Your job, if you choose to accept it, will look remarkably like the job that these people in Chișinău, Moldova did in 2014. Photo: Flickr user OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. CC BY-SA 2.0 license.
Press release from the Humboldt County Office of Elections:
The
Humboldt County Office of Elections is gearing up for the quickly
approaching Presidential Primary Election on Tuesday, March 5, 2024
and is recruiting community members to help run the election.
Poll
worker positions are a great way to earn experience and extra money
by helping ensure the election runs smoothly. Individuals as young as
16 can apply.
Election
workers must be able to read and write in fluent English, and either
be registered to vote, or a high school student 16 to 17 years of age
with a grade point average of 2.5 or greater, or a permanent resident
of the United States. Students aged 16 to 17 are not eligible for
Vote Center Manager or Ballot Transporter positions.
All
election worker positions are paid. The Election
Worker Overview
provides additional information about each position, including
specific duties, time commitment, and compensation.
Complete
an election worker application today by visiting the Elections
Worker webpage.
Completed applications can be submitted to the Office of Elections
via email at humboldt_elections@co.humboldt.ca.us
or applicants may drop off or mail completed applications to 2426
Sixth St., Eureka, CA 95501.
Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
On Oct. 11, 2023, at about 10:13 p.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies on patrol in the Hoopa area conducted a traffic stop for a vehicle code violation near the Tish Tang Campground.
Deputies contacted the driver and sole occupant, 44-year-old Gloria Lorraine Inong, who was found to have multiple misdemeanor warrants for her arrest. During this contact, deputies observed a firearm and drug paraphernalia inside the vehicle in plain view. Inong was taken into custody without incident. During a search of the vehicle, deputies located four loaded firearms, four loaded high-capacity magazines, ammunition and drug paraphernalia.
Inong was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of carrying a loaded firearm in a public place (PC 25850(a)), possession of a loaded, stolen firearm (PC 25850(c)(2)), carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle (PC 25400(a)(1)), possession of a high-capacity magazine (PC 32310), possession of a controlled substance paraphernalia (HS 11364(a)), felon in possession of a firearm (PC 29800(a)(1)), speeding (VC 22350) and driving without registration (VC 4000(a)), in addition to warrant charges of possession of a controlled substance (HS 11377(a)), false identification to a peace officer (PC 148.9(a)), possession of a controlled substance paraphernalia (HS 11364(a)) and driving with a suspended license (VC 14601.1(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.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has made lowering the cost of prescription drugs a signature health care issue, but over the weekend, he rejected a bill that would have provided some relief for diabetics by capping what they pay for insulin.
His reasoning: California is already working on a separate effort to manufacture and distribute insulin at a cheaper price.
The trouble is, that program has not yet begun producing the medication.
Senate Bill 90 by Sen. Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat, would have prohibited state-regulated health insurance plans from imposing a deductible on insulin prescriptions and would have capped copays at $35 for a 30-day supply. California’s current copay limit for most prescription drugs is $250.
The bill’s opponents, mainly the health insurance industry, argued that the approach would result in higher costs for Californians in the form of higher insurance premiums.
The underlying issue, according to insurers, is the price set by pharmaceutical companies. Currently, what people pay out of pocket is based on their insurance coverage. People without insurance would not benefit from a copay cap and would still be on the hook for the full price. Newsom echoed this reasoning in his veto message.
“Bringing down the costs of prescription drugs, and particularly insulin, has long been a priority of mine,” Newsom said in his veto message. “With CalRx (the state’s prescription drug initiative), we are getting at the underlying cost, which is the true sustainable solution to high-cost pharmaceuticals. With copay caps however, the long-term costs are still passed down to consumers through higher premiums from health plans.”
An independent analysis of the bill by a state health office estimated that spending for consumers would have increased by 0.02% because of higher annual insurance premiums. Meanwhile, the average insured beneficiary could have seen their prescription drop 67% from $61 to $20.
California’s insulin initiative
Via the CalRx Biosimilar Insulin Initiative, Newsom has promised insulin will cost no more than $30 per 10 ml vial or $55 for five 3 ml cartridges, which currently can run up to $300 and $500, respectively. The governor has said that the reduced price will be available to patients across the country, insured and uninsured.
In March, the governor announced a $50 million partnership with Civica Rx, a nonprofit created by health systems and philanthropy, that will initially make California’s insulin out of its manufacturing plant in Virginia. The plan is to eventually stand up an insulin manufacturing facility in California.
Civica Rx is set to produce three insulins – glargine, lispro and aspart — generics that are interchangeable with the brands Lantus, Humalog and Novolog.
So when will California’s more affordable insulin become available? That’s yet to be determined.
“At this time, we do not have a specific timeframe for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,” said Andrew DiLuccia, a spokesperson for the state’s Department of Health Care Access and Information, which is overseeing the insulin project. He noted that developing insulin products requires clinical studies focused on safety, effectiveness and quality.
Among the initiative’s potential challenges: sufficient funding to continue forward. The initiative launched last year when the state had a budget surplus. As California builds up its program, it will need ongoing dollars to sustain it and counter any potential backlash from other insulin makers, according to an analysis published earlier this year in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Insulin copay caps
The American Diabetes Association has pushed for insulin copay caps across the country as a way to get some quick relief to diabetics. At least twenty-five states and the District of Columbia have enacted caps on insulin copays, ranging from $25 to $100 a month.
Wiener’s SB 90 would have mirrored the federal government’s $35 cap on insulin prescriptions for people on Medicare, the health program for seniors and people with disabilities.
“The American Diabetes Association is disappointed in the governor’s decision to veto Senate Bill 90, legislation that had broad bipartisan support and which moved through the legislature without a single no vote,” said Lisa Murdock, chief advocacy officer at the association, a sponsor of the bill. Her organization will look for ways to continue working with the governor’s office on this affordability issue, she added.
The diabetes association estimates there are about 3 million diabetics in California.
The burden of insulin costs has a long history — stories about people rationing their medication and relying on the emergency room for their uncontrolled diabetes are common throughout the country.
A national survey from last year found that approximately 16.5% of insulin users ration their medication, usually by delaying the purchase of it. Rationing insulin leads to poor control of diabetes and is linked to increased instances of strokes, heart failure and kidney failure.
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Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure thatpeople have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit www.chcf.org to learn more.
CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.
Cathy Jean
Richards passed away peacefully on October 5, 2023 surrounded by her
family. She was born in Ft. Lewis, Washington to Gerald Ray
Christenson and Corrine Cecelia Petrusha on January 16, 1953. Most of
Cathy’s younger years, you could find her in McKinleyville with her
mom and dad, brother Jerry and Heidi, her sister. Cathy’s favorite
activities were riding her horse, BigEnough, and sewing. They usually
were attending weekend activities with the Arcata Fire Department,
Bill and JoAnn McKenzie family, or going to Trinity Lake to stay on
the houseboat. And if they were traveling, they would be heading back
to Libby, Montana where their parents were or to Seattle, Washington
to visit cousins.
Cathy attended
St. Mary’s Elementary School in Arcata for several years until they
moved to McKinleyville, where she attended McKinleyville Elementary
Schools. In high school Cathy was an excellent student, along with
being a cheerleader and song queen. She graduated from McKinleyville
High School in 1971 and then attended College of the Redwoods.
At Christ the
King Parish, Cathy met her soul mate, Kenny Richards, in catechism.
They went together in elementary school, high school and junior
college. They were married at St. Mary’s Church in Arcata on
February 17, 1973 in a Nuptial Mass Ceremony. They were together in
marriage for 50 and one half years. They had three boys: Her first
son, Bill and his wife Amy, with four children Kalyn, Travis, Chloe,
and Gunner with one grandchild, Hudson; her second son, John, and his
wife Madeline and two children Talin and Wyatt; Thomas, her third
son, and his wife Kellie and son Jaxon.
While in high
school she worked at Ron’s Villa Pharmacy in McKinleyville, and
moved on to Hooven and Turner Excavation in the 1970s. Later she was
hired at the Northern Humboldt Union High School District for 27
years as an account technician and back up payroll technician, and
then she retired.
Over the last 50
years, Cathy spent time in Willow Creek or at Trinity Lake on the
houseboat, snow skiing, or riding her horse, Dani, with Nancy
Bettendorf and JoAnn Ricci. Cathy absolutely loved riding and being
with her horse. Cathy was known by her many friends. Her friend
Rachel Barnett has been a cornerstone for her through the years.
Cathy was a great role model as a parent and her love that she had
for her grandchildren, great-grandchild, sons, husband, brother,
sister, cousins, and friends was second to none.
Cathy would be
known most as being a great
mother. She treated everyone with love. Cathy was always there
for her kids and grandkids as well as transporting other neighborhood
children to baseball, football and golf matches. She loved spending
time with her family and never passed up an opportunity to do so.
Cathy and Kenny were Grand Marshall’s of the Pony Express Days
Parade and received the McKinleyville Community Service Award in
2018.
Lastly, Cathy wanted to thank her nephew, Doctor Sean Grammy, for
saving her life and advising her every step of the way through
difficult medical times.
Services for
Cathy Richards will be held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in
Arcata on Saturday, Oct. 14. Rosary will be at 10:30 a.m., Mass at 11 a.m., and Reception
at 12 p.m.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Cathy Richards’ loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.
The Humboldt County Growers Alliance (HCGA) and seven cannabis farmers filed suit against the proponents of the Humboldt Cannabis Reform Initiative (HCRI) and the Humboldt County Elections Office in Humboldt County Superior Court today. The lawsuit alleges that the proponents of the initiative, Mark Thurmond and Elizabeth Watson, “intentionally misled” and “deceived” members of the public while gathering signatures to place the initiative on the March 2024 ballot.
“[Thurmond and Watson] failed to include the full text of their Initiative in the petition they circulated to County voters in order to qualify the Initiative for the March 2024 ballot … and included materially false and/or misleading information in the Initiative Petition,” the lawsuit states. “In doing so, [their] illegal actions render the Initiative’s qualification invalid, and require that the Initiative be removed from the ballot to protect the integrity of Humboldt County elections.”
The initiative, set to appear on the ballot as Measure A, would impose a host of new rules on commercial cannabis cultivation operations across the county. Proponents of the initiative believe the added restrictions will promote small-scale farming and “environmentally responsible cannabis cultivation practices and support watershed health … by limiting the number, type and acreage of permits for commercial cannabis cultivation,” according to the text of the measure.
Natalyne DeLapp, executive director for the HCGA, argues that the initiative “would be a disaster for public safety and the environment,” and would “fatally undermine” the county’s existing regulatory framework “that was designed to end the harms of prohibition and the social and environmental impacts of the Green Rush.”
“If the signature-gathering efforts for Measure A were truthful, this initiative never would have made it to the ballot,” DeLapp wrote in a prepared statement. “Claiming to protect small cannabis farmers and public participation, while in fact targeting small cannabis farmers with a panoply of new restrictions and locking broken policy in place permanently, is exactly the subversion of the democratic process that elections laws are designed to prevent.”
Seven small cannabis farmers have also signed onto the lawsuit, including John Casali, Steve Luu, Karen Hessler, Dylan Mattole, Patrick William Andrews, Hannah Whyte and Indicus McGrath Riggs.
The lawsuit seeks to remove the initiative from the March 2024 ballot.
Reached by phone earlier this afternoon, Watson told the Outpost that she was unaware of the lawsuit and declined to comment on the matter for the time being.
Press release from the Humboldt County Growers Alliance:
Today, seven small cannabis farmers, along with the Humboldt County Growers Alliance, filed suit in Humboldt County court on the grounds that signature-gathering efforts for the Humboldt Cannabis Reform Initiative - currently slated to appear on the March 5, 2024 ballot - were based on a lie.
“If the signature-gathering efforts for Measure A were truthful, this initiative never would have made it to the ballot,” said Natalyne DeLapp, HCGA’s executive director. “Claiming to protect small cannabis farmers and public participation, while in fact targeting small cannabis farmers with a panoply of new restrictions and locking broken policy in place permanently, is exactly the subversion of the democratic process that elections laws are designed to prevent.”
Throughout 2022, signature gatherers approached Humboldt voters at farmer’s markets, grocery stores, and fairs, asking voters to sign an initiative petition they said would “ensure greater public participation” and “support small-scale, high-quality cannabis cultivation.” The lawsuit documents how Measure A’s backers included materially false and misleading information that deceived voters into believing the initiative was about restricting large-scale cultivation and failed to include the full text of the initiative as required by law.
“The reality is that Measure A would be a disaster for public safety and the environment, fatally undermining the regulatory framework that was designed to end the harms of prohibition and the social and environmental impacts of the Green Rush,” DeLapp continued. “When the proponents decided to write policy behind closed doors and ignore the input of law enforcement, environmental groups, farmers, and regulators, the result would always be chaos, not a functional program that protects county residents.”
“Measure A would effectively repeal and replace 143 pages of county cannabis ordinances developed over eight years of public deliberation, and yet none of this was disclosed to voters who were told they were simply ‘protecting small farmers,’” said Ross Gordon, HCGA’s Policy Director. “The Planning Department’s recent analysis of Measure A has made it clear how dangerous this policy would be, but we never would have been in this position in the first place if the proponents had simply disclosed the truth about what this initiative does.”
The full complaint as filed in Humboldt County Superior Court, can be read here.
All throughout the spring and summer, Cal Poly Humboldt braced itself for a gigantic jump in enrollment numbers. Where would it put all the kids that would be lured here by the new polytechnic designation, and by the new academic programs that went along with it?
But all that turned out not to be necessary, because the expected wave of new incoming freshmen failed to materialize. The university’s student newspaper, the Lumberjack, has been banging at this story for a while now, but recently the university finished its official tally, which shows that it has a total student body increase of 2 percent this semester — 5,796 this year, up from 5,678 this time last year.
This is something of a worry, as the whole transformation of the old Humboldt State University into a 21st-century-ready Cal Poly Humboldt depends on big growth in the student population over the next several years. During the flush pandemic years, Gov. Gavin Newsom, the state legislature and the California State University system bet $400 million on the proposition that this could be accomplished.
Not so far, though. Though the full “Cal Poly Humboldt” transformation is expected to occur over several years, not only is the university well short of its eventual goal of 11,000 students, it’s not even anywhere near its current, state-mandated goal of 7,603 full-time resident students. It has 5,130 of those now. Because of that, next year’s budget could be at risk.
These figures and conclusions are from a recent letter sent out to the campus community by Cal Poly Humboldt’s Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Success Chrissy Holliday, which was subsequently cc:’ed to the university’s general email list. But though Holliday raises lots of red flags in her update, she insists that everything is still basically on course, and she outlines what steps the university is taking to supercharge the student body growth come next year. Find that letter below.
Also, though: We’d be remiss if we didn’t point you toward another great Lumberjack story, which profiles some of the current students who are living their best lives in those Valley West motel rooms, and don’t want to move to campus even though there is dorm space available for them there.
Letter from Cal Poly Humboldt Vice President of Enrollment Management Chrissy Holliday:
Campus
colleagues,
As
we are approaching the midpoint of the semester, I want to share
important updates about our fall enrollment and what it means for the
future of the University. I also want to thank and celebrate each of
you for the contributions you have made to our continued growth as a
campus.
For
the second straight fall, student enrollment at Cal Poly Humboldt
increased – an outcome that is the direct result of significant
hard work. According to official census numbers, released Oct. 9,
enrollment is 2% percent higher compared to last fall, bringing total
headcount to 5,976, a one-year increase of 118 students.
All
of this comes as colleges and universities navigate a challenging
enrollment landscape. Institutions
around the country and in California are seeing a continued decline
in enrollment, generally tied to shifting demographics. Cal Poly
Humboldt’s multiple semesters of growth are going against the
prevailing trend, and the results show the positive impact of our
polytechnic transformation.
Enrollment
Highlights
When
the University announced our new polytechnic status, we prepared for
an application cycle we knew would be vastly different, as well as
multiple enrollment scenarios, including a possible large influx of
students right up front. We established scalable plans to support
growth of as much as 2,000 students this academic year, knowing that
while annual results may vary, our primary goal is to reach 11,000
students by 2028. We are still on track to meet that larger goal, and
are in the midst of significant strategic enrollment enhancements in
support of that long-term growth.
The
University’s overall headcount, which includes full-time enrolled
students and part-time students, is one part of the broader
enrollment picture
this
fall. Our enrollment shows positive strategic improvement for the
campus, particularly among student populations that are essential to
sustainable enrollment growth. More students who stopped out in
previous terms chose to re-enroll this semester utilizing a
streamlined readmission process, and the number of post baccalaureate
students increased, as did those enrolled in online programs
available through a partnership within the CSU. In addition, our
retention rate for first-time, full-time students rose to 75.3%,
compared with 73.6% last year.
We
also showed growth in full-time resident enrollment of 3.4% (to
5,130), outpacing headcount growth, which means student behavior
changed, and more students are taking the course load they need to
stay on track for graduation. We know that interest in Cal Poly
Humboldt is strong, as the number of first-time undergraduate
applications for Fall 2023 increased by a record 86% — a surge
generated in large part by enthusiasm for our polytechnic designation
and new programs. The work ahead of us is focused on converting more
of that interest into ultimate enrollment, and helping potential
students and their families understand why Cal Poly Humboldt should
be their top choice for a college education.
Realizing
Our Potential
The
increase in the number of enrolled students this Fall, while modest,
signals a positive direction for the University, which hasn’t seen
consecutive years of an enrollment increase since 2014 and 2015. We
know that the interest and momentum necessary for growth is present,
and we are building the infrastructure needed to support that growth.
This first recruitment cycle as a polytechnic has taught us more of
what to expect from our applicants, and we have done the hard work to
identify the shifts necessary to launch the next phase of our growth.
Our
campus is in the midst of building academic programs and expanding
the resources that will need to be in place to support more students
over the next several years. This year saw the launch of 10 new
degree programs with several more, plus certificate programs, on the
way. Student housing — on and off campus — is also expanding. The
nearly 1,000-bed Student Housing Project at the Craftsman Mall
location is slated for completion in the 2025-26 academic year, and
more campus housing is planned for the future. This more gradual
growth trajectory provides a longer runway to prepare for our
long-term increase in enrollment, ensuring that we can provide the
structures our students require for success.
While
there are many exciting changes ahead of us, there are also hard
budget realities that we as a campus community are facing. California
State University funding for each campus hinges on established
enrollment targets. Our funded level of 7,603
full-time resident students has been unmet for some time. It is
important to note that under even the initial aggressive polytechnic
targets, that level was not scheduled to be reached until 2025. With
2,473 fewer than this target this fall, the CSU may choose to
withhold 5 percent — or $3.4
million — in funding during 2024-25. [More
details on Cal Poly Humboldt’s budget.]
Strategic
Change
We
know there is more work to be done to achieve our goals, and the
Enrollment Management & Student Success division is committed to
strategically improving our recruitment and outreach efforts, in
partnership with the rest of campus. Some key efforts are well
underway, ranging from minor pivots to major changes.
This
summer, the deadline to self-register for Fall classes was extended,
giving new and returning students more time to enroll on their own,
without additional hurdles. Admitted students who did not enroll for
Fall 2023 have the opportunity to start in the Spring, without having
to reapply. Other enrollment initiatives underway include:
Re-deployment
of our recruiting staff to include the direct placement of
recruiting team members in the geographic regions they serve across
the state;
Expanded
engagement with search providers, ensuring our ability to reach
California students early in their college search process, well
prior to application;
Improving
communications and relational touchpoints with prospective students
during various stages of the application and admissions process;
Increasing
engagement with students before they apply so they have a better
sense of what makes Humboldt special and how the application process
works;
Reviving
“instant admissions” for eligible students at strategic
recruiting events;
Increasing
visits to regional high schools, emphasizing Humboldt First
scholarships for local students;
Enhancing
partnerships with community colleges and other pipeline programs;
Increasing
our presence at college fairs across the state, leveraging guest
recruiters when recruiting staff are not available;
Continuing
enhancement of our visit and Preview/Preview Plus programs to expand
the opportunities for prospective students, particularly those from
lower-income and more diverse populations, to interact with our
campus;
Investment
in digital advertising tied strategically to enrollment efforts,
increasing awareness, applications, and engagement throughout the
student lifecycle;
Significant
and ongoing revision of admissions processes to streamline the
student experience and leverage technology to enhance efficiency.
It
is important to note that new student enrollment is one part of the
enrollment growth strategy for our campus — retention is the
essential other cornerstone. This fall marked considerable progress
in our retention success efforts, and that should be celebrated. A
number of members of our campus community, ranging from the Student
Success side of EMSS, to colleagues in Academic Affairs and elsewhere
across campus, are working each day to ensure we better engage
students and assist them along their path towards completion.
I
am incredibly optimistic about the coming years and proud to be part
of a campus that consistently strives to improve the student
experience. Each and every day our students, faculty, and staff are
reminders of why Humboldt is a special place to live and to learn. I
look forward to working alongside all of you as we build next year’s
incoming class, knowing that even greater growth is ahead.
Sincerely,
Chrissy
Holliday Vice
President for Enrollment Management & Student Success
Committee to Re-Elect 2nd District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell:
Supervisor Michelle Bushnell committed to Stand up for
Humboldt County’s 2nd District for a 2nd term!
In her first term as Humboldt County Supervisor, District 2, Michelle has proven she
shows up and gets results! She has been on the forefront of every natural disaster we
have endured; during earthquakes, wildfires and road closures, Michelle kept open lines
of communication with the people, in hopes of keeping everyone safe, informed, and
keeping our County open for business.
When Michelle isn’t in a meeting, you can often find her in support at one of the local
farmers markets, Business Ribbon cuttings, school fundraisers, Veterans events or at
one of the many events throughout Humboldt County.
Michelle appreciates all the faith the people have put in her and the job she is doing
representing 2nd District, and is always open to conversations on how she can better
serve our community and encourages people to reach out.
“I look forward to serving my community, thank you to all my constituents for your
continued support!”
Supervisor Michelle Bushnell can be reached at 707-599-2850
