Eureka City Manager Dave Tyson.

An explosive lawsuit filed in Humboldt County Superior Court against the city of Eureka and its manager David Tyson is bound to blow the roof off city hall.

The lawsuit was filed by former Eureka Police employee Tawnie Hansen, who previously won a $10,000 settlement against ex-EPD dispatcher Dee Dee Wilson over the now defunct “Above the Law” blog which defamed Hansen and Police Chief Garr Nielsen.

The new lawsuit alleges the city — and Tyson in particular — failed to prevent the harassment at issue in the Wilson case, and aided and abetted the harassment.

Tyson, as head honcho of the city, allegedly buried any investigation of Hansen’s claims with a “global investigation into any and all complaints” by EPD personnel despite a lack of any other grievance at the time.

“[R]ather than address Hansen’s specific grievance in the focused and expeditious manner required by law, the investigation of her grievance was instead delayed unreasonably and stretched out to a full year’s effort” while the harassment continued unabated, according to the complaint.

The lawsuit alleges Tyson wanted the harassment to continue because he had a personal friendship with Wilson, and because Hansen had rejected his sexual advances that included “touching her in a suggestive manner” and intimating his desire to engage in “a specific sexual act” with her.

Tyson’s actions “effectively aided and abetted the harassment to which Hansen was being subjected,” according to the complaint.

Hansen was employed by the city for nearly 20 years, with 14 years at EPD.  The city rejected her claim for damages at it’s September 1, 2009 meeting.  The lawsuit was filed November 9th.

Hansen is seeking special damages of not less than $1.4 million, as well as punitive damages and costs of the suit.

Thursday night’s Planning Commission meeting began with a surprise announcement during talk of a string of appeals filed by over-zealous developer Rob Arkley against Humboldt County.

Commissioner Ralph Faust announced he would recuse himself from hearings on those issues to save county money and make time for other items. Arkley’s groups Humboldt Sunshine, Arkley Irrevocable Trust, LLC, and Samoa Dunes assert Faust has a conflict of interest, and have a lawsuit pending in superior court.

The complaints stem from Faust’s 2007 stint as interim county counsel.

Faust said he doesn’t believe there is a conflict and that applicants have been treated fairly.  But the cost of money and time fighting the suit prompted his recusal.

“I think the whole process would be better served if I recuse myself from participation in these three matters.”

Spotlight on the three appeals come at a time when Arkley opponents are accused of “extortion” and excessive litigiousness.  But Arkley reigns supreme when it comes to front groups and lawsuits to fight any obstacle on the way to creating Arkleyville.

Below is the October economic index for Humboldt County.  Click the graph for more info.

As one might guess, the unemployment graph shows a steady climb and help wanted ads show a corresponding drop.

The most dramatic graph measures lumber manufacturing.  Humboldt County may be the top timber producer in the state of California, but the index shows a steep decline.  It would be interesting to see a corresponding graph measuring sales of timberland for residential purposes vs. timber production.

[h/t Redwood Capital Bank]

Home Depot has everything!  Light bulbs.  Gardening supplies. Mind-blowing customer service.

Okay, scratch that last one.

Due to hard financial times the massive chain retailer also covets some big, empty parking lots.

But when life hands you lemons, sell parking spaces.

HD execs are hoping the parking space racket will help fill the gaps while the economy falls apart recovers from it’s temporary dip into scaryville.

No word on whether Eureka’s future Home Depot will pitch it’s vacant pavement to the vast array of other retail outlets that will sprout like native flora around the anchor store.  But if they do, perhaps they could negotiate with the city of Eureka for car camp areas for the homeless.

Clockwise from top left: Virginia Bass, Bonnie Neely, Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap, Jeff Leonard

UPDATE: Sources say Neely’s 2006 rival Nancy Flemming is still mulling another go.  Stay tuned.

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Humboldt County blog legend Ryan Hurley kicks off the November 2010 election cycle with some deep insight — or maybe wishful thinking — about whose hat is in the proverbial ring.

According to Hurley’s exclusive in-the-know report, longtime county supervisor Bonnie Neely will face three challengers next year: outgoing Eureka City Councilman Jeff Leonard, Eureka Mayor Virginia Bass, and Municipal Water District Director Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap.

While rumors of a Bass run at Bonnie’s seat have long circulated, we’ve yet to see an official announcement.

Hurley doesn’t say where he got the intel that Sopoci-Belknap is running, but he wants you to know that you heard it from him first.

Town of Scotia, LLC vice prez Frank Bacik gives a slide show presentation to Supervisors about the historic town.

Humboldt County Supervisors approved zoning changes Tuesday that allow the small town of Scotia to graduate from its status as the last (or nearly last) company-owned town in the USA.

For the first time, Scotia residents will have the opportunity to own their homes and form an elected community services district.

The vote followed a presentation by Frank Bacik of the Town of Scotia, LLC, which formed as part of the Pacific Lumber bankruptcy reorganization.  Bacik said the town is not seeking additional development because it was built to completion in the 1920’s.

Supervisor Mark Lovelace drew comparisons between Scotia and current fights over future development in Humboldt County.

There are some “big, scary words that all apply to the town of Scotia that we hear and have us quaking in our boots too often,” Lovelace said before going down the list. “Smart growth, mixed use, high density, urban, planned development, master planned, walkable community and the scariest one of all, social engineering.”

“[Scotia] is a perfect example of all of these things, and it’s wonderful,” he said.

Longtime observers of the fight over Pacific Lumber logging operations may be impressed by the sign of the times on display as Bacik made his pitch to now Supervisor Lovelace, who challenged the Company’s destructive logging practices in years leading up to the long-predicted bankruptcy.

Bacik, a former attorney for Pacific Lumber under it’s parent corporation Maxxam, was one of the few who made out swimmingly despite the bankruptcy, including landing his current job managing the town.

He said his new employer has tried to “diversify the industrial base of the town of Scotia so the community has access to additional jobs that aren’t subject to the boom and bust cycles of the timber industry alone” — as if those “cycles” are natural rather than driven by a corporate bottom line such as the one Bacik defended during his tenure with Maxxam-Pacific Lumber.

Humboldt Bay lovers woke up to shocking news this morning.  The Times-Standard reports that Commissioner Ronnie Pellegrini of the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District is relinquishing her seat.

The news comes one week after an election that will bring new blood to the commission.

A replacement will be appointed by remaining commissioners, or by the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors if a decision isn’t made in 60 days.

So who’s going to get the nod?  Rex Bohn’s name was offered up in an earlier thread.  Any other guesses?

[While efforts to fully characterize toxins at Eureka's Balloon Track are obstructed by linguistic judo at city hall, another bay-front area is going for clean-up gold. Below is a press release from Humboldt Baykeeper.]

EUREKA – Clean-up of the wetland channel adjacent to the former Simpson plywood mill on Del Norte Street is underway, and a major source of dioxin to Humboldt Bay is being eliminated. The wetland channel drains into Humboldt Bay and is close to the Del Norte fishing pier, the only public fishing pier on Humboldt Bay.

Humboldt Baykeeper worked with Simpson Timber Company to design a clean-up plan for the wetland channel to remove dioxin-contaminated sediment and restore the area with native wetland vegetation. The end result will create a safe place for local and migratory birds and other wildlife, as well as a cleaner Bay for fish, shellfish, and the people and wildlife that eat them.

Pete Nichols, Executive Director of Humboldt Baykeeper says that the clean-up underway is the result of full-characterization and the willingness of Simpson Timber do the right thing. “This clean-up is happening as a direct result of Humboldt Baykeeper’s work to protect the Bay, the adjacent wetlands, and the members of the community who utilize this fishing pier from the impacts of dioxin contamination on the site. We are glad Simpson Timber understood the necessity of fully characterizing this site and doing a thorough clean-up,” he said.

In 2005, Humboldt Baykeeper discovered that an inadequate clean-up had been conducted at the site under an order from the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. The cleanup had focused only on pentachlorophenol, or “penta”- a wood preservative banned in the 1980’s due to extremely toxic components that were known to cause cancer and birth defects in humans and wildlife, and had totally ignored the more dangerous and persistent chemical dioxin. Humboldt Baykeeper knew from past experience that wherever penta was used, dioxins are sure to be found.

In 2006, Humboldt Baykeeper’s engineering consultants collected sediment samples from the channel, finding extremely toxic levels of dioxin in the sediments. Humboldt Baykeeper and Californians for Alternatives to Toxics notified Simpson Timber of these sampling results and eventually the watchdog groups filed an action seeking cleanup of the pollution.

As a result of the federal suit, the environmental groups and Simpson Timber agreed to a full characterization and clean-up of the wetland channel next to the property. Simpson conducted a cross-sectional analysis along the full length of the channel to determine the complete extent of the contamination. Full characterization ensures that the cleanup will be adequate and prevents the accidental mobilization of pollutants to Humboldt Bay.

In addition to the proper clean-up, a fund was established at the Humboldt Area Foundation to support other restoration projects around Humboldt Bay.

Clicketh to reveal the coming of ye dark riders. Tell it in the comments if you must, but know the reign of error is upon you, heathens!

“We know businesses can’t afford the ever-rising cost of health care. We know individuals can’t afford it. We know local governments can’t afford it. The wrecking ball to the economy is to stick our head in the sand and let costs continue to rise.” – North Coast Rep. Mike Thompson after a historic health care plan passed the House of Representatives 220-215.