When Tammy Rodriguez landed a job with the California Department of Motor Vehicles 27 years ago, she felt like she had “struck gold.” It was her first job, she said, and she felt secure knowing she was earning not just a salary, but a pension for later in life.

Over the years she thought about looking for work at private companies to make more money, especially after she had a child. But she liked the other benefits of state work: the health care coverage, the flexibility of transferring departments when her family moved and the job security when she went on maternity leave.

Now, at 52, she’s feeling less financially stable. The $2,100 monthly rent she pays for the home she and her teenage daughter share eats up half her earnings at the DMV in San Luis Obispo. Halfway through each month, she takes stock of their expenses and budgets to ensure she can afford gas for her 30-mile daily commute.

“I want the stability I had before, where I don’t have to worry about (living) paycheck to paycheck,” said Rodriguez.

That sentiment undergirds the contract talks this year for the Service Employees International Union Local 1000, the largest union representing California state government workers. The union has called for a 30% raise over the next three years and the full cost of health premiums covered.

Rodriguez is active in Local 1000, which represents nearly 100,000 state government employees, from administrative staff to janitors to health care workers. Their current contracts expire at the end of June.

Can California pay?

Theirs are not the only labor demands the state has to contend with as Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers seek to close a $31.5 billion hole in the budget.

Local 1000 covers nine of the state’s 21 worker bargaining units. Five other units also have contracts that are up this summer and some are also seeking raises.

In total, expiring labor agreements cover more than half the state’s workers.

“I want the stability I had before, where I don’t have to worry about (living) paycheck to paycheck.”
— Tammy Rodriguez, Department of Motor Vehicles worker in San Luis Obispo

For every $1 in potential raises there is an additional 32 cent increase in pension costs, making the 30% raise proposal total more than $3.8 billion over the next three years, the union said.

Irene Green, Local 1000’s vice president for bargaining, said there has been little response from the state on their proposals for the raise and full health coverage. California Department of Human Resources spokesperson Camille Travis declined to answer CalMatters’ questions about contract negotiations.

The union’s efforts come after teachers and staff at two large school districts held strikes this year — in Oakland and Los Angeles — netting double-digit raises.

Marchers hold signs as Ty Kovacs, a teacher for California School of the Deaf, signs to the crowd in front of the Governor’s Mansion on Sacramento on June 8, 2023. Photo by Julie A. Hotz for CalMatters.

Would state workers strike? In 2016, Local 1000 voted to strike but workers did not walk out.

“Are we considering all our options? Absolutely,” Green said. “We’re not leaving anything unconsidered at this time.”

So far Newsom’s budget proposals this year have included funding for previously negotiated raises for other state worker unions, and he has spared workers from furloughs. But his administration has said there’s little room for new spending.

“We value our workforce; we value their sacrifice, particularly over the last number of years,” Newsom told reporters in May. “And we are mindful of the inflationary environment. We’re also hopeful that they’re mindful of our current budgetary environment.”

Lagging California paychecks

Public sector employees are among a broad swath of workers demanding higher pay amid record inflation, months after many were deemed “essential” during the pandemic.

Advocates this year often point to a growing gap between wages and California’s cost of living. The United Ways of California this year sponsored a bill that would have forced the state to calculate what wages it takes to afford the basics in each county. The bill died in the Senate Appropriations Committee in May.

As the union prepared to bargain this year, it commissioned a report by UC Berkeley’s Labor Center that found more than two-thirds of workers represented by Local 1000 don’t earn enough to support themselves and one child, and 35% don’t make enough to support a family of four, even with a partner earning the same wages.

Nationally, wage growth among state and local government workers was close to or exceeded private sector wage growth from 2001 to 2010, federal data show. But after the Great Recession, in 2010, government wage growth began lagging behind private sector wages and has not caught up, said Sara Hinkley, policy research specialist at the UC Berkeley Labor Center. Tax revenue uncertainties may be why, she added.

Path to middle class

State workers in California often accept lower salaries than they would get at private businesses in exchange for a state pension, better benefits and job security. But rising costs coming out of the pandemic and wage hikes as the private sector responds to labor shortages are giving state workers pause. Is the tradeoff still a good deal?

“Whether (state employment) is a pathway towards what we traditionally think of as the middle class is, I think, more questionable now,” said David Lewin, a professor emeritus at the UCLA Anderson School of Management who studies public sector unions.

Even so, he said, public sector work is still a better deal in the Golden State than almost anywhere else. California has not made substantial cuts in state jobs or in state workers’ bargaining rights the way states like Wisconsin have.

The union says there have been other de facto cuts to state workers’ pay in California.

“Whether (state employment) is a pathway towards what we traditionally think of as the middle class is more questionable now.”
— David Lewin, professor emeritus at the UCLA Anderson School of Management

Over the last two decades, state workers have contributed more of their paychecks to health care premiums and retirement health plans. Former Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law that, among other things, made workers hired in 2013 or later pay more toward their pensions.

Contributions to health care and pensions took up 5% of a typical Local 1000 member’s paycheck two decades ago and now consume 15%, the union says. The figures are based on pay and benefits for an associate program analyst, the job category the union says is closest to its members’ median salary.

During the pandemic, the state trimmed worker pay by 9% for one year, anticipating a deep recession that did not materialize. Workers got two days off each month in exchange. In 2021 the pay and work days were restored — as were raises from the current contract that totaled 7% over three years — when the state brought in record revenues.

Stuck with side jobs

On June 8 the state workers union held a rally outside the Governor’s mansion to demand better raises. Rita Krone, a 55-year-old program analyst who helps refugees, was there.

When she got her job at the state Department of Social Services about a year ago, she thought she could finally put aside her side jobs.

But her rent is $2,200 a month and Krone, a Rocklin resident, is the wage earner and caregiver for her husband, who has a disability. She works Mondays through Fridays, then delivers groceries for DoorDash on Friday evenings and weekends.

“We’re down to our last dimes,” Krone said. “So I work seven days a week.”

Pay for analyst positions like Krone’s was 17% less than equivalent jobs in the private sector in 2021, says the California Department of Human Resources. That’s with state benefits and pension factored in.

Looking at wages alone, analysts like Krone made 30% less than market pay.

###

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

Robert Lowell Steeves, 76, passed away suddenly in the early morning hours of June 6, 2023.

Born to Charley and Martha Steeves February 7, 1947 he was a graduate of Eureka High School in 1954. He worked many years as a baker before joining Eureka City Schools as a custodian. While he was on staff at a few schools over the years, the majority of his 35 years was spent as Lead Custodian at Lafayette Elementary School. He was a truly beloved member of the Lions staff and so proud to be part of the Lafayette family.

Robert is survived by his wife Gina, married 33 years, and daughters, Shannon Steeves, Gwen Price (Vincent), Courtney Calkins (Christian) and twin sons, Kevin and Tony Steeves as well as Dane Crawford, whom Robert thought of as a son. He also leaves grandchildren Emily, Alex, West, Lucas and Samantha, as well as his brother Carl (Caryl), nieces Trish Palmer and Nancy Curtis (Tom), nephews, Bryan Steeves, and Wayne Steeves (London), and great-nieces, Karyn, Becca, Cara, Cyd-nee and Erin. Pets Mia and Milo are missing him greatly.

He was preceded in his passing by his parents, Charley and Martha Steeves, many aunts and uncles, mother-in-law Jennie Williamson, and father-in-law Larry Williamson who considered Robert a son from their first meeting.

Robert is sure to have been greeted on the next plane by close friends Bill, Gordon, Manny and best friend, Jerry Ross. These wonderful companions were a strong presence in his life and have all been missed beyond belief, just as our Rob Rob Rob, our dad, our papa will be missed.

The Saturday after Robert was gone was to be the usual Once a Month Breakfast get together, often referred to as “The Breakfast Club.” Although he was a very shy person, not much of a social animal, Robert was in charge of the reminder calls to the usual suspects including former and current coworkers Al, Hank, Rodger, Rory, Manny, Gordon and other ECS employees. Wives were even invited sometimes. They would meet, usually at Kristina’s, to share stories of their work week, possible retirement and general town gossip like old friends do. While The Breakfast Club lost a few members over the years, the memories were full and long-lasting for all who were fortunate enough to attend.

Robert’s family would like to express our tremendous gratitude to teachers, students and staff, his “work wife” of 20 years, Rosemary Kunkler, and friends Debbie and Aaron Pierce for helping Robert come out of his shell. The Lafayette Lions made his work a second home, a place full of comfort, love, and laughter.

There will be no formal service as Robert chose to be a donor to the Willed Body Program at University of San Francisco. Instead, a picnic to celebrate Robert’s life is being planned for late summer just before school starts.

###

James (Jim) Thomas Alford
March 1948 – April 2023

Jim Alford passed away from heart failure April 3, 2023, just after his 75th birthday. He was born in San Francisco and grew up in Hayward and Castro Valley. Jim was the Hayward High School Farmer mascot (class of 1966). He was an outreach worker for Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco’s Tenderloin after high school and became deeply involved in anti-war organizing. Jim married Barbara Brown in 1969 (died 1973 from cystic fibrosis complications). They moved to Humboldt County in 1970 at the behest of his draft board, where Jim organized much good trouble. Jim had the option of moving at least 300 miles away or being prosecuted.

Jim did whatever he could to make money during the early years in Humboldt, ending with management of Katy’s Smokehouse in Trinidad in the 1980s. He tried to start a Farmers Market in Eureka about 1975. He was involved in Humboldt County progressive organizing and worked at the Open Door Clinic as a Vista Volunteer, where he and others outfitted a bus as a clinic that served Southern Humboldt County. Jim’s political organizing was reignited when Wesley Chesbro asked Jim to work on his campaign for Arcata City Council in 1974. Jim went on to manage Chesbro’s campaigns for county supervisor, and in 1998 Jim played a key role in helping Wesley Chesbro win election to the California State Senate.

Tom Hayden spoke in Humboldt County after his 1976 primary for U.S. Senator while organizing the statewide Campaign for Economic Democracy (CED). Jim attended, met others in the organization, and was inspired to organize Humboldt County CED. Jim subsequently ran campaigns for other Humboldt County supervisor races (Eric Hedlund, Alan Katz), McKinleyville Community Services District (Barbara Mendenhall in 1981, others later), an initiative to ban herbicide spraying along county roads, and the Assembly 1984 (Dan Hauser). After helping Eric Hedlund get elected, Jim served as his appointee to the Humboldt County Planning Commission.

Jim was recruited in 1985 to work for Willie Brown in the Speaker’s Office of Majority Services and moved to Sacramento. Jim’s second wife, Barbara Mendenhall (married in 1977), joined him a year later. Jim worked for Majority Services until 2006, frequently going off state payroll and leading numerous campaigns to elect Democrats to the Assembly in the Imperial Valley, San Diego, San Joaquin Valley, Bay Area and North Coast. He also worked on local races in numerous communities. Jim’s specialty was voter registration and getting out the vote. His work made the difference in many close Democratic races. His volunteer and paid voter registration drives throughout the state registered millions of Californians, many of them first time voters. While with the legislature he was instrumental in developing California’s initial plan for responding to a pandemic emergency.

In 2002 Jim started the field botany program at Sacramento City College and continued at Sac State, earning a B.S. degree. He tutored and mentored younger students and enjoyed working as a student assistant with professors. He attended and presented student posters at annual meetings of the Ecological Society of America. He subsequently held several botanist positions.

Jim Alford spent his life as a volunteer and paid organizer, political activist, poetry lover, natural history scholar, vegetable, flower and fruit gardener, native plant enthusiast, health tracker, fisherman of almost every variety, cat lover, music fan, movie fan, birder, electronic gamer (conquer the world, build civilization genre), and ongoing community college student - most recently focusing on literature of every era. His neighbors in Sacramento appreciate his prolific native flower garden each year.

Jim is survived by Barbara Mendenhall, sister and brother-in-law Janet and Vince West and brother Dennis Alford.

Jim’s ashes will be scattered in Humboldt County. All are invited to a Celebration of Life at the Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall, 24 Fellowship Way (off of Jacoby Creek Road), in Bayside on Sunday, June 25, 2023, at 3 p.m. Humboldt CED and Jim Alford memorabilia will be on display. Please bring hors-d’oeuvres and light desserts to share at the potluck. This is a zero waste event, so please take home your leftovers and tableware. Please contact jimalfordcelebration@gmail.com for additional information.

###

After a short break (sorry) — your nightly newscast is back! Today: Weed bust; “appalling and dangerous conditions” in the animal shelter; more state funding incoming; Cal Poly Humboldt rowing reigns supreme; weather; etc.; etc. TAP IN.

Plus: To gauge your Oysterfest experience, please participate in the following poll.

###

If you consider yourself an amateur astronomer, or just want to spend some time stargazing, but don’t own your own telescope, we’ve got some good news for you! Thanks to a donation from local non-profit Astronomers of Humboldt (AOH), you can now check out a telescope from the Arcata Library and it is completely free!

Actually, you have been able to check out a telescope from the library for some time now. About a year ago, AOH donated an Orion Starblast 4.5-inch telescope to the library and the item has been so popular that there is usually a several-month-long waitlist of people trying to get their hands on the ‘scope. So, many people will be excited to learn that  just last week the group donated a second Orion Starblast that will, hopefully, make the wait time a little shorter.

“The library has been very enthusiastic about this,” Brent Howatt, president of AOH, said in a phone interview with the Outpost. “[The telescope] seems to be very popular in Arcata, which is great.” 

Howatt said that the second telescope was given to the group by the Astronomical League – an umbrella organization of different  amateur astronomy clubs and societies across the country. Every year at the Astronomical League’s convention, several groups are selected to receive a free telescope to donate to their local libraries as a part of the organization’s Library Telescope Program . After many years of not being selected for the program, Howatt said, the AOH members decided to purchase a telescope themselves and donate it to the Humboldt County Library, which handed it down to the Arcata branch. This year the group was finally selected to receive a telescope, so now the Arcata Library is lucky enough to have two lenders in its collection. 

Checking out the telescope from the library works almost exactly like checking out a book. All you need is a library card (and if you don’t have one, you can get one for free just by showing a photo I.D. and proof of residency in Humboldt.) Because the telescopes are in high demand, you will need to call the library to put your name on the waiting list and the library will contact you when it’s your turn. After swiping your card, you can borrow the equipment for up to two weeks. Howatt says that the telescopes are small and easy to use, and AOH even made a couple modifications to make them more “user-friendly.” The telescope also comes with instructions for use and sky charts, with suggestions of what to look for in the sky. 

Flyer for the telescope at the library

The library staff has also been trained on how to use the telescope and will go through the details of proper care and safety with you at the counter. Susan Parsons of the Arcata Library told the Outpost that, because this is special equipment, there is a contract that you have to sign before checking out the telescope that shows you understand the care and safety protocols, including that you you will be charged for the equipment if it is lost or broken (each telescope is valued at about $500), that you will secure the telescope with a seatbelt when driving and – most importantly – that you will not point the telescope directly at the sun! 

Yeah, it seems like something you wouldn’t need to specify, but the library does not want to take any chances. “The borrower agrees never to look directly at the sun through the telescope or its finder scope,” the borrower contract states. “It is understood that permanent eye damage could result.” 

But as long as you promise to take good care of the equipment and promise not to do something incredibly stupid like stare directly at the sun, then you are free to use the telescope as you wish! Howatt said that, if we can get a clear night, it is a great time to look at Venus and Mars, which are both very bright right now. Jupiter and Saturn can also be viewed to the east, in the very early morning before sunrise. 

If you are an astronomy enthusiast, Howatt said that AOH is always accepting new members (you can fill out an application here). Anyone can also attend the club’s observing sessions, which are held at the Kneeland Airport each month on the Saturday closest to the new moon. The next meet is this Saturday, June 17 after sunset (8:49 p.m.) and Howatt is really hopeful that there will be clear skies. And if you can’t make it to one of the gatherings, then just call up the library at (707) 822-5954 to reserve one of the telescopes.

“Check out the telescope!” Howatt said. “It’s worked really well and we’ve had no issues so far. It seems to be being used as we intended it, for people to help educate their kids or to further their own interest in astronomy.” 

Press release from the Arcata Police Department:

Between July 21, 2022, and June 2, 2023, the Arcata Police Department responded to multiple incidents of vandalism at a community garden, located at 11th and F Streets, which is organized by Centro Del Pueblo, a community organization that advocates for Latin, Indigenous, and Migrant communities.

The incidents included destruction of crops, locks placed on gates to keep users out, and security cameras being stolen. On numerous occasions a sign containing Spanish and Indigenous languages designating the garden as a sanctuary for Immigrants and Native Peoples, was defaced with a spray-painted countervailing message likely directed against nationality, race, and ethnicity. These incidents have been classified by APD as hate crimes, under California Penal Code section 422.6, and remain active, ongoing investigations.

Images from the camera theft, which took place on June 1, 2023, are posted on APD’s Facebook and Instagram pages. APD requests anyone with information about the theft and series of hate crimes to contact their Investigations Unit, at 707-822-2428, or, their anonymous tip-line, at 707-825-2588.

###

Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors was the shortest and perhaps most celebratory in this reporter’s memory.

Aside from the consent calendar, there was just a single agenda item scheduled for discussion in open session, and it got pulled at the outset of the meeting, to be brought back at a later date.

That left the morning free for reading a few proclamations, including one recognizing LGBTQIA+ Pride Month and one honoring Juneteenth, both of which elicited heartfelt emotional testimony from the public and individual supervisors. 

Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo read into the record a proclamation recognizing June 2023, and every June henceforth, as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) Pride Month. 

The document expresses support for “the rights of all citizens to experience equality and freedom from discrimination,” and is says the rainbow Pride flag “shall be raised annually throughout the month of June at County of Humboldt facilities.”

The proclamation also says the county is “committed to supporting visibility, safety, dignity and equality for LGBTQIA+ people” and calls on residents to embrace the founding principle that “every individual has infinite dignity and worth.”

The reading of the proclamation generated a spontaneous round of applause from those in attendance. 

The rainbow Pride flag now flies outside county buildings each June.

Members of the local LGBTQIA+ community thanked the board for their bravery. Calla Peltier-Olson, lead organizer of the Humboldt County Transition-Age Youth Collaboration, an advocacy group working to help people age 16 to 26 emerging from the foster care, juvenile justice, homelessness and behavioral health systems, said conversations with young people revealed the need to reject the “moral hysteria” that sometimes surrounds these issues.

“Not only did we hear stories of youth experiencing peer bullying and harassment before they even knew what being LGBTQIA+ meant, but we heard from youth who are abused and rejected from their families and foster families for being who they are,” Peltier-Olson said.

Her organization produced a report last year outlining policy recommendations for improving inclusivity.

“There are many changes needed in our community to protect these young people,” she said. “And with this proclamation, and yearly flying the Pride flag, you take a step towards making a safer place for them in this county.”

More applause.

Members of the local “gaggle” of Raging Grannies, a nonprofit social justice group, then busted out a ukulele and performed an inclusion-themed song to the melody of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

As applause rang out in the chamber again, Board Chair and Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone said, “Wow, what a morning.” While applause is generally discouraged at supes meetings, Madrone said he’d be lenient given the topic at hand. “I think it’s important to celebrate these things in our community,” he said.

Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson agreed, saying this year’s Pride declaration was better than last year’s. 

“It represents, for me, how far we’ve come in a year,” he said, “but also I’m going to say how far we’ve fallen because a lot of this is in response to a lot of real negativity that we’re dealing with in the community and as a nation.” Wilson was presumably referring to such developments as Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, the recent wave of anti-trans legislation across the country, and the sometimes violent right-wing protests that have become common at drag events.

Wilson then proceeded to read a proclamation recognizing Juneteenth, a recently declared federal holiday marking the day in 1865 when slaves in Galveston, Texas, finally learned that the Civil War had ended (two and a half years earlier) and they were free.

“Black history is American history and is important to celebrate as we create safe spaces, representation, inclusion and empowerment for the Black community in Humboldt County,” the proclamation reads. “[T]his holiday is especially important for Humboldt County, as [the Black] community makes up 1.5% of the population but have [experienced] and continue to experience various forms of discrimination and inequity.”

As part of the proclamation, the Board of Supervisors pledged to “work tirelessly to root out institutional racism wherever it exists and advance equality and inclusion.”

Harper-Desir, co-founder of Black Humboldt

Mo Harper-Desir, co-founder of Black Humboldt, appeared via Zoom and thanked the board for both the Juneteenth and the LGBTQIA+ proclamations and urged its members to “step into actions” that create inclusivity and safety for marginalized communities.

In honor of Juneteenth, Black Humboldt will be hosting an event called “Celebrating Freedom” this Saturday, June 17th, from noon to 10 p.m. at Eureka’s Halvorsen Park, featuring food trucks, live music and a youth zone. Harper-Desir encouraged the community to attend as a means of recognizing that Black history is American history while also having fun.

Wilson acknowledged the hard work that marginalized groups must do to promote equality and justice for themselves and called on allies to take up that burden. He also thanked Black Humboldt.

“I want to thank these organizations because they’re really making our community better,” he added. “It’s just so much more fun and interesting and joyful to have all of this inclusivity and joy within all of these groups … .”

Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo said she had received some emails from folks who were “not so supportive” of these two proclamations, characterizing them as meaningless gestures.

“I would push back and say that if this seems meaningless to you, it might not be for you,” Arroyo said. By way of analogy, she said that the effort to prevent elder abuse isn’t necessarily for her at this point in her life but she advocates anyway “because it keeps people safe and it strengthens our community.”

“The LGBTQIA+ and two spirit community right now are not feeling safe in our community,” she continued, “and I think the very least we can do is say ‘We support you. We see you. We recognize your inherent worth and dignity and we want you to have access to resources to help keep you and your community safe.’”

Over the course of the next hour, several public speakers remarked on the importance of the proclamations. “This is what inclusion looks like, and it’s not always a smooth road, and we realize that,” said Jeremy Clark, the county’s diversity, equity and inclusion manager. “But, you know, with the support of your board, and with the support of our employees and county department heads, we are having an impact and we are making a difference. And it’s palpable. And you can feel it in the halls, and you can you can see it in some of the survey results that I hope to share with you in the near future.”

Michael Weiss, a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, said the proclamations and statements of support are a big deal, “but I want to tell you that that flag out there is huge because there’s a lot of people in the community that don’t come to these meetings or don’t see these recordings. And the other day, a young person — a young queer person — said to me, they saw the flag and it made them cry. That’s huge and I just wanted to say thank you so much.”

Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell voiced her support for both proclamations, adding that while she sometimes has trouble saying the right things, no one should be afraid to express themselves, “whatever your way of life is.” She added that she’s “super proud of our board for recognizing that we all have that right to be different and to be safe and to feel safe and secure in our county.”

Earlier in the meeting, the board read a proclamation recognizing “Eligibility Specialist Appreciation Week,” which offers a tip o’ the cap to the people who help connect community members with public assistance programs providing medical services, food assistance and financial assistance.