Richardson Grove Highway Project spawns Lawsuit #2

[Press Release.]

SAN FRANCISCO — On September 27, 2010, five individuals and three environmental advocacy organizations filed a federal lawsuit against the California Department of Transportation challenging a major construction project along Highway 101 through Richardson Grove State Park in Humboldt County.  The project will destroy and damage prized old-growth redwoods to allow access for large commercial trucks.  The lawsuit — the second suit citizens have filed to stop the controversial project — was filed due to Caltrans’ failure to conduct a thorough environmental review of the project, in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

Domestic Violence focus of first DA forum

Humboldt County District Attorney candidates Paul Gallegos and Allison Jackson fielded questions at the Eureka Inn Monday night about domestic violence (DV).

Listen to it KHUM.

“Good morning ladies and gentlemen,” Gallegos greeted the audience at the 6pm event.  He called DV a “pervasive illness in our communities” and said it’s important for people to know its prevalence.

Jackson said repercussions of domestic abuse and child maltreatment are “endless,” and said such cases are the reason she is running for office.

Moderators interrupted Gallegos early in the forum when he mentioned a defendant he had prosecuted, telling him the “rules require we not talk about specific cases.”

However, later in the forum, Jackson said the DA had a case where a woman had been raped by a man who broke into her house, but that Gallegos plea bargained the case simply for trespass. Moderators didn’t interject during her comment, and Jackson didn’t mention the defendant’s name.

How does she know a rape occurred if the defendant was not charged and found guilty, or admitted guilt?  Jackson says people are innocent until proven guilty, but perhaps not in this case.

In the real world, of course, abuses happen that are never prosecuted.  But this stark claim needs an investigation. Anyone with info on the case please leave it in the comments or contact the Herald.

This isn’t the first shocking allegation Jackson has leveled at Gallegos about a DV case, and she’s also been shown to twist the truth to vilify Gallegos.  We’ll see how this one shakes out.

North Coast Stand Down 2010

By Carl Young, Veterans Right Advocate

You don’t leave anybody outside the wire — if you’ve got wounded you go get them, regardless of the cost. — Robert Van Keuren.

Fortuna, CA — It’s that time again to support our local veterans by attending, volunteering, or donating to North Coast Stand Down. The annual event takes place at the Ferndale Fairgrounds on Oct. 1-3.

Clarke Museum funding debate

Eureka City Manager Dave Tyson said he got “taken to the wood shed.”

Councilmember Mike Jones said it “soured his milk.”

But the question asked by Councilwoman Linda Atkins was simple enough: why must the City Council revisit issues that have been previously decided?

Here is part 1 of the debate from Tuesday’s City Council meeting to consider funding the Clarke Historical Museum with redevelopment funds. To watch the rest go to the archive and fast forward to 3:21:00.

The motion passed 3-2 with Frank Jager and Jeff Leonard dissenting.  After promising to vote against it, Jones switched gears at the last minute after Councilman Larry Glass played “the grandchild card,” even though Jones said it made him want to throw up.

Was Atkins out of line?  Is Jones a drama queen?  Does staff mislead councilmembers on issues like museum funding and the Jefferson School purchase only to throw an unexpected curve ball on a later agenda?

Grab a cup of coffee and hold your cookies as you watch this segment of the meeting which began some 3.25 hours after the meeting started, by which time most mortals had long since tuned out.

DA candidate forum on Domestic Violence Monday

September 27: DA candidate forum on domestic violence and child abuse, 6-8 pm, at the Eureka Inn.

The questions have been crafted by members of the Humboldt County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council and the Child Abuse Prevention Coordinating Council, and have been designed to elicit attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge about, as well as demonstrated commitment to, the issues of domestic violence and child abuse prevention.  Members of the audience will have the opportunity to ask questions of challenger Allison Jackson and incumbent Paul Gallegos. This is a non-partisan event.  The event is free.

KHUM will air it live.

Humboldt wineries make Sunset Magazine

Humboldt County may be world renowned for producing high-grade marijuana, but it’s also getting noticed for its wine.

Sunset Magazine offers travelers tips on where to sip local vints in the Humboldt Nation.

Quoth Sunset: “This tucked-away county in Northern California wouldn’t be your first guess for a wine tasting adventure, but see why it should be.”

Eureka flip-flopped on Forster-Gill project

John Belsher.

An attorney for the Ridgewood Village development project, also known as Forster-Gill, aimed sharp criticism at the City of Eureka during Thursday night’s meeting of the Humboldt County Planning Commission.

John Belsher criticized the city’s mishandling of money that was meant to improve sewer and waste water systems. He said that although the city pledged to improve sewer infrastructure, it loaned over $5 million of dedicated funds to its redevelopment agency while necessary upgrades were ignored. As a result, Belsher said project developers will spend in the neighborhood of  $3 million to build a collection system that will “skirt around the problems the city has refused to fix.”

Belsher said the project was once embraced by city manager Dave Tyson, who in 2006 called a now-controversial road expansion a “critical connection that will benefit both Forster-Gill and [neighboring] Lundbar Hills.”

At the August 3, 2010 City Council meeting, Tyson said the city had been virtually shut out of the project, but Belsher read from letters he had received from the city over the years praising aspects of the project.

“It is completely untrue that the city has been left out of discussions on this project” Belsher said.

Slide from county staff's presentation on Ridgewood Village.

Former city planner Kevin Hamblin was involved in many meetings about the Ridgewood Village and even had a map of the project on his wall, Belsher said. “But politics being what they are, we now have a 25-page letter of rejections.”

Belsher also said he presented a draft annexation plan to Tyson but the city declined to support it. “They said if you can go get annexed, we’ll talk to you,” Belsher said.

Mayoral candidate Frank Jager is talking annexation on the campaign trail.  Perhaps Tyson neglected to tell him about the draft the city rejected.

Mayor Virginia Bass has made opposition to the project part of her campaign for Humboldt County supervisor, going so far as to invent non-existent aspects of the development to criticize — or to deflect voter jabs away from her favored Marina Center big box mall project.

Belsher’s best quote of the night followed discussion about the rash of development in Eureka’s unincorporated neighbor to the north.

Ridgewood Village “is the answer to McKinleyville,” Belsher said. “Instead of piecemealing out South Eureka, you Master Plan it.”

Ridgewood Village is a 386-acre project, but a solid 220-acres of the total area will be dedicated to forested greenbelts and open space.

The Planning Commission continued the hearing on Ridgewood Village to November 18.

Cash Crop Premier in Arcata Friday

Nichols, Dronkers talk Baykeeper settlement on KHUM

KHUM DJ Mike Dronkers talked to Humboldt Baykeeper Pete Nichols on today’s Coastal Currents show about terms of the Balloon Track clean-up following the settlement of the 4-year old lawsuit.

EARLIER: Baykeeper announces Balloon Track settlement

[h/t MD @ KHUM]

Baykeeper announces Balloon Track settlement [Press Release]

Humboldt Baykeeper and CUE VI Agree to Next Steps for Balloon Track Cleanup

CUE VI to Perform “Hot Spot” Removal Actions, Further
Characterization and Cleanup in Settlement of Federal Lawsuit

EUREKA, CA After nearly 5 years of litigation, CUE VI and Union Pacific Railroad have agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by Humboldt Baykeeper over contamination on Eureka’s Balloon Track property. The case was before the United States District Court, Northern District of California, in San Francisco.

The suit, filed in 2006 by Humboldt Baykeeper and the Ecological Rights Foundation against Union Pacific Railroad, asserted that significant contamination from toxics that remain on the property from historical operations continues to negatively impact surface water and the environment. At the center of the case were contaminated storm water discharges resulting from soil contamination on the Balloon Track and its proximity to Clark Slough and Humboldt Bay.

Humboldt Baykeeper and its technical experts were granted access to the site by the Court, despite repeated efforts by defendants to block entry. Baykeeper conducted three site visits, using nearly a dozen technical experts from across the U.S to document the environmental condition of the site. Baykeeper’s experts conducted wetlands and biological assessments, sampled soil and water, and analyzed the human health and ecological impacts of the contaminants found on the site. Soil sampling conducted by Humboldt Baykeeper during the course of the litigation revealed “Hot Spots” on the property with significant levels of contaminants such as dioxins, metals, and arsenic. Fish tissue sampling in Clark Slough found dioxin in an amount four times higher than the “Do Not Consume” level set by U.S. EPA.

Under the settlement, CUE VI is required to remove contaminated sediment at numerous “Hot Spot” locations on the site to prevent further discharges of pollutants to Clark Slough and the Bay. The Hot Spots include polluted drainage ditches and stockpiles of contaminated soil and debris. In addition, the settlement includes participation by Humboldt Baykeeper’s technical experts in the development of work plans required for further site characterization and cleanup.

Humboldt Baykeeper Executive Director Pete Nichols said, “This settlement is another positive step towards addressing the sources of contamination around Humboldt Bay. The work required under this agreement will protect the ecology, the wetlands, Clark Slough, the Bay, and the wildlife that use those areas, not to mention those in the community who use and enjoy these resources.”

“We look forward to ensuring the work that is done to characterize, and clean up, this site is thorough and complete”, he continued.

The suit was brought under the Federal Clean Water Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which were established by Congress to address polluted discharges into waters of the United States and to address hazardous waste issues and prevent sites from creating an ongoing threat to public health and the environment.

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