HUMBOLDT TODAY: Hay away! Some cold local cows receive a special meal, Governor Newsom and Walgreens are at odds, plus the latest on our winter weather slog and other stories in today’s newscast with John Kennedy O’Connor.
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors today appointed Sarah West, economic development coordinator for the City of Eureka, to an at-large position on the county’s Planning Commission.
Sarah West | Contributed
“I’m a local planning nerd at heart and worked in the field for several years,” West said during Tuesday’s meeting. “Humboldt is my home. I believe in serving my community, commitment to equity, objectivity and finding solutions that work for everyone. … I’m well versed in the processes of planning from both sides of the dais and as a planning commissioner, it would be an honor to serve all of Humboldt.”
The board also considered applications from Jerome Qiriazi, a transit planner with the Humboldt Transit Authority (HTA), and two former commissioners: Melanie McCavour whose term expired at the end of January, and Mike Newman, who served as former Fourth District Supervisor Virginia Bass’ appointment to the commission for several years.
During deliberations, Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo underscored the need for an increased focus on economic development as well as energy planning and research on the Planning Commission, something “the two new applicants bring in spades,” she said.
“As we consider [the] implementation of our Climate Action Plan and a number of energy measures from the state, I know that Jerome Qiriazi brings an extensive background with energy planning and research, as well as transit planning,” Arroyo said. “[Sarah] West also has that background with economic development, as well as serving on LAFCO [Humboldt Local Agency Formation Commission] and working with a lot of our little districts, which, I think, is a very important skill to bring forward [to the commission].”
Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell indicated her support for McCavour and Newman, noting the pair have provided “proven assets to the Planning Commission” over the years. Bushnell also acknowledged previous issues with commissioners having to recuse themselves from certain discussions due to a conflict of interest, noting that “participation is a very key and important part to the commission.”
A little over a year ago, McCavour almost lost her seat as an at-large commissioner due to a conflict of interest after she accepted a job as the tribal historic preservation officer (THPO) for the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria. Rather than remove McCavour from the commission, the Board of Supervisors requested that she recuse herself from considering any and all projects for which she would be serving at the Rancheria’s THPO.
First District Supervisor Rex Bohn echoed Bushnell’s concern about frequent recusals, especially from employees of local governments and/or agencies that work closely with the county, such as the City of Eureka and the HTA. Bohn expressed his support Bass’ previous appointee.
“I appreciate [Newman]’s ability to read everything, come prepared and … he’s probably the most calming force on the Planning Commission there is,” Bohn said. “That’s where I’m going to be leaning. I’ll be right up front. I know I’ll be in the minority but I’m getting used to that.”
Arroyo asked Interim County Counsel Scott Miles if he could further explain the recusal process. “In what cases would people need to recuse themselves from items or would they not be able to participate in certain items given [their] employment?”
“They would have to recuse themselves in situations in which there was a conflict of interest,” Miles said. “The existence of a conflict of interest would be determined on a case-by-case basis, depending on the situation and how it interacted with the nature of work that the particular planning commissioner did.”
After a bit more discussion, Bohn made a motion to appoint Newman to the at-large vacancy on the Planning Commission. Madrone interjected, noting that the board would “end up with a split vote no matter what” and suggested the use of a ranked-choice voting system to avoid conflict between board members.
“The person with the number one choice would get three points, number two choice [gets] two points and your third choice would get one point,” Madrone explained. “Then the person with the most votes would be the one that would logically be brought forward by this board to be appointed. Again, what I’m trying to do is avoid having a split vote on the board.”
Seems simple enough, right?
Each member made their selections on paper and handed them over to County Administrative Officer Elishia Hayes to tally. On her first attempt, Hayes misunderstood Madrone’s ranking method. On her second try, McCavour wound up with 17 points, which would be impossible given the most points a single applicant could get under the impromptu ranked-choice system would be 15. On the third attempt, Qiriazi was determined to have the most points. Bohn made a motion to appoint Qiriazi, which was seconded by Bushnell.
Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson noted that “this particular methodology isn’t very scientific.” A somewhat frazzled Madrone apologized for the chaotic process and suggested the board return to the item after adjourning for a closed session item, which the board was already late for. Bohn agreed to pull his motion.
Following closed session, Madrone announced that West had won the “straw pull vote” with 10 points. Qiriazi followed with nine points, Newman with six points and McCavour with five points. Madrone then asked his fellow board members to choose between the two top choices – Qiriazi and West. Wilson selected Qirizari, while the rest of the board voted for West.
The board congratulated West on the appointment and Madrone, once again, apologized for the unintended chaos.
Plans for the North McKay Ranch Subdivision include up to 320 residential units, including up to 172 multi-family units, along with 22,000 square feet of commercial development on a total of about 81 acres. | Image via County of Humboldt.
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The Board of Supervisors today approved a development agreement between the county and Kramer Properties, Inc., for the North McKay Ranch Subdivision, a planned 81-acre mixed-use development that could include up to 320 residential units and 22,000 square feet of commercial space in Cutten.
Local developer Kurt Kramer, the man behind Kramer Properties, attended the hearing remotely, and while he thanked county staff for their help getting the project to this point, he said the gamut of regulatory obstacles he’s had to face leaves the future of this development uncertain.
Supervisors had given the project a conditional green light last March but only after adding a condition whereby the developer could choose to make improvements to pedestrian and bicycle connectivity rather than installing a pair of new traffic signals. The details of those improvements have yet to be hashed out.
After last year’s hearing, however, the county was contacted by a coalition of six nonprofit environmental groups that took issue with findings in the project’s Final Environmental Impact Report. In a letter, the six organizations — EPIC, Humboldt Baykeeper, CRTP, Northcoast Environmental Center, 350 Humboldt and Earthjustice — called for the development to be fully electrified, with no gas hookups or wood stoves, as a means of lowering its greenhouse gas emissions.
Kramer had objected to that request during last year’s hearing, saying it would render the project financially infeasible, but after subsequent negotiations between the various parties he wound up agreeing to make the project hookups all-electric.
First District Supervisor Rex Bohn said it will likely be six to 10 years before the property can get adequate electricity to begin construction. Planning Director John Ford said he’s not sure if it will take that long, though he acknowledged that some off-site utility improvements must be made. The county may be able to use tax-generated housing funds to help finance those improvements, Ford said.
During the public comment period, Colin Fiske, executive director of CRTP (the Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities), said that while he appreciates the changes made to the project, he and others still have concerns about the environmental documentation.
Fiske called for more transportation-related mitigations, including requiring the developer to provide bus passes to future residents of multi-family units and reducing the number of parking spaces.
Bohn speculated that the project may never get built with private financing alone, saying Kramer may have to collaborate with public agencies to “push it through.” Noting that the Lundbar Hills development approved nearly 50 years ago has yet to be fully built as planned, Bohn said, “I just want people to know that you’re not going to see 300 units. This is a 30-year build-out, and I don’t think we’re gonna see more than 10 to 12 units a year.”
Bohn manages the 11-acre Redwood Fields recreation facility that sits in the center of this development like the hole in a donut, though he doesn’t stand to gain financially from the project. He said he fully supports it, as he has since it was first proposed nearly three decades ago.
Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson said he appreciated Fiske’s comments but believes “the needle has been moved pretty significantly” toward green alternatives already, with room for further negotiations down the line.
Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo thanked Kramer and county staff for their work bringing the project this far, and then she invited Kramer to share his thoughts. Speaking via Zoom, he obliged.
“You know,” he said, “as a developer in this community for the last 40 years, I just continue to be amazed at the obstacles and hurdles that are put in front of development.”
He said that he could have built the project as put forward last year, but “now, with the added requirement of all-electric [hookups], it’s like, I don’t know how this gets done.”
Kramer said he’s still trying to get the Humboldt Community Services District to bring the project site into its service boundaries, and he’ll have to figure out how to avoid negatively impacting traffic in the Cutten area. He’s also worried about PG&E’s ability to provide the necessary power, given the recent revelation that the utility might be unable to meet demand in Southern Humboldt.
“How much risk is involved in this project? I would argue a ton,” Kramer said. “If I had to do it all over again, would I do it? Not a chance.”
He said that the development community has been effectively chased out of Humboldt County, leaving no one capable of building the housing that’s allegedly so desperately needed.
“And I think we need it, but we continually get in the way of it and we don’t consult with the development community,” he said. “We just start laying out these rules without really fully understanding the impacts.”
The North McKay Ranch project has a 20-year development window, and Kramer said it will likely take “every bit” of that to see it finished given the regulatory obstacles from the county and particularly the state, which recently implemented new building energy efficiency standards.
“You won’t see a shovel turned out there for years,” Kramer said.
Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone suggested that future developments of this kind may require private-public partnerships.
The vote to approve the development agreement and associated resolutions and ordinances was unanimous.
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Interactive map of the project site (outlined in red):
Following community engagement and feedback stemming from last night’s town hall meeting in Ferndale, Caltrans plans to close Fernbridge on Route 211 in Humboldt County twice this month. The bridge between U.S. 101 and Ferndale will be closed overnight from 10 p.m. on March 10 to 8 a.m. on March 11. Then it will be closed from 10 p.m. on March 17 until 5 a.m. on March 20.
Motorists are encouraged to use an alternate route during these time frames.
The first 10-hour closure will allow crews to replace and move some bridge falsework in order to facilitate further repairs. This closure will move forward rain or shine.
The second 55-hour longer closure will allow crews to partially replace the bridge’s deck, repair abutments, repair columns, and conduct paving. This closure is weather-dependent therefore its timing is subject to change.
Enacting these closures will shorten the timeframe that one-way traffic control will be in effect in the area by at least a month. Two-way traffic should resume on the bridge following the second closure.
Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
On March 5, 2023, at about 10:12 a.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies conducted a probation search at a residence on the 500 block of Warren Creek Road, in the county’s jurisdiction of Arcata.
Keene.
Deputies contacted and detained probationer Rocky Karl Keene, age 40, and Tony Jean Correll, age 37. During a search of the residence, deputies located two stolen firearms, ammunition, approximately 3.9 ounces of methamphetamine, over 31 grams of suspected fentanyl in powder form, approximately 5.5 grams of suspected fentanyl in pill form, over 5.7 grams of hallucinogenic mushroom capsules, over 21 grams of various pills, items consistent with the sale of controlled substances and a large amount of cash.
Correll.
Keene was arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of convicted felon in possession of a firearm (PC 29800(a)), person prohibited in possession of ammunition (PC 30305(a)), possession of stolen property (PC 496(a)), possession of a controlled substance (HS 11378), possession of a controlled substance for sales (HS 11351), possession of a controlled substance while armed (HS 11370.1(a)), violation of probation (PC 1203.2(a)) and violation of Post Release Community Supervision (PC 1203.2(a)(4)).
Correll was arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of possession of stolen property (PC 496(a)), possession of a controlled substance (HS 11378), possession of a controlled substance for sales (HS 11351) and possession of a controlled substance while armed (HS 11370.1(a)).
Anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.
Press
release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
As
winter weather continues to rain down on Humboldt County, local and
regional partners are working together to save lives and cattle.
“We’ve
had some unprecedented weather over the last two weeks and we’ve
received multiple reports of cattle dying off because ranchers cannot
get to their cows due to impassable roadways,” Humboldt County
Sheriff William Honsal said. “These cattle are an economic driver,
they’re starving and they’re calving right now. So all those
things necessitate some drastic measures.”
Prevented
from accessing their properties due to several feet of snow and
downed trees, local ranchers turned to their county supervisors, who
in turn contacted the Sheriff’s Office, recalling a time more than
30 years ago that public safety agencies stepped up to help under
similar circumstances.
“In
the 1980’s when the snow was so prevalent and ranchers were unable
to get to the ranches, they called upon CAL FIRE and the U.S. Coast
Guard Sector Humboldt Bay (USCG) to help deliver hay to those
communities,” Sheriff Honsal said. “We won’t know until the
snow melts how many cattle have died due to these conditions. But I
know this for certain, if we don’t act, there’s going to be way
more that do die and it will be a catastrophe for our county.”
Putting
into practice the same method used all those years ago, the Sheriff’s
Office of Emergency Services put in a request through the California
Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CAL OES) to utilize
helicopters from CAL FIRE and the USCG to drop hay to cattle in need.
The request was approved and on Sunday, March 5, Operation Hay Drop
began, with crews from CALFIRE and the USCG loading up their
helicopters and dropping hay into remote mountain fields populated by
hungry cattle.
“This
is an atypical type of operation but it shows the resilience and
effectiveness of cooperating with various agencies so in total we can
better serve the communities that are affected,” said Chief Kurt
McCray of the CALFIRE Humboldt-Del Norte Unit. “We are glad to
help.”
While
CALFIRE oversees the delivery of the hay, Diana Totten, Southern
Humboldt-Area Fire Chief and member of Southern Humboldt Technical
Rescue, is helping coordinate the order.
“We
have about 30 ranchers that have reached out to us for assistance,”
Totten said. “The hay is coming from private sources, paid for by
the ranchers that are requesting the delivery. When receiving a
request, we talk to the ranchers about how many head of cattle need
to be fed and where the cattle are expected to be on the property.
After compiling this information, we then provide it to CALFIRE to
coordinate the logistics of a safe delivery.”
With
more snow in the forecast, additional support from the California
National Guard will arrive today with helicopters and troops to help
run the operation, allowing for this assistance to extend to
neighboring counties in need as well.
“We
are still recovering from an earthquake, the winter storms in
December and it’s been raining or snowing for about a month now. So
the impact to our whole community has been drastic,” Sheriff Honsal
said. “Public safety operations have been going non-stop. We’ve
done probably close to 30 welfare checks and life safety operations
for people who are stuck in the snow. Our people are exhausted.”
Sheriff
Honsal says the additional support will help lessen the burden on
local agencies, as the upcoming rain and snow could result in
mudslides, flooding and additional emergencies throughout the county.
“We
don’t want people to become further victims because of a snow
emergency. So if you don’t have to travel, please don’t travel.
Please don’t check on things you don’t have to check on. Please
don’t visit places where you have no idea what the conditions are,”
Sheriff Honsal said. “We urge people to stay home, stay warm, only
travel when it’s necessary and look out for each other.”
Due
to the overwhelming demand for assistance from community members
impacted by this weather emergency, public safety personnel are
unable to deliver emergency supplies to community members. However,
Sheriff’s deputies and local public safety personnel are able to
help community members evacuate should their situation be
life-threatening. If you are in need of assistance, please call
707-445-7251 or 9-1-1 for emergencies. If you are a rancher in need
of assistance, please contact 707-223-2455.
For
updated information regarding Humboldt County’s emergency response,
please go tohumboldtsheriff.org/emergency
and
visit @HumCoOES on Facebook and Twitter.
A Walgreens in Oakland on Mar. 6, 2023. Photo by Martin do Nascimento, CalMatters
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s surprise announcement via Twitter on Monday that California would not do business with pharmacy giant Walgreens caused widespread confusion in a state where more than one-third of the population pays for prescriptions with government-funded health insurance.
Walgreens confirmed last week it would not distribute abortion pills, which are also commonly used for miscarriages, in 20 states where it faces legal pushback. In some of these states, the abortion pill — mifepristone — remains legal. However, Republican governors in these states threatened Walgreens and a cadre of retail pharmacies with legal consequences if they sell the pills.
Newsom’s retaliatory tweet took health plans across the state by surprise and raised myriad questions about the ripple effects of his decision.
“I’ll be honest, you are the first person telling me about this,” said Penny Griego, spokesperson for the L.A. Care Health Plan, the state’s largest Medi-Cal plan. Medi-Cal is the public insurance option for low-income Californians and people with disabilities.
It also raised questions about whether Walgreens would be excluded from distributing the state’s generic insulin.
In a statement, Brandon Richards, a spokesperson for Newsom’s office, said “California is reviewing all relationships between Walgreens and the state. We will not pursue business with companies that cave to right wing bullies pushing their extremist agenda or companies that put politics above the health of women and girls.”
No further details were provided, and follow-up questions were ignored.
“The first question we’ve encountered is: ‘What will this mean for patients on Medi-cal who have their prescriptions at a Walgreens store currently?’” — Susan Bonilla, chief executive officer at the California Pharmacists’ Association
Walgreens operates nearly 600 stores in California, accounting for about 10% of the state’s pharmacy market. It’s a key prescription provider for Medi-Cal insurers. Walgreens locations are listed in the state’s pharmacy directory for Medi-Cal enrollees.
In a statement, a Walgreens spokesperson said “From the outset, we have made our intentions clear to become a certified pharmacy to distribute Mifepristone wherever legally possible to do so.”
Earlier this year, the FDA approved rules allowing retail pharmacies like Walgreens to apply for certification to distribute the drug, something which the company is still pursuing. However, mifepristone remains legal in four of the states where attorneys general threatened Walgreens, contradicting its statement.
Planned Parenthood of California, the local policy arm of the national organization, commended Newsom’s tweet.
“Planned Parenthood thanks Governor Newsom for continuing to stand strong in his support of abortion access and push back against the anti-abortion movement that will not stop until they ban and criminalize abortion nationwide,” spokesperson Jennifer Wonnacott told CalMatters.
It is unclear how far California can go in cutting ties with the nation’s second-largest pharmacy chain and how that will trickle down to consumers, but California is known to flex its market power and influence. With a population of nearly 40 million, California is the most populous state in the nation. Newsom’s threat to cease business with Walgreens could potentially influence how other pharmacies respond, but it also raises thorny access questions for the state.
Nearly 80% of the state’s population lives within 5 miles of a Walgreens, according to Blue Shield of California, which has a partnership with Walgreens to make its pharmaceutical and preventive health care benefits more accessible. Blue Shield did not respond to questions from CalMatters by deadline.
Blue Shield of California is one of several major Medi-Cal providers that contracts with Walgreens in addition to other companies for pharmaceutical benefits, according to their websites. Blue Shield, as well as Anthem Blue Cross, just received multi-million dollar contracts from the Department of Health Care Services to provide Medi-Cal benefits to residents across the Central Valley, San Diego and far northern counties, areas where access to health care is already limited by geography.
The Health Care Services department did not respond to questions about whether Medi-Cal contracts would be impacted by this decision.
Patients with L.A. Care also rely on Walgreens for in-network benefits.
“The first question we’ve encountered is: ‘What will this mean for patients on Medi-cal who have their prescriptions at a Walgreens store currently?’ That’s a question where we’ll be seeking clarity,” said Susan Bonilla, the chief executive officer at the California Pharmacists’ Association, which represents pharmacists across the state.
Walgreens’ decision to not distribute the abortion pill in some Republican-led states, was a decision that does not put the patient first, Bonilla said. “That’s a real problem when you’re talking about health care.”
“We appreciate the governor standing strong on behalf of women and the access they need,” she said. “The fact that he is applying counter pressure is very important.”
Abortion rights have become a signature issue for Newsom and one that Democrats leaned on heavily in the last election. Last year, the state Legislature and the governor signed a package of a dozen bills that aim to expand access to abortion services and protect patients and providers. Voters also approved a measure that enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution.
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CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.
