Cal State Faculty Union Vows to Strike Over the University’s Final Pay Offer

By Mikhail Zinshteyn/CalMatters on January 10, 2024 at 10:55AM

“Throughout the bargaining process, the CFA never veered from its initial salary demand, which was not financially viable and would have resulted in massive cuts to campuses — including layoffs — that would have jeopardized the CSU’s educational mission,” a Cal State press  release stated. The 12 percent the union seeks is a response to the soaring inflation the nation experienced since 2021, when prices rose and the purchasing power of paychecks withered.

Despite Coastal Commission Appeal, Schneider Mansion Demolition, Restoration Could be Complete by July

By Thadeus Greenson on January 9, 2024 at 1:43PM

Current Commission Chair Caryl Hart and then Commission Chair Donne Brownsey appealed the planning commission decision back in August, arguing that approval of the permits and permit modifications was inconsistent with Humboldt County’s certified local coastal program when it came to standards regarding archeological resources and protections of environmentally sensitive areas. Schneider did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

Sheriff's Office Investigating 'Suspicious' Death

By Thadeus Greenson on January 6, 2024 at 1:39PM

The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office has launched a death investigation after human remains were found by beachgoers in the Manila Dunes yesterday afternoon. According to a press release, beachgoers reported finding the unidentified male body at 4:52 p.m. yesterday and deputies and a deputy coroner were dispatched to the scene.

EPD Identifies Man Found in Mall Fire, Deems Death Accidental

By Thadeus Greenson on January 3, 2024 at 4:02PM

The Eureka Police Department has identified the man whose remains were found burned in a small fire near the Bayshore Mall in October and determined his death was likely accidental. EPD used a witness account and DNA results to identify the man as Richard George Shannon, 27.

New Law Gives Employees Cannabis Protection

By Levi Sumagaysay/CalMatters on January 2, 2024 at 12:32PM

Starting Jan. 1, California employers are now barred from asking workers about their use of cannabis outside of work, and from discriminating against them because of it. Two bills signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in the past couple of years aim to strengthen the state’s legal cannabis industry by updating outdated laws.

New Law Adds Prison Sentencing Enhancements for Fentanyl Trafficking

By Nigel Duara/CalMatters on January 2, 2024 at 9:25AM

People convicted of distributing fentanyl will face stiffer criminal penalties in the coming year under a new law shaped by rising overdose deaths. The law increases the penalty for selling or distributing more than 1 kilogram of fentanyl by an automatic addition of three years to the original sentence.

Mental Health Programs Serving Kids in Humboldt and Across the State to Close after California Payment Changes

By Jocelyn Wiener/CalMatters on December 21, 2023 at 10:18AM

But until recently, programs have not actually closed. That’s beginning to change.

Local Commercial Dungeness Crab Season to Open in January

By Kimberly Wear on December 20, 2023 at 4:19PM

Sheriff: Suspect Identified in McKinleyville High Threats Case

By Thadeus Greenson on December 19, 2023 at 3:23PM

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office believes it has identified a specific, single suspect responsible for each of a series of threats made in recent weeks to McKinleyville High School, disrupting classes and putting teachers, students and their families on edge. Sheriff William Honsal declined to say whether the suspect is local or how they were identified, saying it would jeopardize the investigation and bringing the suspect into custody.

Judge Rules Voters Should Decide Cannabis Initiative

By Thadeus Greenson on December 19, 2023 at 11:57AM

Voters will get to decide the fate of the Humboldt Cannabis Reform Initiative in March, a superior court judge has ruled. In a five-page ruling filed last week, Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Timothy Canning rejected arguments put forward by the Humboldt County Growers Alliance (HCGA) and seven cannabis farmers that proponents of Measure A misled voters while gathering signatures to qualify the initiative for the ballot and failed to provide them with enough supporting information.