[UPDATE 10:48 a.m.] Apartments on Pine Lane in Garberville Badly Damaged in Early Morning Fire

Flames poured from the building on Pine Street during the early morning hours. [Photos from Redway Fire Chief Brian Anderson]

Flames rose from the building on Pine Street during the early morning hours. [Photo from Redway Fire Chief Brian Anderson]

About 1:11 a.m., Dispatch sent firefighters to an apartment building in flames at 520 Pine Lane behind the Catholic Church in Garberville.

According Redway Fire Chief Brian Anderson, the dispatcher sent crews from Garberville Volunteer Fire Department, Redway Volunteer Fire Department, and Cal Fire.

Flames poured from the building on Pine Street during the early morning hours. [Photos from Redway Fire Chief Brian Anderson]

[Photo from Redway Fire Chief Brian Anderson]

“When the first engines arrived they were met with heavy fire from the center of the apartment complex,” Anderson told us. “Additional assistance was requested from Briceland FD and Miranda FD for engines and crews.”

Also, he explained, “Fortuna FD was requested to deliver the air compressor trailer owned by the Humboldt County Fire Chiefs Association to fill breathing air bottles used at the scene.”

Fire on Pine Drive in Garberville

The building this morning. [Photo from Lynn Mcdonald whose family member lost her home because of the fire]

The apartment building was badly damaged. Several residents lost their homes. Anderson said, “Three were destroyed, two damaged and not currently habitable.”

In addition, he stated, “The American Red Cross was summoned to assist with displaced residents.”

In addition, Anderson said, “The radiant heat ignited the rear of Our Lady of the Redwoods Church causing damage to the rear of that structure.”

Anderson told us that no resident was injured and  the cause is under investigation.

Fire on Pine Drive in Garberville

Another view of the building this morning. [Photo from Lynn Mcdonald whose family member lost her home because of the fire]

UPDATE 10:48 a.m.: We spoke with Assistant Chief Alfred Williams from Garberville Fire. He was able to add in some details.

Williams said that the fire began in one of the apartments and spread damaging six out of the nine places and also, as Chief Anderson said, damaged the backside of the Catholic Church on Maple Lane. “PG&E has the power shut off,” Williams explained so even those residents of the undamaged apartments aren’t able to fully return. “We’re waiting on an official fire investigator to arrive to learn about the cause.”

He explained that firefighters would be checking on the burned building this afternoon to make sure that there were no hotspots.

Williams added, “I heard that there may have been some pets [in one of the apartments]. I can’t confirm that any died or not. I know the family was looking for them.”

He wanted to commend all the firefighters for their work. “The departments did great to prevent this from being a worse disaster,” he told us.

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Pharmstheproblem
Guest
Pharmstheproblem
2 years ago

Bummer, hope all are alright!

Curious
Guest
Curious
2 years ago

Isn’t that property owned by the same lady who owns the Redway laundromat?

Anon
Guest
Anon
2 years ago
Reply to  Curious

That would be too weird.

Or is it Pam Hansen ?

Anon
Guest
Anon
2 years ago
Reply to  Curious

I believe that is correct. Pam VanMeter who owns the Paper Mill & the G-ville laundromat, owns that building too. Is the Redway Laundry still open? I thought it closed.

Anon
Guest
Anon
2 years ago
Reply to  Anon

It burned down recently too.

I like stars
Guest
I like stars
2 years ago
Reply to  Anon

Time for code inspections? People are living in these buildings.

Paper Mill
Guest
Paper Mill
2 years ago
Reply to  Anon

FYI Pam sold The Paper Mill May 1st. New local owner there now.

I like stars
Guest
I like stars
2 years ago
Reply to  Paper Mill

If that new owner is you, congratulations and good luck. Will you be keeping things mostly the same?

ChurchGuy
Guest
ChurchGuy
2 years ago

As a member of Our Lady of the Redwoods church, our weekly Saturday (Today) 5 pm service has been cancelled.
The church group is planning on a Monday salvage team with a large Roll-Off dumpster.
Thanks to the Fire Crew attack , the main church structure seems OK.

Concerned Citizen
Guest
Concerned Citizen
2 years ago

Oh this is just horrible. I hope if any of these people need anything that the public can help them with there will be a post to let us all know. I would be more then glad to help where I can. These poor people. I cannot even imagine how they feel. I hope everyone is ok.

Judith Gilkey
Guest
Judith Gilkey
2 years ago

so sad for all of them

NoBody
Guest
NoBody
2 years ago

Pine Lane?

David Heller
Guest
David Heller
2 years ago

How awful and terrifying for those folks, another chance for our community to show that we are a community and organize help for the suffering, as I am sure will happen. My heart is heavy for their losses.

Josiah
Guest
Josiah
2 years ago

The housing situation is bad enough, this makes it harder. My heart goes out to those who lost their homes and pet. My concern is that many buildings in Gaberville and all over SoHum are old and out of code and desperately need upgrades, especially with electric wiring? How many still have asbestos? If these issues are not addressed, we may have more fires coming. Such as it is when when buildings need upgrades and either by greed or just being too poor, they are being neglected.

Jen galaz
Guest
Jen galaz
2 years ago

https://gofund.me/afb29ffc
My mother in law lost everything last night the only thing we recovered was her purse , the fire started and spread very fast

spam
Guest
spam
2 years ago

This was bound to happen. Alcohol and cigarettes don’t mix well.

former resident

Matt galaz
Guest
Matt galaz
2 years ago
Reply to  spam

My name is Matthew galaz don’t hide behind an unnamed( spam) you have something to say come out and say it to everybody u pos you should keep your negativity to yourself

William tell
Guest
William tell
2 years ago

Is Pam vanmeter the Betty squire of sohum..

Ernie Branscomb
Guest
2 years ago
Reply to  William tell

no

spam
Guest
spam
2 years ago

Yes !

and above…not implicating [edit]. There’s more than one alcoholic that lives there (or used to).

Heck, it *could* have been the wiring. I just know it used to make me very nervous knowing my next door neighbor could pass out smoking…

Getting my sink unclogged one time took a veritable campaign, with the “land lady” insulting me and my housekeeping–the plumber that finally was sent showed me the maze of pipes underneath making clogs inevitable. The stories of the cheapness of the owner are legend.

It’s a rat-trap and sad there’s just no housing in Gville at all…

Jen galaz
Guest
Jen galaz
2 years ago
Reply to  William tell

What is a Betty squire?

I like stars
Guest
I like stars
2 years ago
Reply to  Jen galaz

The name is Squires. She is a slum lord from Eureka (along with her husband whose name is Floyd).

K
Guest
K
2 years ago
Reply to  William tell

Pretty close

Rain Gardener
Guest
Rain Gardener
2 years ago

If anyone smells cooked fish in their residence and are not cooking fish please check your outlets, they may be slowly burning. I found an outlet that was black and smelled while cleaning someone’s house.
I unplugged the heater and let the owner know and they had an electrician address the problem.

Just Wondering
Guest
Just Wondering
2 years ago

We need to be using our heads. The same landlord has two fires this close together? This sounds like an episode of Law and Order. Either she has the worst luck in the world or something is up here.

VMG
Guest
VMG
2 years ago

This property is what is known as a “landlord’s dream…”

Properties like this, in the “California Bungalow Court” style, feature 6-10 units, usually less than 600 Sq Ft for each unit, and folks, when people move in to one of these places, 30 or more years may pass before new tenants are needed…

Look at the map! Absolutely no off-street parking, and the unit that burned apparently had 3 adult women living there!

I came to Garberville in 2012 to work at the hospital, and initially I was housed in an old house on Oak Street, and shortly after, I was moved over to Cedar St, to another vintage Garberville Home…

I walked the streets of Garberville, wondering who would live in these old buildings!

Well, there’s one thing to know about people, which is that people will live anywhere that is cheap enough!

One thing never discussed here, is, “how much to rent one of these 1930’s vintage “apartments”?

I myself have lived in some old places, where the rent was less than $100/month… Almost every one of them eventually burned down, were demolished, and, in the case of one property with 6 one-bedroom houses, the houses were moved to other properties!

This property in Garberville was worse than rabbit’s warrens, absolutely infested with too many people, and, if demolished, the county would never allow it to be built again!

When these places go, they are gone! Whatever is rebuilt here, it will never return to what was built so long ago…

There’s really no decent housing in Garberville! Plutocrat pot farmers build showplace homes all around the area, but the old neighborhoods and streets of Garberville/Redway sink into decay, while sinking into the actual ground!

We are sorry for your loss, tenants, and in order to live in the area, I had to pay $350/sq ft for a small house in Redway, at that time, the equivalent of what homes cost in much nicer areas!

As time passes, Garberville must evolve, and think about how hard it is to visit the Farmer’s Market, when you have to park in the streets of Garberville…

Today, you could build 6 units, but not this small, not this close together, and not without parking! And who in their right mind would stuff their rental units with people, who put stress on the property individually?

It was great for saving money, but it is a lot to ask your tenants to live carefully, and preserve an ancient high-density apartment building indefinitely!

There will no doubt be a Go-Fund-Me for those who lost their possessions, but what is really lost is the low-end housing, the cheap lifestyle, and one more option for folks, who have little income, to live in a place like Garberville, for whatever reasons…

No Joke
Guest
No Joke
2 years ago
Reply to  VMG

You can still build this type of housing if local officials are amenable to it – the modern terminology for it is a “pocket neighborhood”. They’re cheaper to build than either single family homes or traditional apartment buildings, and offer more privacy than apartments or roommate situations. Here’s a good Twitter thread on them:

https://mobile.twitter.com/alfred_twu/status/1197775979596222470

VMG
Guest
VMG
2 years ago
Reply to  No Joke

Thanks for the info.

Almost nowhere will you be able to build these, without parking spaces!

My favorite style is the building with a carport or garage for each unit…

It’s surprising to find a property like this in Garberville, where the best housing is the Senior Apartments, which tend to be occupied by folks from other areas who just happened along at the right moment…

For the displaced/poor/elderly, new senior/disabled/low income housing is being built almost everywhere on the I-5 corridor, in Lake County on Highway 29 in Lakeport, and many other places…

Georgiagrowncalilady
Guest
Georgiagrowncalilady
2 years ago

VMG,
As someone who works or worked in healthcare, your heart seems fairly hardened to those who don’t have the luxury of being “housed” by their employer in vintage apartments …. or much empathy for those who couldn’t fathom paying $350 a square foot. You say “sorry for your loss, tenants, and in order to live in the area, I had to pay $350/sq ft for a small house in Redway,..” It just seems snide, callous, and cold, but that does mirror pretty much the sentiment of most hospital administration office or emergency room.

I am going to guess you are either a travelling nurse or doctor or a hospitalist, from both your lack of empathy and some other clues you wrote. Your complete lack of understanding of the plight of folks who will never earn in a lifetime what you earn in a year is what keeps me away from medical “professionals.”

Your job is not to judge people because they don’t earn as much or live as well as you. Your profession is supposed to help people with their health. As you are likely aware, living in rat infested , easily flammable, crowded conditions is a health hazard for everyone in the community… including the “plutocrat pot farmers” and piddle brained “medical professionals.” These low/cheap rental living people are the same people who will need medical professionals to help treat the issues like asthma, allergies, headaches, and sometimes parasites from moldy, rat and roach poop filled dumps. I can only hope you have the empathy and love in you at some point to see some of these people are likely living in cheap rentals because of credit problems,health problems,etc.. You have your employer (the hospital) to thank for ruining some people’s credit and making sure they will not have a lot of choices in housing. An intractable headache can lead to a completely crazy $20,000 hospital bill and that bill might be the one that tanks that person’s credit and starts their journey into “the cheap lifestyle.” No lifestyle is never really cheap, just like nothing (besides love) is ever really free. There are costs involved with cheapness at some point.

“what is really lost is the low-end housing, the cheap lifestyle, and one more option for folks, who have little income, to live in a place like Garberville, for whatever reasons…”
People love living in the coastal areas of Northern California,poor,rich, housed, unhoused,hoteled,nomadic,black, brown, yellow, purple…. Some folks have family, friends, happy memories,AND enjoy the surrounding wilderness. The person with little income living in cheap housing is the same person who has probably spent more time and money than you can imagine attempting to make their “cheap” rental livable as they can. Add up the extra costs of rat traps, air cleaners, bleach/disinfectant, gloves,masks, asthma and allergy medication all out of pocket,no reimbursement for those extra expenses , not to mention the amount of irreplaceable possessions the frugal tenant will lose to mold and critters. You can not imagine how devastating it would be to be living in a slumlord’s dream and lose your home you have tried your damnedest to make livable. And know there is nothing else affordable to rent in the town you have made your home and have built your life around.

VMG
Guest
VMG
2 years ago

I hope you have some excellent glue to hold that chip on your shoulder… I recommend GS Hypo Cement for most fine applications…

I myself have lived in places where the rats ate my bath soap! When I stayed in Garberville that first night, I was awakened by the sound of an animal scurrying around inside the wall of the Oak Street house that the Hospital Admin had me stay in, until I was rudely kicked out 2 days later so that the new docror and his family could stay there…

Employers who disrespect employees, who abuse and harass employees, are far more common than employers who give free housing to new employees, and what is given is often taken away!

I’m a working person, and, for many years, I was paid little… I did buy and sell a few houses, and worked steadily, got married and raised kids. Often, even the most modest living can lead to property and savings, and I am confident that I have more than many people…

For I have a home, and a measure of security, but I worked for it, for decades, and, there is no substitute for hard work and sensible planning.

Back in the day, things were not really much easier… I did live in Baggins End in Davis, in a fiberglass dome built by students, $75/month, a crappy studio in a building that recently sold for $1.7 million, $135/month, a little house for $65/month, and, a old apartment above a store, on a main street, $75/month! I was the one who found the cheap rentals, and not by accident, and, if it had been Pine Lane Apartments with a “for rent” sign in the window, I might have lived there too, at the age of 60.

I get it, I know all about it… That home in Redway was the only option, and I didn’t need another investment, but it turned out OK when I made a few bucks on it later…

You got to live somewhere, so, my main question is, how much is the rent on a place like that, in 2021?

Nobody attacked you personally! And damaged buildings take time to rebuild, if they are allowed to be rebuilt!

It doesn’t make sense to have many tenants crammed into a tiny apartment that’s pushing 100 years old, but San Francisco is full of kids who rent old apartments for big money, and that’s called a business…

As D. Trump would say, “Commercial Property is permanent wealth”, and, it’s America… If you don’t have enough money, you should work on making more money…

In the 3 months I actually lived in Garberville, I learned lots about the people who reside there… That is why I bought in Redway, a much more sensible sort of place!

Namaste GeorgiaGrownCaliLady, be well, stay safe…

I like stars
Guest
I like stars
2 years ago
Reply to  VMG

The comment above is right on the mark IMO.

I too was wondering what is the rent on an apartment like these and how the tenants will find another place. It’s hard and expensive to find a place to live in SoHum.

When I first moved to SoHum I lived in a ramshackle uninsulated shack for most of the year. When the shack needed to be a dry shed and then a trim scene, I moved to a tent. Later I was able to upgrade to a run down small 5th wheel trailer. The whole time I was completely off grid. My rent was part of my sharecropping agreement. It was not an agreement that was advantageous to me, but my landlord had the metaphorical hammer in our negotiations and she knew how to swing it. I wanted to live and work on the hill and she was the only person I knew who could make it possible.

Now I live in one of our little towns at a relatively low paying but satisfying job. I rent a 50 year old trailer house for $1000 a month. For what it is, it’s pretty nice, but a fifty year old trailer has a pretty low top end for potential. Other than on the hill, this is easily the worst quality housing I have ever had. The wiring (in combination with the difficulty keeping rodents out of the walls and ceilings) is my biggest concern. I know this place would be fully engulfed by flames in minutes at most if a fire ever started. I have seen trailer fires.

I would move, but I can’t find a better option. Under the circumstances, I feel lucky to have what I do. I know there are many others in similar or worse situations. My love and empathy go out to all of them. This is a beautiful place to live, but it can be tough.

If anyone would like to rent or sell reasonably to a legit trouble free tenant, please reply here. Two responsible adults with two cow dogs and the world’s best cat.

anothername
Guest
anothername
2 years ago
Reply to  I like stars

Any interest in a land partner? I do like electricity and plumbing, so that could be a problem..

Lynn H
Guest
Lynn H
2 years ago
Reply to  I like stars

I don’t know if we’d be a match or not, but I was looking for property before RE prices went sky high. I’d considering going in on something with a partner or 2. You can contact me through my website;
https://serendipity123.smugmug.com/

Lynn H
Guest
Lynn H
2 years ago
Reply to  VMG

If you have to ask how much rent is then obviously you’re clueless and talking about things you have no sense of. Look around you and do the math for some things outside of your own experiences. Ask clerks how much they make and how much they pay for rent (aside from those living in tents or unheated unplumbed drying rooms on someone’s property).

Namaste my ass.

VMG
Guest
VMG
2 years ago
Reply to  Lynn H

I think that would be like asking a rancher how many cattle he has, or a grower how many plants…

Just curious, and the last time I asked the rent was when I asked Rio Anderson about the rent on the apartments above the new store… He was evasive as fuck, and asked for an “essay application”… Obviously, he thought I wasn’t “cool” enough to live in his weird little apartments, and I never heard a word from him…

Your attitude is similar, that thick, dark, mean Garberville attitude that says “fuck you” louder than any register of voice…

Hang in there, and take a deep breath because it’s going to get better…

Please, enjoy your town. I can’t envision a time when I will want to return…

Jen galaz
Guest
Jen galaz
2 years ago
Reply to  VMG

You should read the story more carefully there were three women whos apartments caught fire they each had their own apartment you want to say things like if they don’t have enough money to make more money two of these women worked their asses off their entire lives one of them is my mother-in-law who actually worked at the hospital in the sniff unit went on to do home care took care of many elderly people in this community to their last breath with a love and compassion that you cannot find anywhere she is well known for being a generous and loving woman instead of wasting the energy and time writing things that are negative maybe get up and do something positive instead of taking the focus off the fact that some people have lost everything that they have worked for maybe share the GoFundMe maybe try to help build them up instead of push them down into the ashes of their burned homes I know I shouldn’t be but I am constantly astonished at how selfish and shortsighted some people can be she tried to go to the feather Rose so that she could get some clothes cuz she doesn’t have any anymore and there were stupid people saying stupid things that they know nothing about and she had to leave nothing like kicking someone when they’re down right

VMG
Guest
VMG
2 years ago
Reply to  Jen galaz

Thanks for the info, it wasn’t very clear from the text…

The rear building looks like a total loss and we can’t see the damage to the other units.

We are pleased that the people got out and that the balance of the other homes in the area were not damaged.

Hope you get some totes…

Lynn H
Guest
Lynn H
2 years ago
Reply to  Jen galaz

Jen, I have some new jeans for her if she’ll fit them. Have some older jeans in another size and maybe some T shirts etc. Let Kym know it’s OK to have my email and send me a line.

Yeah,sure
Guest
Yeah,sure
2 years ago
Reply to  VMG

Seriously, every comment of yours is straight off of the chip on your shoulder. You cover your angst with some namaste, love ya man bs at the end to soften your appearance.
Oh, you have every right to be that way but let’s be real.

Georgiagrowncalilady
Guest
Georgiagrowncalilady
2 years ago
Reply to  Lynn H

Lynn H,
Thanks for the “namaste my ass.” I couldn’t have said it better and I tried.

David Heller
Guest
David Heller
2 years ago

It is a situation that calls for compassion, not throwing shade. There were no three women in one apartment. To best of my understanding those are 80+ year old buildings, the redwood is that old and that is why it went up so fast, so fast. There are some real heroic stories to be told about that night, one woman saved two lives. Neighbors saved nearby residences, the gas water heater and gasline didn’t blow, and Pam deserves praise for what she did that night. This was a little community of people, a tribelet, and they were there for each other that night. I look forward to an article that can share more.
And for now, some totes taken to those folks would be awesome…that was their request.

VMG
Guest
VMG
2 years ago
Reply to  David Heller

A “Tribelet” or a “Ghettolette”… Have you ever been to Pine Lane?

For Lynn H and the rest of the “New Liberals”…

https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2021/06/08/1003982733/squalor-behind-the-golden-gate-confronting-californias-homelessness-crisis

Move South, East, North, get a job… Garberville isn’t the real world at all… You can change your life if you respect yourself, and if you want to…

David Heller
Guest
David Heller
2 years ago
Reply to  VMG

Good neighbors can make a self-chosen family. That is what the most caring of those in this complex are to each other. Tribelet was a poor term… friends who look after each other, its what knits a neighborhood and community together.

Give Thanks!
Guest
Give Thanks!
2 years ago
Reply to  VMG

“Garberville isn’t the real world at all…”
And I simply cannot be any more grateful than I already am for this fact.

Jen galaz
Guest
Jen galaz
2 years ago
Reply to  VMG

[edit] you can see my name I’m not hiding [edit]

Jen galaz
Guest
Jen galaz
2 years ago
Reply to  David Heller

Thank you for this post and absolutely we need totes I’ve gotten boxes but everything is wet

OpinionatedLocal
Guest
OpinionatedLocal
2 years ago
Reply to  David Heller

How much praise can a slumlord really deserve? The survivors deserve praise, not their oppressor.

spam
Guest
spam
2 years ago

Agree.

Redwood Country Mama
Guest
Redwood Country Mama
2 years ago

Older buildings are not wired with a grounded 3-prong outlet. As the demand for more and more electrical gadgets and technical devices has grown, breaker boxes should be upgraded and the house rewired. But this costs money. Since rentals are just an investment upgrading your insurance policy may improve your bottom line quicker than spending money on your real estate. Improvements can not be considered as a business expense only a deduction. With moratoriums on evictions, landlords are going to choose to”opt out,”especially if they have their property mortgaged for more than it is worth.

Mama Bear
Guest
Mama Bear
2 years ago

I usually just remain silent, but this time, NO! I am the Mom of two sisters who lived in 2 of these apartments, I am old enough to know that there is not “good in everyone” but still sit here flabbergasted at the nastiness and negativity of the one calling themself VMG. As for the one called SPAM, some of this pertains to you, too. In my generation, rich or poor, from the ghetto or mansion up on the hill, we were taught “if you dont have anything nice to say, dont say anything at all.” Perhaps you should try it some time. The pair of ya’s. We were also taught, at least in the middle class neighborhoods, that just because you’re blessed in your life, even if you worked hard for it, does not ever give you the right to condemn, look down your nose at, judge nor ridicule others. Perhaps you should look at this from a perspective of gratitude. I personally did not experience the event that night, but I can tell you this, my daughters, both in their 30’s both hardworking professionals, neither alcoholic nor drug addict, neither working in the Marijuana industry, neither “saving” any money, both just barely getting by while living very frugally, were ABSOLUTELY terrified. Just hearing them and feeling the sheer terror they were experiencing thru the phone, 100 miles away, from the chaos happening around them, was quite powerful and frightening for me, so I can not even begin to imagine what it was like to be standing there, living it. And mind you, these girls have not had an easy life, not by any stretch of the imagination. So yes, perhaps your perspective should be one of gratitude. Gratitude, that you have no idea what those folks suffered, and may not ever know. My Grandpa always said, “Never judge another man, until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes.

Sadly, It has been my experience, that the more priledged, folks are, the less REAL class, they have. You have only served to solidify that opinion. Having a leg up above the rest, whether hard won or not, is not a license to be ignorant, judgemental, fake, nor presumptive. You know nothing of these folks lives and the beautiful little community they’ve created within a community. I’ll bet my life, that for all you’ve had, have, and may yet aquire, you have donated far less of yourself & your time, to a community, for no reason or gain, in your entire lifetime, than these folks do in a week, on a regular basis. Clearly you have an axe to grind and not a care in the world who the hell you sharpen it on. Not even a slight interest in the clearly stated facts, let alone the truth about these individuals, who they are, where they come from, where they’ve been, and what they’ve learned, endured, and seen along the way. But sadly, not caring, makes YOU, yes you, the one missing out on the best life has to offer. Your safe little “proper” home, and your things, wont keep your heart warm and whole nor keep you from being bitter and alone. So ponder this, perhaps next time you come into a community and walk away so bitter, hateful and angry, you should consider your own attitude. We get exactly what we give. Smile at the world, the world smiles back, glare at the world, the world glares back. Simple, yet so true. If the only people, you find worthy of standing beside, or being affiliated with, are those like yourself, plastic, judgmental, negative, mean spirited materialistic people, well all I can say, is the folks from 520 Pine St are FAR wealthier and better off, even still, than you will ever be, or understand. I almost feel sorry for you. You’re missing out on the very things, the best part of life, is made of.
~ do unto others, as you would have them do unto you~

Sarah
Guest
Sarah
2 years ago
Reply to  Mama Bear

Well said. I have so much gratitude for you and this much-needed post.
I hope you’re daughters find good new spaces to live and thrive even better than before.

MamaBear
Guest
MamaBear
2 years ago
Reply to  Sarah

Thank you Sarah!

VMG
Guest
VMG
2 years ago
Reply to  Mama Bear

This is personal to you, and, you are upset, so I will be gentle…

“Privilege” is an extremely misused term, especially when used to describe those of similar backgrounds…

Simply put, some sit and bitch, some work and build…

Landlords are not exploiting you, they are the stewards of real property, and, they perform a service to those who choose to consume. They are no more exploiting you than the people who grow weed or sell drugs, they simply provide a commodity, a situation, and YOU CHOOSE to consume…

If I rent, work, save and then buy my own, how does that make me “privileged”?

Nobody gave me anything, either… No “totes”, no help, no GoFundMe…

Garberville spawns many folks that live by their excuses, and, you may find Garberville charming! I find it pathetic, and, I came to town regularly after I separated from your nasty and disgusting hospital, to attend the Farmer’s Market, and regularly parked up on Pine Lane… It’s not the most secure feeling on earth to walk past the creepy homes there and feel the hostility of the residents…

It’s a shabby town, full of apologists, and there are many other places to exist… Much nicer towns like Weaverville or Hoopa!

We are pleased that nobody was killed or injured, and yes, 100 year old buildings burn well! Think about this the next time you change residences…

Remember, if you think the landlord has done something illegal, you have the opportunity to manipulate the legal system, just the same as any other citizen… Tenants have the greater part of the rights in California, and that’s why housing is expensive, that and the cost of insurance…

Good luck, best wishes…

Yeah,sure
Guest
Yeah,sure
2 years ago
Reply to  VMG

How many years are you going to carry the chip on your shoulder about the hospital, Garberville and it’s residents? It’s VERY personal for you or you wouldn’t jump at every chance to rant about it.How many years has it been since you lived here?

VMG
Guest
VMG
2 years ago
Reply to  Yeah,sure

Awwww… I think that you must think I care…

Your hospital: Think of it like a 1959 VW Bug, while Howard Hospital, just 70 miles away is a Brand-New Mercedes…

What I do care about, is the people who work, rank and file, in Hospitals all over Northern California!

Working at Jerold Phelps is what I call “very poor-quality employment”, and I would advise anyone not to work there, and not to live in Garberville…

But don’t think I carry a torch, and JPH as well as many other places in Healthcare, can all be difficult and toxic employment experiences… That’s how I made money, and after COVID, might make more…

Garberville, on the other hand, is one of those anachronistic aberrations, an anomaly, one of a kind… When I say “Victim Paradigm”, I mean the entire population, and, the drug thing actually adds flavor to the relatively boring pathos, makes the whole schmear into one big ball of wax, as somebody once said…

It’s amusing, but hardly worth thinking about…

Garberville – Worth an occasional snicker, but probably, on the whole, not worth the powder to blow it to hell…

The human side of it, well, the folks there are used to it, and feel that it’s important, somehow, but the main purpose of the town is to provide a meeting place for the local product to be sold to those who travel to buy, and everything else is secondary, tertiary…

So don’t sit around waiting for the landlord to rebuild, that person is down at The Humboldt House selling 500 pounds to a gang from Chino, and that person couldn’t give a crap in hell about the tenants, the town, or much of anything else…

Get a big Cat D10 and scrape the whole place into the ravine, I won’t miss it!

Moved on. Long ago…

The comments? Just entertainment, same as for anyone else!

Read the words, don’t make up the meaning, cause it’s not that deep!

Guest
Guest
Guest
2 years ago
Reply to  VMG

SILENCE!!!!

Yeah,sure
Guest
Yeah,sure
2 years ago
Reply to  VMG

Yeah right. When you don’t jump at every chance to share your grievances ( we’ve heard them all for a few years now, it’s getting old) then I’ll believe you don’t “care”.
Yeah, you care a lot. That’s ok but don’t pretend you write the long negative rants for nothing. Nobody has a dog in the fight as much as you do if they “don’t care”.

Jen galaz
Guest
Jen galaz
2 years ago
Reply to  VMG

VMG If you don’t live here why do this? For entertainment is that what you said 😂 must be a great life you are living way up on your pedestal still coming to redheaded black belt to be nasty why have you not moved on ? You must have so desperately wanted to be a part of the community but I’m guessing you’re negative attitude never let you in and now your bitter

spam
Guest
spam
2 years ago
Reply to  Mama Bear

I was in no way insulting *any* resident of that building!! Facts are not insults!

I *was* insulting the LAND lady.

I lived there myself for way way too long. Now I pay *less* rent for more space in a real community. I am better off on my measly SS income than I would EVER be in Garberville with the high price of groceries and shelter. I live in a place with stuff going on for ALL income levels, not just rich dope growers. I worked retail while in Gville and the amount of nastiness and power-tripping I had to put up
with wasn’t sustainable to my soul–from people I had no respect for. Growing tons of dope and waving money around doesn’t make you cool in my world.

Not being a pot grower I wasn’t ever in your club. I loved living out and felt more part of my rural area but man, living in town was eye-opening. How many times was I almost run over by big ass trucks trying to cross the street? How many piles of dog shit have I stepped in? How many cigarettes have I smoked just walking in Garberville (I don’t smoke). So so happy to be gone. Miss the land, miss the weather, miss madrones but do not miss SoHum “culture”. There’s so much more to life than pot.

I am sorry for the hardship now happening to my former neighbors–I hope they land in a good place. That this disaster proves to be a blessing in disguise. As for the owner…

and VMG or whatevs
Tenants may have the advantage in landlord law but tenants rarely have lawyers…so whatever advantage the law gives them, they are disadvantaged by their economic status. Going to court 60 miles away and back on a work day is a hardship yo.

Lynn H
Guest
Lynn H
2 years ago
Reply to  Mama Bear

Mamma Bear, people lacking much empathy and not learning how to compensate for that are technically and actually mentally ill and are not going to be able to fully comprehend what you’ve said. It’s like pissing in the wind. I’m sure you know this. That said, thank you for voicing it anyway, the rest of us appreciate it, or at least I do. How do we contact your daughters? I have some clothes I’d be happy to pass on if anyone fits them. A few sizes.

MamaBear
Guest
MamaBear
2 years ago
Reply to  Lynn H

Lynn, thank you, I know you’re right, and it’s why I just let it be. It was just difficult to hear and read, then kept reading and I felt the need to defend ALL of the fire victims. There is a post, up towards the top of this feed, by Aleesha, she is my oldest of the two that live there, she has a link for the 3 ladies that lost all, Denise, Donna, & Rebecca, and I believe it says on the little thing she wrote, that the ladies would be grateful for anything. Not just money, Cookware, linens, clothes, toothpaste, tooth brush, or even just some kind words, at this point! but I would guess ( sorry not super tech savy) that you could also message her via that link? I’m going to try to repost it here:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2891392107774034&id=100007098183558&sfnsn=mo
If that doesnt work, let me know and I’ll ask her, how I can make it easier for folks to make contact, if they so desire. Again, thank you for your kindness. I sincerely appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Lynn H
Guest
Lynn H
2 years ago
Reply to  MamaBear

Hi MammaBear, thanks, I emailed her with my phone #. She can share it with you. If you are the same MammaBear I know who used to live somewhere behind the laundromat, and you’ve moved out of town, you & your partner are very welcome to stay at my (cramped) place anytime you’re in Garberville. I’d offer that to the girls but I live in a VERY small space. Only bearable for a few days. You can also contact me through my website; https://serendipity123.smugmug.com/

FOR EVERYONE ELSE; the GO FUND ME link is;

https://www.gofundme.com/f/Please-support-the-residents-of-520-Pine-Lane?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1&fbclid=IwAR0OnPzvzuR0OWRGwIrYiOdzEe_ZDNi09y4JNH55LbgIGFjqGW6Tljtyues

Nattie-no-name
Guest
Nattie-no-name
2 years ago
Reply to  MamaBear

Momma i love you
-nattie-no-name

Georgiagrowncalilady
Guest
Georgiagrowncalilady
2 years ago

VMG,
You, “find it pathetic, and, I came to town regularly after I separated from your nasty and disgusting hospital, to attend the Farmer’s Market, and regularly parked up on Pine Lane… It’s not the most secure feeling on earth to walk past the creepy homes there and feel the hostility of the residents…”. Hmmmmm, maybe the perceived “hostility of the residents” in their “creepy homes” is just a mirror of your hostility to those who have yet to achieve your “upper class” status….

There is a huge class divide in America and you are a prime example of the nastiness it creates. Plenty of folks work hard and live frugally and never earn enough to have savings or buy a home. You don’t grasp other people’s struggle because you just assume they didn’t try hard enough or make the “appropriate” life choices. If you can’t empathize, you can at least sympathize.

I would like to think the Hippocratic oath would be the heart and soul of everyone working with patients from all walks of life and it would somehow carry on into medical professionals’ personal lives. It rarely does and the oath seems to have been replaced by: “First judge the patient on appearance and insurance status and diagnose and treat depending on how much there life is like mine.”

“It’s a shabby town, full of apologists, and there are many other places to exist…”. Existing is not living, people who have been living in southern Humboldt for many generations love living there. They are the heart and soul of these tiny towns, but many of them have been priced out by out of towners usurping the real estate at unfathomable prices. You lived there “3 months” and have nothing but nastiness regarding the town and its residents.Maybe you caught your negativity and nastiness towards this tiny town from the “nasty and disgusting” hospital that housed you and paid your overinflated salary?

“Remember, if you think the landlord has done something illegal, you have the opportunity to manipulate the legal system, just the same as any other citizen… Tenants have the greater part of the rights in California, and that’s why housing is expensive.” Right!!!!!! Ever been successfully sued by a tenant and the tenant recoup the judgement against you? No? Maybe because tenants don’t have the landlord’s social security number and identifying information or a home address or phone number to figure out where they are and can be served papers regarding the judgement. I “won” $5000 from a small claims court judgement against a true slumlord. Of course, I attempted to recoup it with the assistance of the sheriff’s department and it was impossible. So that should brighten your day. Tenants/0 Landlords/1 bazillion…. but please tell us more about how tenants make housing expensive by paying overinflated rent to people who see them as atm machines.

Putting tenants in a rodent infested tinder box that has never been up to code is exploitation. If that is an example of stewardship, the definition needs to be changed. “Garberville spawns many folks that live by their excuses…” Fish “spawn”; humans give birth . What is your “excuse” for being so unempathetic and callous? “Namaste my ass,” was the only laugh I got out of the reading the responses to the tragedy of your lack of heart in your words. Try to find a way to understand other’s strife that you seem pretty out of touch with.

VMG
Guest
VMG
2 years ago

Like I said, choices…

Garberville folk have a very short fuse, and will go reactive in short interval, just as you do…

You infer a lot of incorrect meaning, project traits which may be just your own…

Life happens pretty fast, the changes you own my improve your situation in the future.

Misfortune can affect everyone, but you can have an effect on everyone too!

Put away that “oh poor us” and work on a meaningful future… And, get out of Garberville, every once in a while!

It’s a toxic environment, and not a real good example of where to live or what to do…

Enjoy!

Yeah,sure
Guest
Yeah,sure
2 years ago
Reply to  VMG

Yeah, you insult people and they don’t like it. Big surprise.

VMG
Guest
VMG
2 years ago

“Putting” tenants in a rodent infested tinder box, not up to code?

Who “puts” you there?

If you don’t like it, leave…

I believe this is the official Garberville town motto, in actual fact…

spam
Guest
spam
2 years ago

Why you’re so proud of your little town is beyond me! Open your eyes! It’s filled with poverty, dysfunction and despair! You *are* apologizing for it!

You are right about tenants recourse being inflated by VMG. But his observations aren’t totally wrong.

VMG
Guest
VMG
2 years ago
Reply to  spam

And drug addicts who make all the usual excuses for their inability to change…

Georgiagrowncalilady
Guest
Georgiagrowncalilady
2 years ago

I am not from Garberville or Humboldt county, but I love it and have nothing but love for those who choose to make it their home.I lived there for about 5 years and Trinity for about 8 years. Every place has problems and the Emerald Triangle is no exception. Choosing to focus solely on the negative aspects of a particular place is a waste of time, in my opinion. What good does it do and what good does it do to judge others and their homes so harshly?

It deeply disturbs me to see other “outsiders” passing judgement on places and people they despise due to their limited experiences and lack of compassion.Please don’t preach to me about making positive changes in the world in a comment section where you have expoused nothing but negativity and venom. Namaste you!!!!!! Because I would be kicked off the page if I said what I really feel to you, VMG.

VMG
Guest
VMG
2 years ago

I’m actually enjoying your extreme hostility, as it is as good an example of my experience in GBV as I have seen lately…

You chose to live in the “rat-infested town, in the tinder-box that’s not up to code”…

It’s your choice to be who you are, in the place where you live. If I live elsewhere, that, is not “privilege”, it’s MY choice and the thing I worked for.

Your inability to remain civil is the actual “negativity and venom”, and “kicking you off the page” would be less than effective in mitigating your disaffection for other people…

I hope you will travel over to Humboldt County Mental Health, right there in your lovely town, behind the Hospital-like building, and check out the services there, if you feel you could benefit…

Life is not beyond your control, and, life is not a movie that you are watching… Take part in living, and use a different script than the “victim” paradigm that you have mastered perfectly…

Yeah,sure
Guest
Yeah,sure
2 years ago
Reply to  VMG

You don’t see your hypocrisy, do you?

Thebigdeal
Guest
Thebigdeal
2 years ago

It was not an electrical fire. Or a hot water heater issue, or a heater issue, or an extension cord issue. It was most likely a bbq issue. Should old buildings be destroyed? Should tax payers have to pay for modernization?

HotCoffee
Guest
HotCoffee
2 years ago

At the cost of lumber, things aren’t likely to change anytime soon.
And just when we need housing the most…. go figure.
Who can afford repairs?

rentals

Zillow.com

Guest
Guest
Guest
2 years ago

VMG.

Your slip is showing.

You insult us all.

Do you need some help?

Better to offer a hand, than only an unsolicited opinion, especially a negative one.

You may have learned many things, but compassion, and generosity, do not seem to be among them.

Start slowly, give something, small, expect nothing in return. It will be awkward at first, and you will feel cheated. Get over it, and keep doing it.
Give more and more. You’ll learn.

Ignore those that drum for handouts if you must.

Look for true need, and then give.

The Lord loves a cheerful giver.

Baby steps, VMG, baby steps.

Ever hear of tithing?

Done properly, in gratitude for what you have received, with no expectations, can come back tenfold.

You dirt the folks from around here, stereotypically.

Have you ever been the guy that drops a “hundo” every week, on the sly, at church?
Bought a homeless person a meal?
Regularly?
Donated a “G” twice to to a double lung recipient just because of what a good friend and person they are?

Did you drop a “G” for the girls from the last fire in Redway, or donate anything towards them?
Do you have nothing extra?

Did you donate anything towards the wild fire victims who lost their homes?

Did you give one of them a home on wheels? (That person has since landed a great job!)

Do you stop to help if someone is broke down?

Fix someone’s flat, lending them your spare, in the pouring rain?

I have, all of the above, I’ve been the recipient of much generosity, I try to pay it forward, and am happy to do it.

That’s the short list, VMG.

All unfortunately, rhetorical questions, VMG.

Why is it so many people that have left the area feel the need to dirt it from afar, like some bitter jilted lover?

Count your blessings.
It is unfortunate that your experience in our area left you feeling ostracized.
I don’t like that feeling, either, it’s the worst.

Not fitting in isn’t necessarily bad, but don’t pigeonhole everyone here just because of the few bad apples you were surrounded by.

Unless you are just trying to mend and “air” a deflated ego.

It takes decades to feel like you fit in here, VMG.

It’s not the ideal place to be trying to win a popularity contest, don’t waste your time.

If you are the successful one, why all the bitterness?

What you have to offer only fulfils your own needs, it’s a selfish “exchange”.

Nothing to offer, nothing to gain.

Misery does love company.

So many people come to the Garberville area only with an expectation of pure profit, and with nothing to offer, with no intention of giving anything back, and every intention of taking the money and running, if they can manage to squeeze something from here.

I can’t stand that attitude.

That’s city shit.

I’ve seen plenty of it.

And yes, quite naturally, this attitude gets rejected, regularly.

Who needs it?

There is much generosity here.

Where it meets graciousness there is beauty.

Where it meets selfishness, not so much.

Totes are easy.

Some should be delivered full.

You have passed the test of self sufficiency, move on to the next test, without fear and loathing.

“Namaste” is a greeting that translates to, “I bow to the divine in you”.
Or, “as an acknowledgement of the equality of all, which pays honor to the sacredness of all.”

You are clearly using it sarcastically,
not at the beginning of your exchange,
but at the end, as if to finally say to those you have addressed,

“Now bow to me, I am the divine one “.

Or, simply, ” Kneel ! “, “I am so far above you!”, “Pay me!”, “Honor me!”,and, “I alone, am sacred!”.

🤔To you, I say,
“Get back!”
“This town ain’t big enough for both of us.”

And, I will add, in response to your sarcastic use of “Namaste”,

“SILENCE !!!!”,

“I HAVE SPOKEN !!!!” 🤴😁

HotCoffee
Guest
HotCoffee
2 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Yes! 👍

Funny thing, I have always found poor people to be the most generous.

Yeah,sure
Guest
Yeah,sure
2 years ago
Reply to  Guest

What strikes me is VMG works in the health care system. Can’t imagine what his/her bedside manner is.

VMG
Guest
VMG
2 years ago

https://humboldtgov.org/557/Public-Health-Clinics

Good luck Guest!

OH, and stop by for your “hundo”…

HotCoffee
Guest
HotCoffee
2 years ago
Reply to  VMG

It’s a sad thing to leave this world bitter and alone. Only you can change that.
Giving blesses the giver more than the receiver and there are so many ways to give.

Yeah,sure
Guest
Yeah,sure
2 years ago
Reply to  HotCoffee

For once I agree with you Hot Coffee. This is sad….

HotCoffee
Guest
HotCoffee
2 years ago
Reply to  Yeah,sure

😊 Smiling at you YS.

Farce
Guest
Farce
2 years ago
Reply to  HotCoffee

Hot Coffee- I agree. It’s like how forgiveness works- for the one who does the forgiving heals themself. Weird but solid.

HotCoffee
Guest
HotCoffee
2 years ago
Reply to  Farce

Exactly! I completely agree Farce. It gives you a sense of peace you just can’t buy.

Jen galaz
Guest
Jen galaz
2 years ago

Kim why are my comments being edited and vmg can just keep posting nasty comments can’t this person be blocked

Jen galaz
Guest
Jen galaz
2 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

Far enough