Happy Halloween!

Eureka crime alerts

Eureka residents can sign up for a new service that alerts them to crime in their neighborhood.

Crime info is uploaded nightly to CrimeReports.com, according to a press release by the Eureka Police Department, and will be emailed to users who provide an address to focus the reports.  The alerts will include incident type, date, location, distance from citizen’s address, event identification/case number, and a brief description of the incident.

Arkley’s favorite city councilman calls for “cease fire”

Eureka City councilman Jeff Leonard is calling on environmental groups to turn a blind eye to what they call “inadequacies” in the Environmental Impact Report for the Home Depot big box mall on the city’s waterfront.

Below is the press release, sent out on the city’s letterhead.

Thanks to Mike D. at KHUM for passing it on.

ROB ARKLEY: Super exposure

A newish local website called Humboldt Living spotlights Eureka power player Rob Arkley, the force behind the proposed Home Depot big box project on Eureka’s waterfront.

The article, Restructuring Humboldt Bay – Arkley and the New Green Port City of Eureka, is loaded with links, quotes, and “impossible to prove” connections.  The writers falsely finger Arkley as a supporter of the failed recall of District Attorney Paul Gallegos when in fact Arkley was the single largest donor in the effort to defeat the recall.

But it’s hard to argue with the article’s conclusion.

We believe what Robin Arkley wants to do is turn Eureka into a massive “Green Port” city. As he says In his own words, “[w]e have a bay and we have a rail and we’d like to get [the governor's] support for completing the rail.” And this is not surprising since we have been hearing a lot about Green Port cities in the upcoming elections.

When you begin to look at the properties he has purchased or is in the process of establishing zoning on you can also see a distinct pattern. The balloon track property, the rennovation of the Eureka Boardwalk, the Loleta Railroad tract, Ocean View Ranches, the Manila and Samoa dunes, and the land behind Target that Blue Ox Millworks currently resides on. When you put all of that together along with the recent surprise failure of the Pulp Mill project, the purchase of the town of Samoa by Danco, and the direction the Bayshore Mall is headed we believe the picture of an entirely new Humboldt Bay becomes clear.

Robin Arkley is buying up all the land he can on the Humboldt Bay. He is also clearly driving at the least the financial activity behind the Railroad Restoration efforts, the activities behind the Green Port movement and the activities behind the Humboldt Sunshine and Humboldt CPR land zoning movements.

That is not to mention his support for Gov. Schwarzeneggar who is behind the green port. None of this is entirely surprising since Eureka is the last area left on the entire West Coast where a modern port city could potentially and has not yet been established. That makes those lands prime for development and profiteering. And we’ll be the first to admit we even like the idea of Eureka turning into something besides a 5 story pink jail building full of rundown antique and collectible stores. The problem comes when you consider the motives behind the movement may not be what the majority of the county wants. But hey, the majority of the county doesn’t have a billion dollars to spare. Well, there is the 500 million dollar marijuana trade but as we have shown before that movement lacks true vision. Robin Arkley it would appear does not.

Cell tower bans legal, court says

From the LA Times:

Earlier this month, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the seaside community [of Palos Verdes Estates against Sprint], ruling that city officials could bar the construction of unsightly cellular towers. The city’s victory was hailed by urban planners concerned about the proliferation of visual blight in the name of technological progress.

Like Palos Verdes Estates, San Francisco, San Diego County, La Cañada Flintridge and other communities have fought the purveyors of cellular service in court on aesthetic grounds and, for the most part, have won. The recent legal disputes, planners say, could encourage telecommunications companies to develop more creative alternatives amenable to residents’ concerns — or spur more litigation.

An earlier discussion on Eureka’s continued suck-up to cell tower profiteers included a question of which cities had successfully banned the big ugly property value-killers.  Looks like the list will grow.

Special meeting open thread

The Eureka City Council will decide tonight whether to certify the Environmental Impact Report for a Home Depot-anchored development on the Balloon Track. For those of you watching the special meeting at home on Channel 12 or checking in from City Hall via your mobile, this thread’s for you.

Anticipation of tonight’s vote was the basis of the brouhaha in September 2007 when project proponent Rob Arkley allegedly shoved Councilman Larry Glass and threatened to “destroy” him if Glass didn’t vote for Arkley’s project. Tonight is the moment of truth (amidst a couple of hours of bologna).

UPDATE:  The EIR was certified with a long-predicted 3-2 vote.  The Times-Standard has more.

Marina Center decision tonight

The Eureka City Council will meet tonight for a special meeting to certify the Final Environmental Impact Report of Security National’s proposed Home Depot mall.

Most people believe they know how the vote will go down, including councilmembers. Meeting starts at 6pm at City Hall, 531 K Street.  It’s the only thing on the agenda so there’s plenty of time for public comment.

Humboldt Baykeeper is tweeting the meeting.

Speaking of Baykeeper and the Marina Center –

If you missed former Eureka Reporter junior editor Nate Rushton’s recital of his old boss’s talking points in a recent Sunday Times-Standard, you can download it here. The T-S doesn’t bother to upload the bi-weekly ghost of the ER it prints to satisfy a settlement agreement between the two papers, which truly robs the internet of so much ground-shaking commentary.

Thankfully, Letters to the Editor still make it online, like this one from Christopher Turner who gives a shout-out to Nate’s awesome adherence to Arkley agitprop:

Thanks to Nathan Rushton and his Eureka Reporter for completing my Sunday morning diet plans. I was hungry, looking for insightful news and opinion when I came across his lightweight forum submittal on Humboldt Baykeeper.

I read and re-read it, looking for beef but, alas, Humboldt Baykeeper simply looks like it’s fulfilling its stated mission, just like the Ecological Rights Foundation that, as quoted by Mr. Rushton, “puts environmental law into action.” The only muck I can see being stirred up by Humboldt Baykeeper is the toxic kind on Security National’s Balloon Track.

McK Press blog explodes with NoHum candidate interviews

The long-dormant McKinleyville Press blog sprang back to life Monday with a slew of candidate interviews to prep voters for the Nov. 3 election.

Seats are open in the McKinleyville Union Elementary School District, Northern Humboldt Union High School District and the McKinleyville Community Services District.

One candidate was not interviewed, of course, because no matter that Jake Pickering seems to run for some board or another in every election, his newest tactic is to blow off debates and candidate forums so that all you ever hear about him is that he didn’t respond to requests for an interview, etc.

Which would matter less if he still produced killer handbills such as those that plastered E-town in the 2006 Municipal Water District race.

Attn: 215 patients

Medical marijuana patients who got a Prop. 215 recommendation from Dr. Hany Assad might consider consulting a doctor with a valid medical license. The California Medical Board revoked Assad’s license effective November 23, 2009.

The Journal covered Assad’s sketchy medical practice a while back.  If you read it you won’t be surprised by the Medical Board’s action.

[h/t HighBoldtage]

Eureka to erect new sign at city hall

As the City of Eureka prepares to rubber stamp the so-called Final Environmental Impact Report for the Home Depot-centered big box maul, the city council is taking a tip from Friendly Fortuna in hopes of inspiring unity and patriotism.

A special meeting was organized by city manager Dave Tyson to address the proposed sign, which Tyson unveiled before the vote.

“Eureka is a wonderful city with a lot of Rob-fearing people,” said Jeff Leonard who knows first hand the wrath of Humboldt County’s most powerful monied interest.

“We believe in Rob,” councilman Mike Jones piped in.  ”And besides, the new sign is all about freedom of speech.”

“Rob has done a lot for the City of Eureka,” said mayor Virgnia Bass.  ”He’s my husband’s BFF.”

“Mr. Arkley put my campaign sign in his yard,” said Frank Jager.

Councilwoman Linda Atkins said she’s not an obstructionist, but doesn’t believe the sign is appropriate for a government building.

Councilman Larry Glass asked city staff about the precedent of displaying such a sign but was quickly silenced by the mayor.

“Who developed the process to suddenly insert this sign in the council chambers,” questioned Glass.

“Stop it,” Bass admonished him.  ”You sound like a lawyer badgering a witness. I don’t want to see us asking questions like that.”

Leonard volunteered to hold the sign on his lap during council meetings rather than spend tax dollars on screws and nails.

The Council approved the sign 3-2 with Glass and Atkins dissenting.