Eureka Police blog spawns lawsuit

Devora Wilson.

A bitter rift in the Eureka Police Department has resulted in a lawsuit between employees, and at the center of the controversy is a blog.

EPD Communications Supervisor Tawnie Hansen filed the suit late last year against Support Services Manager Devora Wilson and others yet-to-be-named  The lawsuit alleges libel and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

The suit appears to be based on the now defunct Above the Law blog, which largely contained petty, personal gripes against Police Chief Garr Nielson.

Hansen alleges the blog contained false statements that she was having an affair with the chief and received special treatment because of the illicit relationship.  The blog also claimed Hansen had influence over the chief to promote or demote EPD personnel, according to the lawsuit.

Coincidentally, Wilson complained to the Eureka City Council last year that she had been punitively reassigned by Nielsen in February 2008.

Wilson’s malicious behavior went beyond statements posted on the blog, according to the lawsuit, and included flowers and other items sent to Hansen under the name “Tawnie Nielsen” which combined Hansen’s first name with the police chief’s last name as if they were married.

Both Hansen and Nielsen are married to other people.

Wilson denies the allegations.

Most of the content on Above the Law — including all of the comments — have been deleted, making it impossible to see the original material that led to the lawsuit.  But the Humboldt Herald recalls reading lurid claims of secret liaisons between the chief and a woman inside the department.  Herald readers posted their reviews of the blog here.

Chief Nielsen joined EPD following a string of fatal shootings by Eureka officers that had Humboldt County in an uproar in 2006.

Many Eureka residents have gone before the City Council recently to praise the changes at EPD brought by Nielsen, saying their neighborhoods are safer.

20 years of Humboldt County commercials

Humboldt County personality Rick St. Charles posted on YouTube a sampling of the many television commercials he produced for local businesses between 1985-2005.

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STEELHEAD SPECIAL: An interview with Joe Shermis

The Steelhead Special is a local publication in Humboldt County since 1991.  Below is an interview with publisher Joe Shermis by Dave Berman of We Do Not Consent.

Berman has a new blog called Manifest Positivity: Advocacy journalism as a public service for peaceful revolution.

Living wages in Humboldt County

Do you make a living wage at your job in Humboldt County? Check out this living wage calculator to find out.

Rural resident supports Health Impact Assessment

Dr. Ann Lindsay talks about the Health Impact Assessment in Garberville.

Petrolia resident Ellen Taylor comes out in defense of county health official Ann Lindsay in today’s Times-Standard. The doctor’s good name has been dragged through the mud over her Health Impact Assessment for the county’s General Plan Update.

Taylor herself is a health care professional and given her backwater residence it will be difficult for the foot-stomping, name-calling faction of the Coalition for Property Rights to dismiss her as a “urban environmentalist.”

In spite of the seriousness of these concerns, Dr. Lindsay’s comments drew hot protests from a group of Realtors at [a September Board of Supervisors] meeting. They leaped indignantly to their feet, accusing her of trying to control how people live, and branding her recommendations as “social engineering.” They urged the board not to adopt the report. This summer’s Humboldt Coalition for Property Rights (CPR) newsletter continued the campaign, in an article questioning her scientific integrity, with the suggestion that she is being manipulated by the county planning department.

This vehemence invites scrutiny. Health, internationally recognized as a fundamental right of every human being, is cited by the World Bank as a vital engine of economic growth. The ancient art of municipal planning has always taken for granted the dependence of individuals upon community health.

Read Taylor’s editorial here.

MAJOR POT RAID: The anniversary

One year ago yesterday a significant chunk of Humboldt County’s population was freaking the eff out while 450 federal agents stormed properties north and south for marijuana.  KHUM dubbed the affair “Doobie Tuesday.”  The feds called it “Southern Sweep.”

The feds put out press releases timed at 4:20 and seemed to enjoy — if sarcastically — the local culture.  But (their) joking aside, they reportedly used unconstitutional measures to kick people off their land for several days while agents searched the properties.  KMUD reported residents were denied the right to get a change of clothes or even retrieve the family dog.  And for their extreme efforts the agents walked away with relatively little weed and money.

The main focus was on cut-over Barnum Timber land turned hippie corporation known as Buddhaville.  The Feds eventually filed seizure notices for the property.

Minus the major raids, this year looks a lot like the last.  KMUD reported Wednesday that Drug Enforcement Agents were conducting flight training in Mendocino County — just like June 2008 before the raids.  But such training is an annual thing.

One new element this year is involvement of the Civil Air Patrol from Alabama which is the “civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force” according to their website.  A CAP spokesperson told KMUD that DEA and Mendocino Sheriffs are their “customers” in this training mission.

Earlier Wednesday KMUD aired reports from the Civil Liberties Monitoring Project that low flying helicopters were scouting the houses in the Spyrock Road area in “reconnaissance mode.”

Ah, summer.

Atkins joins NCRA

Eureka City Councilwoman Linda Atkins was appointed with a 4-1 vote to the North Coast Railroad Authority by the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors Tuesday.  Supervisor Jill Duffy voted against the appointment.

Atkins replaces longtime railroadie Charles Ollivier whose term expires June 30th.

Duffy hotly contested the notion that adequate notice had been given even though it had been posted in January.  She said neither the board or the public is aware of the priorities of Atkins or other applicants, and would have liked to hear from the candidates before the board took action.

But Supervisors Jimmy Smith and Mark Lovelace noted phone conversations and emails with the candidates, including Ollivier, who had stated interest in keeping the position, but refused to sit for an interview or send a letter of interest until yesterday.

Supervisor Mark Lovelace said the issue of rails and trails was one of the top two issues he heard on the campaign trail.  He said it was important to find someone who can best represent a range of interests for the NCRA right-of-way that includes rail but doesn’t exclude other possibilities.

Rising sea level a concern for Coastal Commission

This Google map simulates a sea level rise of 1 meter in Eureka.

Development projects along the coast may have to plan for rising sea levels, according to an article in the Daily Triplicate.

Crescent City could be one of the first cities to test out a new policy that takes into account potential sea-level rise when considering new developments along the coast…

The commission also decided to add new policies that would require the city to look at potential flooding from tsunamis and sea-level rise as a result of climate change before approving development on the coast.

“This is the first time (the Coastal Commission) has addressed sea-level rise,” the agency’s Executive Director Peter Douglas said at its most recent meeting in Marina del Rey.

Should be interesting to see how the issue is handled if Eureka bigshot Rob Arkley’s Marnia Center project ever makes it before the Coastal Commission.

To see how your house or business fares under various changes in sea level, check out the flood map simulator.

Ceremonial mayor vs. manager-in-power

Eureka City Manager Dave Tyson and Eureka Mayor Virginia Bass.

An interesting discussion developed in a thread below regarding power held by Eureka’s city manager vs. the mayor.

While the power dynamic varies from town to town, the city manager holds the power in Eureka.  He sets the agenda, manages the staff, and even bosses the police chief.  Plus, he makes a higher annual salary than longtime Humboldt County Supervisor Bonnie Neely by about $54,000.

Meanwhile, the mayor holds a ceremonial position, can’t vote, and has to keep a “real” job that often keeps her from city council meetings.

A comment by Humboldt Herald reader EZ Ryder calls for action:

The problem with Eureka and Fortuna managers is they are basically not accountable to anyone. That’s because both have contracts that require a 4/5 vote to terminate. This gives them way too much power and control. I believe Eureka’s manager contract is up soon. The public should rise up and demand an end to this folly!

When Tyson landed the manager job in 2000 he hoped to take the seat and stay there, according to the Journal, because too many city mangers before him had been fired.  He said the super majority requirement for termination was a sign the council supported him.

Of course, there’s a different city council in 2009 and whether or not they support him, they are contractually bound to keep him short of a 4-1 vote.