Fans of Eureka's tireless advocate for the homeless, Betty Chinn, will have their opportunity to cast their vote on her behalf today. Chinn, who has dedicated the past two decades to feeding and helping the homeless in Eureka, is one of the New York Times' 10 nominees for the Californian of the Year.

The nomination came after the Times' California bureau asked readers to send in suggestions for people in our state who "made an impact in [their] community or on a larger stage ... who defined 2016." They chose candidates who had received multiple nominations.

Californians have the opportunity to vote for a winner today, with Chinn in the company of U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and business magnate Elon Musk.

"That's crazy," said Chinn, laughing, when we reached her by phone this morning. "I had no idea."

Chinn said being among the nominees was an "honor" but added, "I never read newspapers."

Vote for Chinn or other nominees using the link found here and read more about Chinn's work here.