don Roberts; and her grandparents Howard and Martha Hughes, as well as numerous aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, and cousins — both biological and of the heart.

A Memorial Service is being held for her Saturday, June 10 at 3 p.m. at the Mckinleyville Middle School Gym, 2285 Central Ave, McKinleyville. All are invited. Martina’s beloved friend, Alyssa Lea, has set up a GoFundMe that will assist with Martina’s end-of-life wishes. The GoFundMe will also be used to help establish the Martina Scarfia Scholarship for Nursing, as her legacy to assist other promising nursing students with personal challenges. Please use this link if you wish to donate to this fund.

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NOTE: Much more on the Nikki Alcaraz/Steven Stratton case — a national panic of which this reporter was not aware — at this Google News search.

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Press release from the Eureka Police Department:

On May 30, 2023 at approximately 7:15 a.m., Officers from the Eureka Police Department (EPD) were dispatched to the 100 block of 4th Street on a report of a missing person, Nikki Michelle Alcaraz, who had been spotted at this location on May 29, 2023.

It has been reported that Nikki Alcaraz had been on a road trip from Tennessee to California with her boyfriend, Steven Stratton. On May 9, 2023, an alleged domestic violence act occurred between Alcaraz and Stratton in New Mexico. The investigating agency released both Alcaraz and Stratton after investigating the incident. Several days later, both Alcaraz and Stratton left the area together and had not been seen since. This led to a missing person report being filed on Alcaraz in New Mexico.

EPD officers investigated the sighting in Eureka and were able to confirm that both Alcaraz and Stratton were still together and had been at the location.

On May 30, 2023 at approximately 2:25 p.m., a citizen phoned EPD and advised they had seen the vehicle associated with Alcaraz and Stratton traveling south on Broadway. Officers were dispatched to the vicinity and located the vehicle parked at Pacific Plaza. Both Alcaraz and Stratton were contacted inside the vehicle. Alcaraz and Stratton cooperated with officers. Alcaraz told officers that she was okay and didn’t need any assistance. A check on Stratton revealed he had an outstanding warrant for his arrest out of Tennessee with full extradition. Stratton’s warrant was for failure to appear on a theft related offense. Stratton was taken into custody without incident and transported and booked at the Humboldt County Correctional Facility.

Alcaraz was provided information on local resources and released from the scene. The reporting agency in New Mexico was notified of the contact with Alcaraz.

You strapped in and ready for news? Click the player above for our daily video roundup.

ADDITIONAL READING:

• All the Kinetics Statues!
• Burglary in Trinidad
• ‘Jacks row fast
• Errant red-footed booby touches down in Trinidad

UPDATE, JUNE 7: Cassandra Ilene Miller has been located safe in Folsom, CA, by the California Highway Patrol. 

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Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office needs the public’s help to locate missing person Cassandra (Cassy) Ilene Miller, age 33, of Loleta.

Miller was reported missing by a family member on May 17, 2023. She was last seen on May 10 at about 4 p.m. in the area of U.S. Highway 101 Southbound near exit 694, Loleta Drive.

Cassandra Miller is described as an American Indian female, approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall, 210 pounds, with dirty-blonde hair, blue eyes and no teeth. She was last seen wearing a black Bear River Rancheria sweatshirt.

Miller is known to live a transient lifestyle and frequents the Loleta area. She suffers from medical conditions which may put her at increased risk.

Anyone with information for the Sheriff’s Office regarding Miller’s possible whereabouts should call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251, reference case number 202302289.

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While fishing in the Pacific Ocean just outside of Trinidad, local resident Don Galusha captured a pic of a tropical seabird that is extremely rare to our area – a red-footed booby!

The photo, emailed to the Outpost on Monday by Galusha’s friend Shannon Donohue, was taken on May 25, about five miles northwest of Trinidad Head. “I knew it was something rare,” Donohue told the Outpost, adding that she had posted the image to ebird.org to confirm the species. 

Rob Fowler, a local birder and birding guide, confirmed the booby’s identity with the Outpost today and said that it is very rare to see this species – usually found in tropical waters – in our area. Fowler added that this is only the second recorded red-footed booby sighting in Humboldt County, with the first being near Sue-Meg State Park in November, 2021.  

We can only speculate as to why the booby ended up this far from its usual territory. Red-footed boobies do not migrate, but they are strong flyers and have been known to travel long distances in search of food. Whatever it is that landed our friend near Trinidad, we wish it well.  Booby on, little friend! 

You freaked out for the FOREST MOON FESTIVAL yet? Or are you playing it cool like a Jedi force bro headed into battle?

Whichever the case, this is your reminder that if all goes well Humboldt and Del Norte County will be overrun with Star Wars nerds this weekend, hopefully spending their galactic credits in local shops and eateries and watering holes. They’re coming to celebrate all things STAR WARS, but they can’t use that name for this weekend’s events due to what I assume is some sort of licensing issue.

Anyway! There is a great big list of events taking place all over the region at this link. Above is the artwork, featuring an idyllic scene of a family gazing awefully up at the Death Star right before it blasts their planet to smithereens. And below is a message from the Humboldt-Del Norte Film Commission, sponsors of the festival, in which among other things they urge you to use the hashtag #ForestMoonFeels23 in all your socials, because it is 2023 and you are at the Forest Moon Festival and those things together give you the “feels.”

Press release from the Humboldt-Del Norte Film Commission:

On June 2nd and 3rd of 2023, the Humboldt-Del Norte Film Commission is hosting the inaugural Forest Moon Festival, sponsored by Humboldt and Del Norte Counties. Star Wars Fans, this is the summer event you are looking for.  It will commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, the Star Wars film that featured Humboldt and Del Norte Counties as the locations for the forest moon of Endor, the final battleground between the Rebel Alliance and Galactic Empire.

The Forest Moon Festival will span across the two counties. Epic events have been created for the whole family to enjoy. The Film Commission hosted events will take place at The Mateel Community Center in Southern Humboldt, Beachfront Park in Crescent City, Sequoia Park in Eureka, and Cal Poly Humboldt in Arcata. Other exciting activities that are happening across the Redwood region include Lucasfilm approved costumers (Rebels, Storm Troopers, and more) appearances, rebel training courses, nature walks with state parks, and afterparties to name a few. Costumes are encouraged throughout the weekend. Please make sure to visit the website regarding costume policy and other safety tips.

For more information on this event (including map and schedule of events, to be released later) you can visit the website www.forestmoonfestival.org.  Any business that wishes to participate should visit and follow the directions on the vendor page of the website to be included in the promotional material. Be sure to follow the Forest Moon Festival Facebook page and Instagram @forestmoonfestival to get all the latest updates and announcements. Make sure to share your fun on social media by using #forestmoonfeels23.