Civil Liberties Town Hall Gave SoHum an Opportunity to Create Positive Change

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Southern Humboldt community members are working from a variety of angles–beautification to abatement issues to waterless toilet systems–to create positive change. A town hall meeting last week on Saturday, March 16, facilitated by the Civil Liberties Monitoring Project at the Mateel broke into groups to discuss issues important to the community. Structured and moderated by Doug Fir, Bonnie Blackberry and Robie Tenorio with Darryl Cherney doing the sound and set up, this meeting provided an opportunity to begin resolution of the problems brought up at last August’s Community in Crisis Town Hall meeting.

The organizers said they did not want this meeting to be a similar “complain-athon.”

Quickly and efficiently Doug Fir previewed the day’s structure, and Robie reviewed the issues from the last meeting which centered around abatements for unpermitted grows and the permitting of sites that are clearly not in line with watershed rehabilitation standards. However, when items were added to the list at this second meeting, the list grew fast and long and these issues mainly centered on housing and homeless issues. The County’s abatement program received very little attention. Bonnie Blackberry and another speaker brought up their concerns around the absentee landowners and types of practices that are being legally permitted.

Before breaking into groups, the meeting facilitator Doug Fir, strongly recommended the groups should evaluate the ideas they generated based on “feasibility criteria” such as the organizational structure needed to make an idea come to life and where that might come from, the “existing traction” in the community for the idea, the information and education needed, the legal and regulatory issues involved in the proposal, and what it might cost and where that funding could come from.

The room sorted itself out into four or five groups which discussed ideas and actions for about an hour. The town hall event seemed to give a majority of the attendees an opportunity to plug into action already in motion.

Richard Gienger brought up the need to develop an economy around the environment that is being protected in the region. He said he thinks the community needs to “focus on an economy of fish and forests,” and that “we need to get serious” about it. He also recommended, “a recreation economy with an indigenous peoples’ connection.” However, no one seemed to migrate toward organizing that concept.

When the room came back together each group that formed gave reports to everyone.

Darryl Cherney reported out that his group explored proposals Cherney brought to the meeting. Cherney suggests that measures be put on the ballot to reduce fines and fees , speed up the permitting process , allow for water storage without fees as means to respond to the abatement program and illegal fines and taxes as long as residents attach fire hydrants to their water line , and make the county take on the worst violators first. Cherney wants to see the county to repair its own roads before demanding cultivators repair their roads.

He also reported a proposal for a county or state bank, another was filing complaints with the Grand Jury, and he requested attendees drop donations in the jar for the Mateel because “the elephant is the room in this case,” he said referring to the financial trouble of the Mateel Community Center at which the meeting was held.

Democratic Party progressives attended. Gaya Kramer of Indivisible Fortuna said they are interviewing candidates who want to run for 2^nd District Supervisors on a Progressive platform.

Chip Tittmann reported out for another group. He had come to the meeting to recruit input toward his efforts with County Public Works on creating County Code for composting and other forms of waterless toilets. Tittmann said the county has been reluctant to research toilet systems that do not use water, so he has been doing the work for them. Tittmann asks residents who have waterless waste management systems, that they have either purchased or designed, to send photographs and descriptions of what they are using and how it works to him at [email protected]. Bud Rogers chimed in that he estimates he has saved 188,000 gallons of pure fresh spring water by not having a flush toilet.

Tittmann reported the group also discussed a need for a “separate planning department for Southern Humboldt.” Tittmann said he sees the need for an expanded Alternative Owner-Builder program that allows “functioning homes” that don’t necessarily have a description in the State’s code for AOB to have a path toward becoming legal structures.

Tim Bailey announced there will be a “Fire Day” at the Mateel on May 11^th, the day before Mothers’ Day. He described an informational event that includes food and entertainment and which is still being developed. For more information or to add your input, you can reach out to [email protected].

Peg Anderson said the group she was in talked about work in Humboldt County to build Auxiliary Dwelling Units (ADUs) that the California Building Code began promoting last year as an option for low cost housing. Anderson also reported that she is part of a group of citizens that has formed a group with goals of creating a place for safe camping within walking distance to town, and of finding an opportunity to develop “single room occupancy” for the very lowest of incomes where residents can have a room and bath.

According to Dian Griffin, a “town beautification group” formed after a recent meeting with the Sheriff. Griffin said they joined with Peg’s group during the meeting because many of the issues they are facing will be alleviated by having a safe place for homeless and houseless people to stay.

Bonnie Blackberry said her group doesn’t intend to keep meeting, but that they discussed the pros and cons of “small cultivators who live on the land” joining HumMAP as an organizational vehicle with which to gain a voice with the County and State in matters of permitting.

During the meeting, Robert “Woods” Sutherland informed the room that an effort is moving forward with Dennis O’Sullivan and Southern Humboldt Working Together (SHWT) to create a Municipal Advisory Committee (MAC) to the Board of Supervisors. When implemented, a MAC will give Southern Humboldt a formal channel of communication to the Board.

The next in the series of Civil Liberties Monitoring Project Town Hall discussions will discuss Southern Humboldt school and education issues on the 27th of April.

NOTE: This story was updated to reflect the ideas Darryl Cherney brought and which his group discussed and reported out on.   It should also be noted that Cherney has been instrumental in organizing this series of CLMP meetings.