Author: Daniel Mintz

At a time when Humboldt County is intensifying its focus on suicide prevention, officials say about $300,000 in annual state funding previously used for local prevention efforts is being redirected under Proposition 1. County leaders acknowledged the funding shift while emphasizing that suicide prevention remains a priority despite uncertainty over whether replacement state funding will fully meet local need. It’s a high profile issue because Humboldt’s suicide rate is more than twice as high as the state’s.

“One way is to restrict (spending) is to to limit the amount of salary growth – that’s a big one,” Millar said. “That really is a hard thing to do but if we don’t kind of turn the ship around, it’s unlikely that we’re going to have a lot the money to provide for salary increases anyway.”

A packed hearing room, dueling forestry experts, and a unanimous commission vote decided whether a 350-year-old redwood would meet the same fate as four of its neighbors.

The proclamation nods to policymaking, saying Juneteenth “serves as a reminder that work remains to be done to ensure equitable access to opportunity for black residents, including the pursuit of strategies that improve access to education, economic development, housing and land-based initiatives.”

The commission also unanimously affirmed that a planned 40-bed emergency shelter operated by the Betty Kwan Chinn Foundation on Second Street conforms with the city’s General Plan.

Where is Eureka headed over the next five years? City leaders just approved a capital improvement plan packed with projects ranging from waterfront parks and trail expansions to flood protection, street repaving, wastewater upgrades and a long-awaited Bay to Zoo Trail connection.

“We have a person that lives in Humboldt County that owns a home and pays taxes and I don’t feel that we should prioritize someone from out of the area who’s making money on the process and interfering with our local residents’ quality of life,” O’Neill said before the vote.

Usually Flock watches the traffic. On Tuesday, Humboldt County residents showed up to keep an eye on Flock.