For more than a week after the Nov. 8 election, control of the U.S. House of Representatives remained undetermined. All eyes had turned to more than half a dozen uncalled races in California when, on Wednesday, the Associated Press projected victory for Rep. Mike Garcia in his Los Angeles-area district, finally handing Republicans a slim majority in the new Congress.

As tense days ticked by without resolution, political pundits across the country once again lamented why the vote count takes so long in California, while conservatives resurfaced concerns that late-arriving ballots and slow results exposed Democratic efforts to steal close races.

In reality, the extended count, which will take a month to finish, is a consequence of California’s shift to overwhelmingly voting by mail, a convenience that requires several additional steps of verification by local officials once ballots arrive.

Though election experts in California say there are several ways the state could potentially speed up the tally, there is little urgency to prioritize them. With policymakers focused instead on improving accessibility, participation and security, the waiting game seems here to stay.

“Democracies are not meant to be efficient. They’re built on a foundation that every person’s vote matters,” said state Sen. Steve Glazer, an Orinda Democrat who leads the Senate committee on elections. Instant answers, he said, are not more important than ensuring the accuracy and integrity of the results.

Glazer added that no one has ever raised serious concerns with him about the speed of vote counting.

“The current hysteria generated by some is a lot of bunk that feeds their ideological agenda to the detriment of trust in our democracy,” Glazer said. “Is there a way to make it faster? Yes, there is. It is worth the price, the cost?”

Mail ballots slow the tally

The crawling pace of election results in California — with updates dribbling out day by day — stems from changes in how people vote over the past two decades. The state implemented no-excuse absentee voting in 2002, which during the coronavirus pandemic became a system where every active registered voter is mailed a ballot. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law last year making that permanent.

Some experts point to additional factors, including the sheer size of California and its independent redistricting process, which creates more competitive races where the outcome cannot be determined as quickly.

But the timeline is fundamentally driven by mail ballots, which simply take longer to count than those cast at a polling place on election day.

A recent analysis by the nonprofit California Voter Foundation found that, in November 2004, when fewer than a third of voters cast mail ballots, nearly 81% of voters were counted within two days of election day. By comparison, in the June primary this year, more than 91% of voters cast mail ballots and slightly less than half were counted within two days of election day.

As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, county election offices had counted about 9.1 million votes, but still had nearly 1.9 million ballots left to process.

The reasons are not nefarious. Local election officials verify the signature on every mail ballot and check that the voter has not already cast a ballot in another jurisdiction before counting it. To minimize the number of legitimate votes that are disqualified for procedural reasons, California accepts ballots postmarked by election day that arrive as much as a week later and gives voters an opportunity to fix missing or mismatched signatures on their ballots. Before certification, election offices also recount 1% of ballots by hand as an internal audit.

“We have a huge population of registered voters and California stresses enfranchisement, so we have a process that by law ensures both voting rights and the integrity of elections,” Secretary of State Shirley Weber, the state’s chief elections officer, said in a statement Tuesday. “I would call on everyone to be patient.”

Her office did not make Weber available for an interview, but spokesperson Joe Kocurek said that, with the count still ongoing, “It’s a little early for us to assess whether any changes are needed.”

But the lengthy timeline has contributed to a growing partisan split in trust in elections, fueled by conspiracy theories spread by former President Donald Trump that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.

An October survey by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies found that 74% of Republicans in California believe election security in the United States is under threat, while Democrats were evenly divided. Large numbers of Republican respondents considered people voting illegally or trying to change results to be major threats, with more than half expressing no confidence in machine counting of ballots.

“The ironic thing is that the people who are making claims questioning the veracity of our election results because of the long vote counts are overlooking that the reason it takes a long time to count mail ballots is because we are ensuring the security of the vote,” said Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation, which advocates to improve election administration and access to voting.

Nevertheless, she said, California should work to speed up the process to deal with the perception of malfeasance — and the torrent of abuse that it has unleashed on election officials, who are burning out of the job at extraordinary rates.

“With elections, confidence is about people having confidence based on what’s actually happening and also confidence based on what they perceive is happening,” Alexander said. “Perception matters a lot.”

Changing voter habits

Some solutions could be as simple as messaging.

Several county election officials said that people turned their ballots in earlier during the 2020 presidential election, allowing their offices to process a greater share of votes in the weeks leading up to election day and announce those results as soon as the polls closed. This year, more were dropped off at polling places on election day, or were still arriving this week because they were mailed later.

Olivia Hale, registrar of voters for San Joaquin County, said she wants to run an educational campaign before the next election encouraging people to return their ballots earlier.

That could also be accomplished by creating more opportunities for early, in-person voting, such as the weekend before the election.

Only 27 of 58 counties in California use the new Voter’s Choice Act model, which replaces neighborhood polling places with regional vote centers that open 10 days before election day and offer registration, voting and other services. Counties are responsible for the cost and administration of the vote centers, including finding locations and election workers to staff them.

Hale said she still plans to advocate for San Joaquin County to adopt the system, because “our current model fits a model of election that was in the past.” But she would also like to see the state offer grants to help counties upgrade their equipment and hire more staff.

“I just want to do what gives the voters what they want,” Hale said.

Shasta County does not use the Voter’s Choice Act model either, but many residents have taken advantage of the option to come to the elections office in person to have their mail ballot processed immediately, said Cathy Darling Allen, the county registrar of voters.

About 2,000 people voted this way in the primary and that increased to more than 3,000 in the November election, which Allen attributed to skepticism around mail-in voting. She said the timeline for counting ballots is “a push and pull,” not just with voters but also with candidates and the media.

“We have tens of thousands of ballots. Of course that’s going to take us time,” she said. “Someone I worked with once told me, ‘Elections can be cheap and fast, and they can be accurate — but you have to pick two.’”

‘You just have to grind it out’

When election offices are dealing with mail ballots, however, there’s not much they can do to go faster. Processing each one takes significantly more manual labor, including verifying the signature, opening the envelope and extracting the ballot, and aligning stacks of ballots for the counting machines. Damaged ballots that cannot be read by the machines are duplicated by workers and run through again.

“Once you receive 100,000, 200,000 ballots like that, it’s just a chore. You just have to grind it out,” said Tommy Gong, deputy county clerk-recorder for Contra Costa County. “I don’t think there’s anything that could speed it up, other than maybe more equipment.”

Because each mail ballot envelope is scanned twice after it arrives — once to check the signatures and again to remove the challenged ballots for further verification or fixing — Gong said having a second sorting machine could speed up their tally by allowing them to undertake both steps simultaneously.

But that might also require more vote counters (Contra Costa County has six) and more employees (the county has 32 permanent and 65 temporary workers for the election) to maintain the pace, plus a larger space to house the massive machines.

“If that was a desire to be able to certify quicker, it would need to really be looked at holistically,” Gong said. “By doing things quicker, you certainly could be looking for ways to cut corners that could start chipping away at the integrity of the elections.”

Technological developments may ultimately help speed the vote count for mail ballots, though that is further down the line.

Gong said his office installed a new component on its scanner this year that opens the envelopes, so workers no longer have to put them through a separate machine. He’s less certain about automated signature verification, technology the bank industry is already using, because he believes that both workers and voters are more confident in human review.

Not a priority for policymakers

While California has radically overhauled its voting system over the past decade, adding automatic registration, universal mail ballots and free postage to expand access and participation, the speed of the count has not received much attention at the state Capitol.

A 2017 report by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office suggested that, to improve confidence in the election process, “the Legislature could make receipt of funding conditional on counties demonstrating efforts to improve the swiftness of their tallies.” That’s as far as the idea went.

Other programs have taken precedence in the budget. A request this year by 17 legislators and several voting rights advocates for $85 million to conduct voter education and outreach did not even get a committee hearing.

Legislators who focus on voting rights and election policy said they were open to ideas from local officials and other states that could speed up ballot processing, but they expressed doubts that there would be easy solutions that could work across the entire state. Policies such as simplifying candidate filing requirements and updating recall rules seemed to be a higher priority.

“It’s the kind of thing we get very focused on and passionate about now, as the count is going slowly,” said Assemblymember Marc Berman, a Palo Alto Democrat.

Berman, who carried the legislation to mail a ballot to every active registered voter in California, said creating new standards for how counties publicly report results and what information they share could be a simple, inexpensive fix.

“At a time when a lot of people are lying to the public to try to sow doubt in our democracy, that makes it that much more important for us to be as transparent as possible,” Berman said. “That transparency creates trust.”

Gail Pellerin, the former chief elections official for Santa Cruz County, was just elected to the Assembly. The Democrat said she hates the question of why counting votes takes so long, comparing the tally to wine-making — processes that can’t be rushed.

“I certainly would not want to compromise the intensive audits and verification and participation and security just to get it faster,” Pellerin said. “I think it takes the right amount of time to deliver democracy that is accurate and fair and transparent and accessible.”

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

“Big Mike” rode his Harley into the sky on September 22, 2022, after a long battle with liver cancer.

Mike was born to William and Peggy Mullin on August 23, 1955 in Eureka. Mike, the oldest of their two children, had a younger sister, Marcy. His father would later remarry and have his younger brother, Shannon.

Mike attended Eureka High School, where he was a star football player. He would later obtain his GED while serving our country in the United States Army. After his honorable discharge he came back home to Eureka. He followed his passion for fishing and went to work for Arctic Ice, fishing off the coast of Alaska for a number of years. Mike would eventually settle in Washington’s Spokane Valley.

Mike had many endeavors throughout his life. A self-proclaimed Jack of all trades, he owned many successful businesses over the years. Friends and family have described him as one of the smartest men they had ever known. There weren’t many things he didn’t know how to do, and if he didn’t know how to do something he would pick up a book and learn how. Mike enjoyed riding his Harley and fly fishing most of all. He was also one of the best pool players you could ever come across, winning tournament after tournament.

Mike leaves behind two daughters, Rebecca and Kalee; four grandchildren, Draken, Jax, Nicole and Barrett; his younger brother, Shannon; his dear friend Mike Ferguson, who will be spreading some of his ashes at Sturgis, where he enjoyed many biker ralliess. Mike spent the last decade with his loving partner Lori, who was a pillar of strength for him in the end.

At Mike’s request no funeral services will be held at this time. His memory lives on in all who knew him.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Mike Mullin’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

If you don’t already compost your food scraps, folks of Arcata, it’s time to start planning for it! During Wednesday night’s meeting, the Arcata City Council introduced an ordinance that will mandate composting all organic waste. 

The ordinance is a required step for bringing Arcata into compliance with SB 1383, which requires city and county jurisdictions to compost their green waste, such as food scraps and yard debris, in an effort to reduce the release of greenhouse gasses emitted by organic materials decomposing in our landfills. 

For the last two years, the local Solid Waste Local Task Force (LTF) – which includes members of Arcata city staff, along with representatives from other municipalities and the Humboldt Waste Management Authority (HWMA) – have been working on a countywide plan to bring Humboldt into compliance with the bill, which went into effect at the beginning of 2022. In addition to requiring California cities and counties to compost, the law requires jurisdictions to establish food recovery programs (which require food service businesses, like restaurants and grocery stores, to donate edible food) and to use recycled products – such as compost, mulch and renewable gas – for city projects.  

With all these different components, rolling out SB 138 is a pretty big undertaking. Luckily, rural communities like Arcata have been granted some extra time to implement the changes. Emily Benvie, deputy director of environmental and community services for the City of Arcata, explained to the council that adopting this ordinance by the end of the year is required to show that the city is on track. The city has another year after adoption to come into compliance with the ordinance, Benvie said.  

Once the service is rolled out, it would work like recycling and trash, where businesses and residents put their compost in a bin that is collected by the city. Benvie said that the city would implement a “three-bin system” with one bin for trash, one for recycling and a third, green bin for compost.

This brought up some questions with the council about what this would mean for people who already use a green waste bin for composting yard waste. (Recology does already offer pickup for yard waste, such as lawn clippings and leaves, which are processed at Wes Green Company.) Councilmember Alex Stillman asked if those people would have to use four bins. Benvie said the city would most likely have people use the same bin for yard waste and food scraps, which would then be separated during pre-processing. But Benvie added that the details are still being worked out. 

Another issue that still needs to be worked out is where the food waste will go once it’s picked up. Wes Green processes yard waste, but there is no local facility for composting food scraps. Benvie explained that the city is working with HWMA to develop processing pre-processing infrastructure as quickly as possible. In the longterm, the region is working to develop an in-county organic processing facility. In the meantime, the city is working to develop a franchise agreement with a processor that would transport the organic waste out of the area organic waste would be transported to an out of area processing facility. 

Benvie said that the topics of the franchise agreement, rate increases for collection, and infrastructure for processing will come before the council in spring of 2023.

Several community members expressed concern over the rate increases and the impact it may have on lower income people, and whether or not people should have to pay if they already compost themselves or use another composting business – such as Full Cycle Compost or Local Worm Guy. 

There are currently several provisions for waiving the service, including if a property is zero-waste, or if a property does not have space to keep the bin.  The ordinance would remove the zero-waste waivers, but the others would still apply. The ordinance also includes a waiver provisions for “self-haulers” – people who already use a service or take their compost to another facility. 

Benvie said that after the ordinance returns for adoption and before the changes start to roll out, there will be more opportunities for public questions and input. 

“Our intent is to really work with residences and businesses to provide them with ample time and education to understand the implementation of the ordinance as time moves on,” Benvie said during the meeting. 

[CORRECTION: This article previously stated that the ordinance would grant waivers to zero-waste properties or to self-haulers and has been corrected to reflect that the ordinance would actually remove the zero-waste waver.]

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The council was planning to vote on the approval of a contract that would increase the city’s contract with Planwest Partners – the agency that is developing the Gateway Area Plan – by $118,000, to complete more work around establishing zoning and land use policies for the Gateway Plan. 

But due to a Fair Political Practices Commission ruling, both Mayor Stacy Atkins-Salazar and Councilmember Alex Stillman must recuse themselves from discussions related to the Gateway Area Plan. Since Councilmember Brett Watson (who recently lost for re-election) was absent, the council would not have a quorum and the discussion was tabled.

At the end of last month, homeowners were dismayed to find a letter from the City of Eureka informing them of an increase in their monthly utility bill. 

The tax hike rate increase seeks to raise the City’s water and sewer rates incrementally over the next five years to cover capital improvements to the City’s infrastructure. Industry standards require municipalities to adjust water and sewer utilities rates periodically – typically every five years – to ensure rates are in keeping with inflation and accurately reflect operational costs. Rate increases are also necessary to ensure the City has sufficient revenue to cover capital projects and general maintenance while maintaining state-required reserves.

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.

“All customers are not created the same,” Deputy Public Works Director Brian Issa explained during Tuesday’s Eureka City Council meeting. “A restaurant is not the same as a single-family dwelling and serving both water [and] sewer to those [customers] is not equivalent. That’s why the rates are different for different customer classes.”

To determine individual rates and ensure everyone is paying their fair share, staff perform a Cost of Service Analysis (COSA) in which revenue requirements are apportioned to different customer classes based on their impacts on the system. In other words, customers who use more water and create more waste have to pay more because they require a higher level of service.

“To put it in perspective, the amount of BOD TSS [biological oxygen demand and total suspended solids] that Lost Coast Brewery sends down to the plant is roughly equivalent to – depending on the month – between 5,000 and 8,500 single-family residences,” Issa said, adding that “BOD TSS” is just a fancy term for “how much poop” will have to be treated. “Wrap your mind around that a little bit. The idea of ‘strength’ becomes a very, very important part of this when you look at the cost of service.”

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. Sewer rates will go up by about four to ten percent per year for the five years for a total increase of 34 percent.

(If you’re looking for a more specific estimate, the City of Eureka created a handy little calculator to determine what your monthly bill will look like over the next five years. Check it out at this link.)

Councilmember Leslie Castellano said she understood that the rate increase would help the City pay for new meters, but asked whether the meters would be paid off in the same five-year period.

“Right now, the plan is to pay for them all up front, either through the use of reserves or through rate revenues in those years where we’re doing the replacements,” Issa said. “It’s possible you could bond for that and do it as a debt but then you’re paying insurance on that. If you have the money to do it, it might be more sensible to do it up front … because they’re dying at a fairly logarithmic rate and we’re going to need to replace them, hopefully, within a 12-month period. …We can also go to the State Revolving Loan Fund for that money because it’s fairly low interest.”

City Manager Miles Slattery added that “all of the things listed in the capital improvement project will be paid for in that five-year period.”

Councilmember Scott Bauer cautioned against taking out a loan, fearing it could put the City in debt.

“A lot of the stories you hear about, you know, privatization of sewer and water are because of debt obligations,” he said. “Municipalities borrow a bunch of money, realize they can’t pay it back, they sell their critical human services and then everybody’s rates go up astronomically. … If we can pay as we go and not take out more debt I’m in favor of that.”

The City Council will revisit the proposal during a public hearing on Dec. 19. If approved, the rate increase will take effect on Jan. 1, 2023.

In the meantime, residents who oppose the rate increase can submit a letter of protest to the City. Proposition 218 provides a process in which California residents can protest a proposed rate increase and prevent adoption by the City Council if protests are recorded for more than 50 percent of affected parcels. Protests must be submitted in writing.

For more information on the 2022 rate study, check out the FAQ page here.

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Keeping with the theme of the evening, the council also reviewed and approved a revision to the City’s Private Sewer Lateral Ordinance.

The ordinance, adopted by the city council in 2019, shifted the responsibility of maintenance and repairs of the lower lateral – which is the sewer pipe connecting a property’s plumbing system to the public sewer main under the street – solely to the property owner. However, since the ordinance was adopted, staff has reported ongoing issues with laterals not being replaced by property owners when they should be, largely due to the cost. 

“This update really was spawned out of some mechanical issues with the ordinance, in terms of actually implementing it with homeowners, as well as conversations with the Humboldt Association of Realtors and a desire on the part of some [local realtors] to actually see a point-of-sale [trigger] as an effort to add more certainty to the ordinance and take out some of the ambiguity,” Issa explained. “But at the rate that [clay] sewer laterals need to be replaced, our crews just don’t have the capacity to go out and replace all those laterals.”

On top of the added point-of-sale trigger, the ordinance revision would also implement a set fee.

“Rather than telling the homeowner they have to replace the lateral, go find a contractor and figure it out, they would just pay a set fee,” Issa said. “We’ll take that money, we’ll hire a contractor when we get enough of them put together… we’ll manage the project, we’ll deal with all the contractor bidding and all of that sort of stuff. Once you pay the fee, you’re sort of off the hook and the sale can proceed immediately.”

The fee amount would be based on the average City bid cost of lateral repair/replacement over the previous two years. Currently, the anticipated fee would fall under $10,000. 

“The average cost, as I’m seeing right now, is somewhere around $8,000, with an additional amount for administration of the city bidding the project, inspecting and managing the project,” Issa said. Property owners who feel they can get a better deal through a private contractor will still have the ability to do so. 

Councilmember Bauer asked how the City would handle cross-connections (when the sewer line is connected to a neighboring sewer line) and if both parties would be required to replace their sewer laterals at the point-of-sale. 

“You would have to because you’re selling your property … but the other person would have to be done within a year,” Issa explained. “Typically, how I’ve been dealing with cross connections … we will do the new install because you have to tap the main and it’s better for us to work on our infrastructure. It doesn’t make any sense for us to go and install a new lateral and five feet away have a bad lateral in the ground and require that homeowner to go get somebody to come and fix it. We’ll just offer to do it at the same cost as a new install. … You can pay us to do it now and put both pipes in the same trench for $3,500 or you can go get somebody to do it for $10,000.”

Councilmember Natalie Arroyo asked about loan options and/or payment plans for homeowners, noting that a loan agreement “would be a little less onerous for folks.”

“We did originally talk about the loan program and the payments for the loan being attached to the water/sewer billing,” Issa said. “[It] did not roll out that way due to the logistics of the billing system and entering loans within the context of our billing software, so people have been getting that loan servicing separate from their water and sewer bill.”

Speaking on behalf of the Humboldt Association of Realtors during public comment, Tina Christensen said the proposed revision would alleviate the association’s primary concerns. 

“[Staff has] corrected a lot of conditions that [the association] felt needed to be addressed better and it seems like you’ve done that,” she said. “The [Humboldt] Association of Realtors has sold over 600 houses since this came in and I guarantee you that a lot of those houses did not have lateral inspections. Because of the big disclosure laws in real estate now, we all came to an understanding that this is a big issue, and it’s an issue for both buyers and sellers alike.”

Following public comment and a brief discussion from the council, Arroyo made a motion to approve staff’s recommendation and apply the aforementioned revisions to the Private Sewer Lateral Ordinance. The motion passed in a unanimous 5-0 vote.

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Earlier in the meeting, the council approved staff’s request to refinance a series of bonds related to the City’s Water Fund. Since interest rates are lower than in years past, staff thought now would be a good time to refinance the City’s debt.

The City Council will consider an identical request for the City’s Wastewater Fund next month. That item had originally appeared on this week’s agenda but was pulled because the City was offered an even lower interest rate for the wastewater bond.

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You can find a recording of the meeting at this link.

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NOTE: The original headline of this story described the City’s proposed water and sewer rate increase as a “tax hike.” The rate increase is not a tax, but a rate that is strictly regulated in accordance with Proposition 218. The Outpost regrets this error.

Cal Poly Humboldt release: 

Powered by its new designation as a polytechnic university, Cal Poly Humboldt announced the number of students applying for Fall 2023 have increased significantly.

The application season opened Oct. 1 and to date, first-time undergraduate applications have risen  86% since last year, according to preliminary numbers. 

Overall, applications for other students—including transfers and those pursuing a master’s degree—are up approximately 74%.

“These are impressive numbers compared to recent years,” says Peggy Metzger, executive director of Enrollment Management. “Humboldt’s polytechnic designation and the new academic programs that are launching next fall are definitely a draw for prospective students and their families this year. We’re excited to welcome these new students to Cal Poly Humboldt.”

Nine new academic degree programs will launch Fall 2023, with significantly more slated by 2029, include: 

• Applied Fire Science & Management, BS
• Cannabis Studies, BA
• Data Science, BS
• Engineering & Community Practice, MS
• Energy Systems Engineering, BS
• Geospatial Information Science & Technology, BS
• Marine Biology, BS
• Mechanical Engineering, BS
• Software Engineering, BS

(See the full list of academic programs.)

It’s Time to Apply!

Applications are being accepted from first-time freshmen, upper- and lower-division transfer students, returning students, veterans, international students, and graduate students.

The application deadline for first-time freshmen and transfer students is December 2, 2022. Deadlines vary for graduate program applications, so check specific timelines and details at humboldt.edu/apply.   

Students can also start applying for financial aid for next fall using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or the California Dream Act Application for eligible AB540 students. The FAFSA helps determine eligibility for various types of state and federal aid, and applying early is a good idea. See more information about Financial Aid.

Detailed information on applying to Cal Poly Humboldt is at humboldt.edu/apply, and applicants will use the Cal State Apply system to complete the online application.

From the Humboldt County Drug Task Force:

On November 14th, 2022, Humboldt County Drug Task Force Agents served a search warrant at the residence of Joshua Buchanan (age 36) located in the 7000 Block of Berta Road in Eureka. After a multi-week investigation, the HCDTF believed Buchanan was selling fentanyl and was in possession of several firearms.

Buchanan.

Upon arriving at Buchanan’s residence, Agents detained an adult female who was accompanied by a young child. After a sweep of the residence, Agents confirmed that Buchanan was not on scene.

HCDTF Agents searched Buchanan’s residence and located a large safe in the kitchen area. The safe contained multiple assault rifles, handguns, non-serialized firearms, one stolen firearm, high-capacity magazines, a suppressor, a large quantity of ammunition, and indicia for Joshua Buchanan. Buchanan is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.

Also, in the kitchen area of Buchanan’s residence, Agents located approximately 5 ½ ounces of fentanyl stored in a large plastic bag.

During the search of the residence, HCDTF Agents received information that Buchanan was possibly in the Rio Dell area. The HCDTF reached out to the Rio Dell Police Department and provided a description of Buchanan and his vehicle.

Shortly after, Rio Dell PD was able to locate Buchanan in his vehicle. Rio Dell PD Officers conducted a traffic stop on Buchanan where he was placed under arrest without incident.

Buchanan was transported to the Humboldt County Jail where he was booked for the following charges:

• 11351 H&S Possession of fentanyl for sale

• 11370.1(A) Possession of a controlled substance while armed with a loaded firearm

• 29800(a)(1) PC Felon in possession of a firearm

• 30605(a) PC Possession of an assault weapon

• 30305(a) PC Felon in possession of ammunition

• 33410 PC Possession of a silencer

• 29180 PC Possession of a firearm without a serial number

Anyone with information related to this investigation or other narcotics related crimes are encouraged to call the Humboldt County Drug Task Force at 707-267-9976.

Today’s meeting, queued up to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Richard Glick’s comments on Klamath Dam delicensing.

A historic milestone this morning: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the agency that oversees hydropower dams across the country, agreed to delicense four outdated hydropower dams along the middle stretch of the Klamath River, allowing for their removal to proceed.

The move comes 20 years after the Klamath Fish Kill, in which as many as 70,000 Klamath River salmon washed up dead on the banks of the river, killed by a disease that flourished in poor river conditions.

In the 20 years since, there have been immense efforts — sometimes combative, sometimes cooperative — among local tribes, farmers, local governments, state governments and others to figure out how to improve the health of the river. The removal of the four dams in the lower part of the river was a big piece of that — water behind the dams heats up in the summer and becomes more amenable to algal blooms, both of which are detrimental to fish health.

There are still plenty of issues left to work out on the Klamath — the number one being the proper division of water between upstream agricultural interests and the health of the ecosystem itself, in a time of drought and climate change. But FERC’s decision today means that work on removal of those four barriers to fish health can begin quite soon.

In his prepared remarks this morning, FERC’s chairman, Richard Glick, rhetorically asked why the commission would be giving up a zero-emissions source of energy at a time when the country is desperately working toward a decarbonized future. His answer: The commission is finally, belatedly, recognizing other sorts of environmental impacts, and especially is becoming aware of who is being impacted.

“A number of years back, I don’t think the commission necessarily spent a lot of time thinking about the impact of our decision on tribes, and I think that’s a very important element that’s in today’s order, and a number of orders recently. I think we’re making progress on that front,” Glick said.

The dams’ owner — the Warren Buffett-owned company PacifiCorp  — was part of the discussions that led up to this moment, and does not object to the dams’ removal.

We’re certain plenty of local tribes and other local governmental agencies will have lots to say about this long-awaited decision. We’ll add their statements below Congressman Jared Huffman’s, which arrived shortly after the decision.

Press release from Congressman Jared Huffman:

Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) applauded the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) decision today to issue a license surrender order that clears the way for removal of four Klamath River dams and the largest river restoration effort in history.

“FERC’s decision to retire PacifiCorp’s dams is the result of years of difficult work by our dedicated North Coast tribes, conservationists, the leadership of California and Oregon, and members of Congress,” said Rep Huffman. “Poor conditions on the Klamath River have caused substantial harm to tribal communities, commercial and sport fishermen, and the economies of California and Oregon. We know other dam removal projects in the West have seen dramatic beneficial responses for fisheries and wildlife, and the Klamath River has tremendous potential to recover and rebuild as this work is done. Congratulations to all of those who have worked to right this wrong and restore balance to the river.”

The order allows the Klamath River Renewal Corporation – a non-profit group that will lead the dam removal effort – and the states of California and Oregon to take over PacifiCorp’s license for the purpose of demolishing the dams. Construction crews will begin preparing the area for dam removal in early 2023 and will remove the Copco 2 dam next year. The remaining dams will be removed all in 2024.

The dams have for decades blocked salmon from reaching hundreds of miles of productive salmon habitat. The shallow reservoirs regularly become choked with toxic algae and cause elevated temperatures downstream. Impaired flows have led to an abundance of disease that often kills most young salmon in the river. Removal of the dams is expected to vastly improve water quality, reduce the presence of fish disease, and reopen vital spawning habitat.

Rep. Huffman has been an active partner in the efforts to remove the Klamath River dams. Following signs in July 2020 that PacifiCorp may walk back its commitment to dam removal, Rep. Huffman, Chair of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, held a public forum to examine the terrible impacts the dams have had on salmon and downstream water quality. In September of that year, he successfully offered an amendment to the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act, which was approved by the House, to safeguard Tribal communities against further harm to the Klamath River and its ecosystem caused by PacifiCorp’s delays.

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Joint statement from numerous Klamath basin tribes, environmental organizations and fishermen:

Today the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a License Surrender Order for the Lower Klamath River Hydroelectric Project. This clears the last major hurdle necessary to implement the world’s largest river restoration project – removal of the lower four Klamath River dams. With this order in place, the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, the non-profit entity created to oversee Klamath River dam removal and related restoration activities, and the States of Oregon and California can accept transfer of the Lower Klamath Project License from energy company PacifiCorp and start the dam removal process early next year.

“The Klamath salmon are coming home,” proclaimed Yurok Chairman Joseph James. “The people have earned this victory and with it, we carry on our sacred duty to the fish that have sustained our people since the beginning of time.”

The dam removal and river restoration project was made possible through a negotiated agreement between Karuk Tribe, Yurok Tribe, California, Oregon, conservation organizations, commercial fishing organizations, and dam owner PacifiCorp, a subsidiary of Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy. Today’s action by FERC is the last step in a six-year FERC regulatory oversight process that ensures dam removal is the most beneficial course of action to restore the Klamath River’s flagging salmon runs and improve poor water quality.

“Today’s victory was well earned by the thousands of people who fought for clean water, healthy fisheries, and environmental justice for Klamath River communities,” said Karuk Chairman Russell ‘Buster’ Attebery. “I am grateful to everyone, from the youth to the elders, Governors Newsom and Brown, and the team from PacifiCorp who made this victory possible.”

“Congratulations to all those who poured their blood, sweat and tears into making this happen. Water and fish health are at the heart of our identity as Native People and we are looking forward to seeing a healthier watershed and fishery which will result in healthier communities for all Klamath Basin tribes,” said Hoopa Valley Tribe Chairman Joe Davis. “Now we must keep the momentum going and we are looking forward to working with all of our neighbors and partners in that effort.”

Commercial salmon fishing families along the West Coast are also celebrating. “Restoring the Klamath gives our struggling salmon fishing industry a chance to survive,” said Vivian Hilliwell, a former commercial salmon harvester and now the Watershed Conservation Director for the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA). “The possibility of revitalized Klamath fish runs gives us hope that we can continue our tradition of bringing healthy wild salmon to dinner tables across America.”

Dam removal activities are expected to begin in 2023 and be completed in 2024. Personnel and equipment will be deployed in early 2023 to commence pre-removal construction, including road and bridge improvements. Copco 2 dam will be removed first, and deconstruction of the remaining three dams will occur essentially at the same time in early 2024. All four dams will be removed by the end of 2024.

Upstream of the dams, the Klamath Tribes of Oregon are anxious to see salmon return. “Our people have been without c’iyaals (salmon) for over a century. We welcome the fish home to the Upper Klamath Basin with open arms,” said Klamath Tribes Chairman Clayton Dumont.

In issuing the Final License Surrender Order, FERC Commission Chairman Richard Glick stated, “Dam removal makes sense in large part due to fish and wildlife protections. But there is a discussion in the order on the impact on Tribes and the ability to have their traditions and cultural practices improved… I think it’s a very important issue. A number of years back the commission did not think about the impact of our decisions on Tribes. That’s an important element in today’s order…”

The decision comes almost exactly 20 years after a catastrophic fish kill left over 70,000 adult salmon dead along the banks of the Klamath River before they could spawn. That disaster galvanized the collective will of Klamath River Tribes, community members, fishermen, conservationists, and others who launched a two-decades-long effort to un-dam the Klamath and Bring the Salmon Home.

“After the 2002 Fish Kill we committed ourselves to defending our river and our cultures no matter what it would take,” said Molli Myers, co-founder of the Klamath Justice Coalition and member of the Karuk Tribe. “That kind of extraordinary commitment by ordinary Indians is what led to this victory.”

Today’s Klamath River salmon returns are less than 5% of their historical abundance with some runs of salmon completely extirpated from the system. Dams deny salmon access to hundreds of miles of historical habitat, degrade water quality, and foster the spread of fish diseases. Scientific studies and dam removal efforts in other watersheds demonstrate that dam removal can reverse these trends.

“This is a historic day for the Tribes of the Klamath River and for Indigenous People all over the world. When we act together with a unified voice no power in this universe can stop us,” said Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group Principal and Yurok Tribal member Amy Cordalis.

Representatives from additional organizations that advocated for Klamath dam removal also commented on today’s significant action by FERC.

“Restoring the Klamath River is a historic win for people, salmon, and everything that depends on a clean, healthy river. It demonstrates the power of persistence and collaboration. When people come together around a vision for their river, it really is possible to change the world.” – Brian Graber, Senior Director of River Restoration, American Rivers

“Dam removal represents a monumental achievement. As we look beyond this historic moment, Sustainable Northwest will continue partnering in the Klamath basin to build on this success to improve water quality and meet water demands that support Tribes, farmers, ranchers, and native wildlife.” – Greg Block, President, Sustainable Northwest

“I inherited the responsibility to take care of my relatives, the salmon, from my father. While I have spent most of my life as an activist at protests and rallies, my hope is for my children to spend more time fishing and less time protesting.” - Save California Salmon Education Director Charley Reed, who was seven years old when with the Klamath fish kill set the Bring the Salmon Home movement in motion.

“It feels like a lifetime ago that we started working on this momentous effort together. It became clear early on in our efforts to protect and restore the wild Spring Chinook of the Salmon River that the Klamath dams would have to come down in order to realize that dream. With partners around the basin, we have been working towards that goal for over 20 years and now, finally, we’re going to take down the Iron Gate Dam and let those fish run through!” - Petey Brucker, Salmon River Restoration Council’s co-founder who was involved in dam removal negotiations from their inception.

“The Klamath River has been Exhibit A for how dams, drought, imbalanced water management and climate change can strangle a river. Now, the Klamath is poised to become a prime example of how an entire river system, and the people and wildlife that depend on it, can be renewed. The major investments TU and others have made in improving water quality, fish passage and habitat in the upper Klamath Basin will soon pay their full dividends, as salmon and steelhead finally come back to their ancestral spawning grounds. We salute the Tribal, state, and federal leaders who have helped make this happen, and PacifiCorp and the KRRC for their commitment to bringing the Klamath back to life.” – Chrysten Rivard, Director, Trout Unlimited’s Oregon Program

“The removal of these dams begins the Klamath’s recovery from a century of dam-related impacts. We look forward to the many ways that people will experience the renewed Klamath, including the 41 miles of new whitewater river that will emerge when the dams come down.” – Thomas O’Keefe, Pacific Northwest Stewardship Director, American Whitewater

“It’s been incredible for CalTrout to join forces with over 40 organizations and Native American Tribes in support of taking the Klamath dams out. Tribal leadership has been a central component of this effort. The Yurok, Karuk and Klamath River Tribes have led the effort to restore part of their cultural heritage and subsistence fishing for salmon and lamprey. With the Klamath River being the second largest river in California, it represents a huge opportunity to achieve native wild salmon and steelhead abundance in a way that we haven’t seen for many decades.” – Curtis Knight, Executive Director of California Trout

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Press release from the Klamath River Renewal Corporation:

Today, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) unanimously approved the surrender of the Lower Klamath Project License and the decommissioning of the four hydroelectric dams in the Lower Klamath Project. The License Surrender Order is the final decision by FERC on the Klamath River Renewal project. The License Surrender Order is the action that allows the Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) to decommission and remove the four hydroelectric dams and implement related restoration activities.

“KRRC is very pleased by the Commission’s decision today,” said Mark Bransom, Chief Executive Officer of KRRC, “This important milestone reflects decades of collective work by the many dedicated Signatories of the Amended Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement to restore the Klamath River and we are prepared to begin the largest dam removal and river restoration effort in U.S. history.”

The decommissioning process will start once the KRRC and the States of Oregon and California review terms and conditions of the surrender, and accept the June 2021 License Transfer Order, which will transfer ownership of the dams from PacifiCorp to KRRC and the States. The parties expect to accept the Transfer Order within 30 days of today’s License Surrender Order.

“Today’s action by FERC paves the way for revitalization and restoration of the Klamath Basin. Dam removal is the first step in healing of the Klamath River and all Klamath Tribal communities,” said Amy Cordalis, KRRC Board member appointed by the Yurok Tribe.

Wendy Ferris-George, KRRC Board member appointed by the Karuk Tribe said, “Dam removal is imminent. We deeply appreciate the many Tribal people who have dedicated their lives to bring balance to the Klamath River and their communities.”

Following the acceptance of License Transfer, KRRC plans to begin dam removal activities in 2023 and be completed in 2024, with the return of the river to a free-flowing condition through the project reach. Personnel and equipment will be deployed in early 2023 to commence pre-removal construction, including infrastructure improvements and modifications to the dams. Reservoir drawdown and dam removal is expected to begin in January 2024, with restoration activities commencing immediately following dam removal. Restoration of the project footprint will continue for several years.

Dam removal is the first crucial step to restore the health of the Klamath River and the communities that depend upon it. The revitalization of the Basin will help local communities thrive, by creating a more robust regional economy and providing lasting environment benefits. KRRC is pleased to be part of a cooperative effort to re-establish the natural vitality of the Klamath River and help strengthen the entire Basin for the future.

“This is an incredibly important moment and I want to acknowledge and thank our many partners, and particularly our tribal partners, for their enormous efforts and strong collaboration to get us to the point of restoring the Klamath River so that it can support communities in the Basin for generations to come,” said Brian Johnson, President of the KRRC Board.

The License Surrender Order can be viewed here.

Additional information about the Klamath dam removal project can be viewed here.