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Garberville business owners appeared before the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to “sound the alarm” over a precipitous decline in revenues, a drop they attributed to existential struggles in the region’s renowned cannabis industry.

“I personally have seen a 40 percent drop in sales year-to-date,” said Jolan Banyasz, owner of Garberville clothing store Sweet Grass Boutique. “This last month, September, I saw a 60 percent decrease in sales. I cannot operate at these losses.”

Banyasz recently had to let go a seven-year employee who has since been unable to find another job in the area.

“Across the board, every single business is not really hiring because nobody is thriving,” she said. Banyasz added that she’s heard from other local business owners who are hanging on by a thread, paying bills out of their savings.

She was followed at the podium by Charlotte Silverstein, who has owned and operated the Garberville bead store Garden of Beadin’ for the past 38 years. Silverstein said that mail-order transactions are keeping her business alive, but her revenues are still down 20 percent this year and the whole town is suffering.

“I’ve moved recently and so I’m on street level, and people say, ‘How do you like your new spot?’ Well,” she said, “I love the spot, but then I get to see what goes on in Garberville, which is a lot of vagrants and a lot of poor people. I feel like for years since legalization, before the supervisors made the price of permits so expensive, it put a lot of people into into bankruptcy. So now everybody’s either leaving or they’re broke.”

Reached by phone on Wednesday, Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell said she agrees with the women who spoke and sympathizes as a fellow Garberville business owner.

“I own the largest clothing store down there,” she said, referring to The Bootleg, “and my business, for eight months, has been in a decline.” Sales have dropped by about 45 percent she said, the worst decline in the business’s 41-year history.

Bushnell bought the business in 2011, and she said the first time she noticed a big decline in sales was in 2016 and 2017, a period flanking the passage of Prop. 64, which legalized recreational cannabis. That caused a lot of anxiety among local growers, impacting the county’s economy.

“But then it bounced back,” Bushnell said. “[However], in the last eight months it’s been terrible. I normally employ seven full-time people. Right now I’ve had to cut down to two … plus [one who works] four hours on a Sunday.”

Both Banyasz and Silverstein mentioned the recent revelation from Pacific Gas and Electric that it has nearly reached the limits of its ability to transmit electricity across Southern Humboldt, with transmission lines and substations in need of some $900 million-worth of upgrades.

“[T]hat’s going to severely affect any development in our community, along with the issues that we have in the water districts with antiquated infrastructure,” Banyasz said. 

Silverstein echoed those concerns. “You know, you guys are all happy with what’s happening up north in Arcata,” she said. “You got Cal Poly, but here in Southern Humboldt, we’re the place where people come to first and it’s gonna look like a ghost town. How are you going to help us support this and fix it?”

Bushnell said she has spoken about these issues with the county’s economic development director, Scott Adair, as well as County Administrative Officer Elishia Hayes.

“We need to bump up tourism,” she said. “Cannabis, it’s in the toilet. It’s terrible. There’s panic across the board. But we need curb appeal. We really need to sell [SoHum] as the gateway to Humboldt County.”

Standing at the podium on Tuesday, Banyasz told the board that she grew up in the community and would love to stay. But at the moment she doesn’t know if she’ll even be in business by the beginning of next year, and she fears that other storefronts will become empty, too, leaving the gateway to Humboldt County “barren.”

“I want to see it thriving,” she said. “I want to see our community members being able to support our businesses. I’m not seeing any economic opportunities now that the cannabis industry industry is collapsing.”

Bushnell said she plans to bring Adair down to speak with local business owners so at least they know the county is paying attention.

Below is video of Tuesday’s meeting queued up to time when Banyasz speaks. She’s followed by Silverstein.

Arcata High School is on “modified lockdown” this afternoon, after administrators discovered a threatening message posted to Instagram.

There is a strong police presence at the school, administrators say, and the incident is being investigated.

The following message was just sent to parents with children on the Arcata High campus:

Dear AHS, Six Rivers, and Pacific Coast Parents and Guardians, We apologize for the late notice as this is a rapidly developing situation.  Recently we were informed of an anonymous threat posted to an Instagram account that is followed by many AHS students.  This threat included a countdown to “not come to school,” with the countdown zeroing out at 1:30 PM today. 

We have been working closely with APD and there is a strong police presence on campus.  When students return from lunch, we will be on a modified lockdown for the last block of the day (modified lockdown is doors locked, curtains shut, and students being escorted one at a time by admin if they need to use the restroom); however, we understand if you prefer to pick up your student early — we just ask that you call in their absence to the office so that we know who went home (leave a message if needed). 

We will update you as more information becomes available.

Sincerely, Roger Macdonald 

Participatory budgeting is a hot new municipal trend in which a citizens’ committee is given a pot of money to spend as it sees fit, in order to improve a community or neighborhood. You might remember how Arcata employed it in the last budget year to fund some beautification projects in Valley West.

Well, the city of Eureka set aside $75,000 of this year’s budget for a similar program in that town. To briefly summarize: Up to 10 citizens from each of the city’s wards will be appointed to a study group that will make recommendations on how to best spend $15,000 on small, community-improving projects in each ward. And each of the (up to) 50 community members so chosen are offered a $100 stipend for their labors.

Interested? Here are the full details in a press release from the City of Eureka:

The City of Eureka will launch a process known as participatory budgeting in which community members decide how to spend $75,000 allocated by the Council during the City’s budget process. Participatory Budgeting (PB) is a democratic process in which community members directly decide how to spend a portion of a public budget.

A collaborative process of three meetings will be held over the coming weeks as outlined below:

• October 25th – Meeting #1 5:30-7:30 PM via Zoom (Review of Strategic Vision & Budgeting process and initial brainstorming of ideas in five city ward breakouts)
• November 7th – Meeting #2 via Zoom (Develop project ideas in five city ward breakouts)
• December 15th – Meeting #3 in Person (Project presentations, feedback, and decision making)

Complete description of the proposed schedule is included in the Participatory Budget Guidelines attached.

Each participant is eligible to receive $100 stipend for participating.

Interested residents need to fill out and send an expression of interest form (attached) which will be reviewed by individual councilmembers who will select up to ten individuals from each of their wards.

Participants must participate in all three meetings to receive the stipend and to be part of the final decision-making process on December 15, 2022.

Information is also available on the City’s Website at www.eurekaca.gov.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On Oct. 4, 2022, at about 7:40 p.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a business on the 39000 block of State Highway 299 in Willow Creek for the report of a possible explosive device.

The reporting party told deputies that she had been in possession of the device for some time and wanted to safely dispose of it. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team was dispatched to investigate. Upon inspecting the device, deputies discovered that it was a live improvised explosive device. Due to the composition of the device and proximity to hazards, adjacent businesses were temporarily evacuated while the device was rendered safe.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind the public that if you see something suspicious or out of place in your neighborhood, do not touch or move it, but contact your local law enforcement.

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.

WHAT WOULD IT DO?

This ballot measure would amend the California Constitution to enshrine a fundamental right to reproductive freedom. That includes the right to choose to have an abortion and the right to choose or refuse contraceptives. Because these rights are already protected by state law, Prop. 1 is unlikely to have any financial impact on California, unless a court interpreted it as expanding the government’s obligation to pay for contraception and abortion procedures, which it already does for low-income residents.

WHY IS IT ON THE BALLOT?

There is already a right to privacy guaranteed in the California Constitution, but it is not explicitly defined. Historically, the language has been understood to preserve reproductive rights, including through a decision by the California Supreme Court. Abortion and contraceptive access were later expressly protected in state law.

The U.S. Supreme Court decision in June overturning Roe v. Wade, however, has raised fears that a change in legal interpretation or partisan control of the now-overwhelmingly Democratic state Legislature could undermine those protections for Californians in the future.

Backed by abortion rights advocates and Gov. Gavin Newsom, lawmakers rushed to place Proposition 1 on the ballot to ensure that reproductive health care remains a constitutional right in California.

ARGUMENTS FOR

Supporters argue that Proposition 1 will prevent California from going backwards on reproductive rights. By putting the right to abortion and contraceptions directly into the California Constitution, they say that reproductive health care will always be a medical decision, not a political one, no matter what party controls state government.

Supporters

• Yes on 1 committee

• Abortion rights groups, including Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California and NARAL Pro-Choice California

• California Medical Association

• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

• League of Women Voters of California

• SEIU California

• Equality California

• Gov. Gavin Newsom, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla and other Democratic statewide elected officials

• Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and dozens of other Democratic legislators

• California Democratic Party

• Health Care for All-California

ARGUMENTS AGAINST

Opponents say that Prop. 1 is unnecessary to protect reproductive rights in California but is written so broadly that it could face years of protracted court battles to clear up the language, costing the state millions of dollars in legal fees. They raise particular concern that the measure would override state regulations that now limit abortions after the point when a fetus is viable on its own outside of the womb, at about 24 weeks of pregnancy. These late-term abortions are currently only legal if the health or life of the mother is threatened. Supporters say the measure does nothing to change that.

Opponents

• No on 1 committee

• California Alliance of Pregnancy Care

• Pacific Justice Institute

• California Catholic Conference

• International Faith Based Coalition

• California Republican Party

Floyd Everett Squires III passed away unexpectedly on September 18, 2022. Betty, his beloved wife, life partner and best friend, was by his side.

Floyd was born April 17, 1946 to Floyd E. Squires, Jr. and Ruth Squires in Hayden, Colorado. He moved to Eureka with his parents at four years of age.

He attended Eureka High School, Humboldt State University and College of the Redwoods. He worked for CalTrans in his early years and was a self-employed realtor.

He is survived by his mother, Ruth, his brother, Rodney, and his wife, Rene; and his niece, Jacqueline McCullough, husband Shane and their children Hannah, Abigail, Colton and Emmalia McCullough. He is also survived by his sister Susan Johnson. He is also survived by his son, Kristopher, and his stepdaughter, Melissa, and grandchildren Konnor, Amy and Charles Everett.

He is also survived by his sister-in-law Mary Ford and her family; brother- in-law Leonard and Jocelyn; brother-in-law Ike and Yvonne and his very special niece, Janet, and husband Ed and their children.

He is survived by his many friends: Dennis Cline and his family, Mike and Bruce Heddinger and many more.

He was predeceased by his father, Floyd E. Squires, Jr., and stepdaughter, Michele Pozun, and brother-in-law, Edward Ford.

Floyd and Betty traveled extensively throughout Europe, China, Mexico and the United States. He was a member of the Elks Lodge, Masonic Lodge 106, Ingomar Club and the Moose Lodge.

Please, no flowers. If you would like to donate to the Elks Building Fund Floyd would have liked that.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 29, 2022 at 1 p.m. at the Elks Lodge, 445 Herrick Avenue, Eureka.

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

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Travis Schneider is optimistic. 

He’s optimistic about the future of his family’s partially built dream home despite a snowballing collection of permit violations, ongoing conflict with local tribes and a very public controversy over racist comments Humboldt County Planning Commission Chair Alan Bongio made while advocating for Schneider’s permits.

On Friday, Schneider offered a tour around his property and through the plywood and two-by-four-six framing of his home construction site, which has sat exposed to the elements for close to a year thanks to a stop-work order the county Planning Department issued in January. The wood has begun to turn gray, but Schneider said, “My concern for the materials is secondary to resolving the outstanding issues.”

Over the course of our conversation he said more than once that he believes his various permit violations can be remedied, that the myriad objections and concerns raised by tribes, the California Coastal Commission, county planning staff and the public can be resolved if everyone comes together in good faith.

This avowed optimism isn’t limited to his current troubles. It’s part of his philosophy of life. 

“I’m a country music listener,” Schneider said while standing in the dry, knee-high grass beneath his construction site, a spot offering a panoramic view of the Fay Slough Wildlife Area. “One of my favorite songs is ‘Most People Are Good,’ and I think that’s true, you know?” Schneider said. “I think we all have moments where we have lapses and moments we’re not proud of and that we would like to do over. But at the end of the day I think our similarities are far greater than our differences.”

The opening verse of “Most People Are Good,” a chart-topping 2017 hit from country singer Luke Bryan, goes like this:

I believe kids oughta stay kids
As long as they can
Turn off the screen, go climb a tree
Get dirt on their hands

I believe we gotta forgive and make amends
‘Cause nobody gets a second chance
To make new old friends

I believe in working hard for what you’ve got
Even if it don’t add up to a hell of a lot

Schneider owns Pacific Affiliates, a Eureka-based civil engineering firm with a warehouse and a dock on Humboldt Bay bearing his last name. He’s also a local developer who has built commercial properties and dozens of homes across the county. Judging by the one he’s trying to build for his own family, Schneider could add a lyric to that Luke Bryan song: Sometimes one’s work does add up to a hell of a lot. The structure is simply massive, much larger than county officials previously recognized.

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While some of Schneider’s permit problems date back more than nine months, recent scrutiny and some investigative reporting — including a series of stories by Thadeus Greenson at the North Coast Journal — have revealed even more problems. 

For example, Schneider’s coastal development permit application called for an 8,000-square-foot home with a 1,000-square-foot natural light cellar, and in all county proceedings to date, that’s the size of structure officials have discussed. In reality, however, the home under construction is more than twice that size: 20,817 square feet, according to Humboldt County Planning and Building Director John Ford.

Standing near stacks of construction materials in what may someday be his front yard, Schneider said that larger square-footage figure is misleading. 

“The structure is that big,” he acknowledged, “[but] the habitable home space is considerably less.”

Schneider draws a distinction between the “conditioned” or “habitable” portions of his home and everything else, including the cellar, a gymnasium, a recreation room, a covered porch, a covered patio and multiple garages. He argued that only the habitable rooms, which he said measure 7,817 square feet, should be factored into the home’s square footage.

Ford disagrees. In a phone conversation on Monday, the planning director said that the uniform building code does include such a distinction, though it’s part of Title 24, a provision addressing building energy efficiency standards. Schneider’s building plans do have calculations showing conditions and non-conditioned areas, but Ford said that doesn’t mean the non-conditioned areas don’t count.

“The conditioned rooms are for Title 24 energy compliance, not for determining the size of the structure,” Ford said. (He also said the plans show 11,271 square feet of conditioned space, not 7,817.)

Inexplicably, an as-yet-unidentified county planner approved Schneider’s building plans, even though they call for a home that’s 20,817 square feet — far in excess of the size allowed under his coastal development permit. 

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Asked to clarify why he doesn’t include so much of his home’s layout in the square footage calculation, Schneider said it’s common practice to exclude structures such as garages.

“I can’t speak to how the code defines it,” he said. “But we do have a lot of garage space; we have a covered porch; we have a covered outdoor patio down below. … We have a lot of space that’s included in that 20,000 square feet that isn’t reflective of the habitable space.”

Schneider’s 3.5-acre parcel lies at the end of Walker Point Road, accessed via the Indianola cutoff. It sits on a knoll overlooking the Fay Slough Wildlife Area, and the panoramic vista includes views of the Murray Field Airport, Harper Motors, Hwy. 101 and Arcata Bay. The Wiyot People called this region Da’dedi’lhl, meaning “sunshine,” and Schneider’s property includes an area designated as an archaeological site and tribal cultural resource. 

“If you look at historical photos, this site was excavated to [supply] fill for Harper Motors and Murray Field,” Schneider said. 

Late last year, county staff learned that Schneider had violated the terms of his coastal development permit by laying down an unpermitted access road through environmentally sensitive habitat and using a CAT 310 excavator to clear native blackberries and other foliage, potentially damaging the tribal cultural resource. He had also laid the home’s foundation in a spot that didn’t quite align with the approved site plans. 

“There was an error made when I laid out the home survey,” Schneider explained on Friday. At a certain point, he said, the home’s layout got rotated, shifting its alignment with the underlying property. Surveys conducted later revealed that the home’s footprint had been placed within 100 feet of a designated wetland, in violation of the county’s local coastal plan. The misalignment also placed the project within the jurisdiction of the California Coastal Commission, and that agency’s staff have serious concerns about the permit violations as well as the home’s compatibility with its surroundings, according to the Journal.

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Schneider said this was a regrettable mistake. “When I checked in with one of the survey points, everything checked out just fine,” he said. “In hindsight, I should have checked in with more.”

He also said that he simply wasn’t aware that he couldn’t build a temporary access road on the property. Asked to point out the road’s location, Schneider walked across the cement slab of his home’s foundation, passing through several framed doorways until he arrived in what’s slated to be a bedroom for one of his four children. He pointed down to the gravel road, which runs up a gradual slope to the southeast corner of his home’s foundation.

“We felt that it was a temporary road in nature and it, you know, was ultimately going to be removed,” he said by way of explanation.

The road was cut into a prohibited area below the property’s 40-foot contour line and within the 100-foot wetland setback. In a letter to the Planning Commission Schneider said the road was built to allow easier installation of siding and windows. Nearly a year later neither of those elements have been installed, and there’s no telling when or even if he’ll be able to do so.

Schneider led us on a tour of the house, pointing out the east-facing entrance before leading us up some temporary stairs, through a future wall and into the home’s southwestern wing, pointing out rooms as we walked. 

“So this is the living room, kitchen — that’s just a faux wall, just to hold the trusses.” Another space will be a den for his kids, whose four bedrooms, closets and bathroom are clustered together at the southern end of the structure. 

Walking north to the other end we passed holes slated for stairways leading to the lower floor of the house. The home is partially cut into the slope, giving the impression from Walker Point Road that it’s all one level, though when seen from the west — which is possible from both Myrtle Avenue and Hwy. 101 — you can appreciate the true size of the house.

The lower level includes the cellar, a gym, garage space and a recreation area that’s built as a large room that’s missing its exterior wall. The missing wall would allow an unobstructed view of the property’s panoramic vista while giving the Schneider kids the ability to play in the fresh air even during Humboldt County’s long periods of inclement weather.

“Pantry,” Schneider said, continuing the tour. The master bedroom sits at the northeast corner, near another multi-car garage. The master bedroom is flanked by a large closet and bathroom. Schneider backtracked and turned a corner into a new area of the house, pointing out the laundry room, a powder room and a guest bedroom. 

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According to a county staff report, Schneider removed more than an acre of native blackberry bushes as well as a 16-inch willow tree and four alders ranging in size from three to 14 inches.

Again, he pleaded ignorance, saying he wasn’t aware that mowing was prohibited per the terms of his coastal development permit. 

“We specifically didn’t mow any trees,” Schneider insisted. “There were some trees that were removed on the other side [of the house] that my kids chopped down as part of a tree fort. But, fortunately, they’re already growing back.” 

He suggested that the unpermitted vegetation removal may actually have helped the foliage. “In some regards, similar to your orchard, it’s as if the trimming and the pruning almost helped vegetation, spurred more vegetation growth,” he said.

Asked why the county staff report said trees had been removed, Schneider said, “I can show ya.” He led us down the western slope beyond the concrete foundation to show the area he cleared. As we descended through the dry grass a group of small birds flushed from a willow cluster. 

“Here’s the trees that were cut,” he said, holding a branch from a tangle of woody foliage between his fingers. “They’re regrowing.” He walked a few more steps and pointed to more branches. “This is the regrowth. This is all the regrowth. Even the alders that my kids had chopped are continuing to grow.”

Asked to point out the archaeological site designated a tribal cultural resource, Schneider walked another 40 feet south to a spot where little orange flags on thin metal rods had been stuck into the soil. 

The potential damage to this spot has led to prolonged and complex negotiations with three Wiyot-area tribes — the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria, the Blue Lake Rancheria and the Wiyot Tribe. [DISCLOSURE: The Blue Lake Rancheria is a minority owner in the Outpost’s parent company, Lost Coast Communications, Inc.] 

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After the disturbance was reported to all parties, the tribes asked for an archaeologist to conduct a survey. A “significant number of artifacts” were identified during the limited survey effort, and the archaeologist determined that the site is eligible for listing to the California Register of Historic Resources because it could “address a range of scientific research questions,” according to an August staff report.

However, the archaeologist also concluded that the heavy equipment and vegetation removal did not affect the integrity of the site’s scientific value and found no evidence of damage to cultural material.

Still, the Wiyot Tribe and the Blue Lake Rancheria determined that disturbance to the site has been “culturally significant” and they’ve asked for more thorough investigations, including an excavation, plus stronger protection measures to prevent further damage. The Bear River Band objects to the request for excavation. Negotiations are ongoing.

“The most common knowledge for this site is that it was used for cooking,” Schneider said, though he also noted that he has not been in direct communication with the tribes. 

Yet another permit issue: In late August, a supervisor in the county’s Public Health Division notified Senior Planner Cliff Johnson via email that Schneider never obtained an onsite wastewater treatment system permit, as reported in the Journal last month. 

Schneider said he hasn’t gotten to the bottom of that issue but, again, he’s optimistic that it can be resolved.

“Septic is approved for this whole development,” he said, referring to the Mid-City Ranch subdivision on Walker Point Road, created in the 1980s. “There was wet-weather monitoring [and] perc testing done for this whole development. There was not a site-specific septic permit issued for this site. [But] septic is very viable for this site. … And I don’t know if that’s a requirement in order to pull the permit or if it can just merely be a deferred submittal.”

Humboldt County Code requires that a sewage treatment system be approved prior to beginning construction of any occupied building. Asked whether he should have done that work prior to getting his building permit, Schneider said, “I don’t know what the protocol is on that. … Once again, something I haven’t dug into extensively.”

Schneider has also brought significantly more fill soil onto the property than the 1,500 cubic yards specified in his coastal development permit, though county planning staff appears to have made another error by issuing Schneider a grading permit allowing ten times that amount: 15,000 cubic yards. 

“We requested 15,000 yards in our original plan,” Schneider said. He alleged that the 1,500 figure was the result of a typo in a staff report. Ford confirmed to the Outpost that Schneider’s original application did identify 15,000 cubic yards of fill, and he couldn’t say for sure how that 1,500 figure came about. Schneider said he doesn’t know exactly how much dirt he’s actually brought onto the property but he estimated that it’s somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 cubic yards.

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Schneider’s recent permit violations aren’t limited to the site of his dream home. County staff was recently tipped off about a permit violation at the KOA campground and RV park along Hwy. 101 near Bracut Lumber. Schneider owns the property and had obtained a re-roofing permit for a commercial building, but rather than simply re-roofing the facility, an entire second story was built atop two rental units.

When first asked about this, Schneider said he’d like to go off the record. When asked why he didn’t want to address the matter on the record he said he’d need to think about it, but eventually he acknowledged building the second story on the building despite only getting a re-roofing permit. 

“We’re actively working with the county on that,” he said, adding that the violation was just brought to his attention in the last couple of weeks.

The Outpost first learned about it in mid-August and we reached out to the county for more information. Ford replied via email, saying the RV park is regulated by the State Department of Housing and Community Development.  

“We have reported the violation to the state,” Ford said in an August 20 email. “It is uncertain whether they will take action on it or refer it back to the County.” 

Asked about it again on Monday, Ford said the county does have jurisdiction over the coastal development permit. His staff recently sent Schneider a letter notifying him that he needs to obtain both a building permit and a coastal development permit for the already-completed construction.

Was this another case in which Schneider simply didn’t know that he was breaking the rules?

“Well, we were transparent as far as the reroof permit was concerned,” he said. “We didn’t expect to have to get a full CDP to expand the two living quarters up there. We didn’t change the footprint of the structure.”

By the end of the tour we were standing on the slope beneath the property. We asked Schneider what he thinks about the ongoing controversy surrounding Bongio, to whom he’s related via marriage. (Schneider’s wife’s aunt, Denise Bode, is Bongio’s sister, a connection that Schneider downplayed as typical of residents in a small community, akin to a game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. They know each other but aren’t close friends, he said.)

“I think Alan made a mistake. I think he used some terms out of context, and the delivery was not appropriate,” he said. “And I’m hoping that, just like with the situation at our house, we can work towards a resolution on these matters and bring our community together. … I don’t think there’s anything productive in conflict.” 

Stakeholders have been working toward a resolution. Wiyot Tribal Administrator Michelle Vassel told the Outpost via email that the tribe recently met with county planning staff, including Ford and Johnson. Tribal staff and Tribal Historic Preservation Officers went over the previously listed conditions of approval, but Vassel said it will take time to iron out the particulars. 

“It is the fine detail of who will do what, when and with what funding that still needs to be worked out,” she said. “The problem really is that it is not a quick fix. Tribal Historic Preservation Officers are working together to determine how to best implement those conditions. The permit violations are very extensive and complex.”

The Blue Lake Rancheria declined to comment.

Schneider said he’s been having dialog with his team, evaluating potential mitigation options, and they expect to present something to the county this week. 

After our meeting, Schneider emailed a link to the lyrics of “Most People are Good.” The song expresses optimism about human nature, a philosophy that resonates with Schneider as he works toward completing his dream home, though a later verse suggests appreciating life no matter the outcome.

I believe them streets of gold
Are worth the work
But I’d still wanna go
Even if they were paved in dirt