Eureka City Schools to Talk Jacobs, Grand Jury Response

By Thadeus Greenson on August 27, 2024 at 3:34PM

The California Highway Patrol has reportedly remained interested in purchasing the property to make it the future home of its Northern Humboldt headquarters since the district board abruptly voted in December to break off negotiations with the agency and instead accept the $6 million exchange offer from a mystery developer. That deal — which would have seen the district trade the property for a small home on I Street and $5.35 million in cash — fell apart earlier this month when the district declined the developer’s request to extend escrow past November and the developer, known only as AMG Communities-Jacobs, LLC, then decided to walk away from the agreement.

Supreme Court Gives Cities in California and Beyond More Power to Crack Down on Homeless Camps

By Marisa Kendall/CalMatters on June 28, 2024 at 3:26PM

“Homelessness is a crisis in California. The misguided 9th Circuit decision has tied the hands of local officials, allowing encampments to multiply unchecked,” California Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley of Rocklin said in an email to CalMatters.

EPD Identifies Man Found in Mall Fire, Deems Death Accidental

By Thadeus Greenson on January 3, 2024 at 4:02PM

The Eureka Police Department has identified the man whose remains were found burned in a small fire near the Bayshore Mall in October and determined his death was likely accidental. EPD used a witness account and DNA results to identify the man as Richard George Shannon, 27.

Parking Lot Protection Initiative Submits Signatures to Qualify for March Ballot

By Thadeus Greenson on August 29, 2023 at 11:46AM

If passed, the initiative would rezone 8.5 acres of the former Jacobs Middle School site to accommodate housing development. But the property remains under the control of Eureka City Schools, which is in active negotiations to sell it to the California Highway Patrol, which held a community meeting last month to gather input on its plans to convert the property into its new headquarters.

Cal Poly Humboldt Scales Back Hotel Housing Plans as School Year Approaches

By Thadeus Greenson on July 25, 2023 at 2:20PM

While enrollment remains unclear, what is clear is the university seems far less concerned about housing than it was just five months ago. After informing all returning students in February they would have to live off campus, and then backtracking with a plan that would allow 600 to remain on campus, the university announced a string of agreements with Arcata hotels and motels — the Comfort Inn, Super 8, Motel 6 and the Ramada Inn — that would see them managed by the university in a “bridge housing” solution that would accommodate as many as 430 students.

California’s Next Housing Crackdown Could Force Cities to Plan More Homeless Shelters

By Marisa Kendall/CalMatters on May 1, 2023 at 4:53PM

All over California, cities are falling far short when it comes to providing enough shelter for their homeless communities.  More than 69,000 homeless residents live in Los Angeles County, for instance, but that county has just over 21,000 beds in shelters and temporary housing programs.

Lawmakers Want to Know Why Billions in Spending isn't Reducing Homelessness

By Marisa Kendall/CalMatters on April 18, 2023 at 2:01PM

The $743,400 audit, approved unanimously in the state’s legislative audit committee last month, will take about 5,000 hours of staff time and is likely to be complete by October, State Auditor Grant Parks said during the hearing. It will scrutinize the cost-effectiveness of as many as five state homelessness programs.

Eureka Announced Partnership to Open Extreme Weather Shelter

By Kimberly Wear on March 16, 2023 at 4:53PM

Eureka to Host "Encampment, Tiny House Workshop'

By Thadeus Greenson on February 23, 2023 at 2:11PM

The city of Eureka announced this afternoon it will host a workshop next week to “describe and discuss” the process and requirements to established an authorized homeless encampment sheltering people in tents or tiny homes within the city. The Feb. 28 workshop will feature presentations from city staff and the county of Humboldt about their emergency shelter ordinances and conditions of approval to create a temporary shelter space with either tents or tiny homes.

California Homelessness: Where are the State’s Billions Going? Here’s the New, Best Answer

By Ben Christopher, CALmatters on February 16, 2023 at 2:26PM

The answer to those questions, according to the report: The state has spent nearly $10 billion and provided services to more than 571,000 people, each year helping more people than the last.  And despite all that, at the end of year three, the majority of those more than half a million Californians still didn’t end up with a roof over their heads.