What’s behind all those DMV voter-registration snafus? ‘Motor voter’ may have launched with makeshift computer system

by Laurel Rosenhall on October 22, 2018 at 10:51AM

“There is a way to salvage this but it requires not dismissing it as ‘no big deal,’” he said. “The president of the United States is questioning the integrity of our electoral system and we have just legitimized that fear mongering.”

Visions Collide at Harbor District Forum

by Elaine Weinreb on October 19, 2018 at 12:13PM

Marks has been endorsed by the Humboldt County Central Democratic Commitee, Humboldt Progressive Democrats, the North Coast People's Alliance, the Humboldt County Green Party, the Humboldt Young Democrats, the Humboldt-Del Norte Central Labor Council, a long list of other trade unions, the mayor of Eureka, a majority of the Eureka City Council, a majority of the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors, several former harbor commissioners and several former fellow commissioners of the Samoa Peninsula Fire District. Brady has been endorsed by the International Longshore Warehouse Union Local 14, County Supervisor Rex Bohn, County Sheriff William Honsal, former Eureka Police Chief Andy Mills, former County Sheriff Mike Downey, Harbor Commissioner Larry Doss, Humboldt County Planning Commissioner Mike Newman, Fortuna Mayor Sue Long, several members of the Eureka Planning Commission and former Eureka City Manager David Tyson, who is currently the Interim Director of the Trinidad Rancheria Economic Development Corporation.

McKinley Statue Vandalized

by Kimberly Wear on October 16, 2018 at 11:32AM

It's (Almost) Official: Madrone is Humboldt's Next Fifth District Supervisor

by Thadeus Greenson on July 3, 2018 at 8:04PM

The Humboldt County Elections Office released its final report this afternoon, and the results have challenger Steve Madrone pulling off an improbable upset over two-term incumbent Ryan Sundberg by 118 votes in the Fifth District supervisorial race. Madrone trailed in all the early election night tallies before pulling ahead by a slim 33 votes in the final election night report.

UPDATE: Madrone's Fifth District Lead Seems Insurmountable

by Thadeus Greenson on June 21, 2018 at 3:54PM

When the dust settled on election night, Madrone had jumped out to a slim, 33-vote lead, having taken just 0.69 percent more of the 4,796 votes counted than Sundberg. And that represented an abrupt shift from the election night report that came out just 45 minutes earlier, which had Sundberg holding a 185-vote lead.

Elections Office: At Least 1,201 Ballots to be Counted in Fifth District Race

by Thadeus Greenson on June 7, 2018 at 11:17AM

So when it comes to ballots in hand, the elections office has at least 1,201 and as many as 2,233 Fifth District votes that have yet to be counted. But because state election law provides that vote-by-mail ballots only need to be postmarked by the close of Election Day, more ballots are likely to trickle in and those numbers are likely to rise.

Election Analysis: What History Tells Us About Who Will Take the Fifth

by Thadeus Greenson on June 6, 2018 at 12:00PM

But what does history tell us about how Sundberg fares with all those votes counted after Election Day? In short, it tells us that he hasn’t done as well as he did in the final election night tallies.

Election Rundown: A Reformer's Landslide, a Nail-Biter in the Fifth and What You Missed on Election Night

by Thadeus Greenson on June 6, 2018 at 6:08AM

Humboldt County’s first contested judicial election in decades ended in a landslide, with Lawrence Killoran taking 65.97 percent of the vote to Lathe Gill’s 33.64 percent. “It’s very flattering to have the community come together and show that kind of support,” Killoran said by phone after retiring from his election night party at the Samoa Women’s Club.

3rd UPDATE: Paz Dominguez Grows Lead in Auditor-Controller Race

by Linda Stansberry on June 6, 2018 at 12:58AM

The office spilled into the headlines all the way back in November, when Paz Dominguez used her three minutes of public comment to relay her concerns about understaffing and other issues to the Board of Supervisors. Tensions between Paz Dominguez and her supervisor, Joseph Mellett, led to a cascading series of events that included Paz Dominguez appealing to the human resources department to intervene in interdepartmental tensions, a sexual harassment complaint against Mellett, a complaint of a hostile work environment by several employees against Paz Dominguez, Paz Dominguez’s decision to run for Mellett’s job, Mellett’s early resignation and the board's appointment of an interim replacement.

3rd UPDATE: Bass Leads in Fourth District Race, Results Unchanged in Final Report

by Thadeus Greenson on June 6, 2018 at 12:27AM

Humboldt County's Fourth Supervisorial District stands apart from the rest. It's the most urban district in the 4,000 square miles that make up Humboldt County and it encompasses the city of Eureka, where most county services are located and many of the county's most entrenched problems — from homelessness to drug addiction — are most visible.