Daniel Mintz Mad River Union HUMBOLDT – As Humboldt County’s Board of Supervisors approved a Community Wildfire Protection Plan, some supervisors questioned whether residential and road expansion impacts have been adequately addressed in the county’s General Plan. The new fire risks posed by expanding residential densities in timberlands were discussed as supervisors approved an update…
Rambling Jack: Mack Town takes the reins
Something positive and important is happening in McKinleyville. It’s been visible at recent governmental meetings, where residents are showing up in larger numbers. They’re engaged. They’re informed. They’re asking for a greater say in how McKinleyville solves its problems and shapes its future. Take, for example, the Jan. 30 meeting of the McKinleyville Municipal Advisory…
School Choice Week gets poor grade
Daniel Mintz Mad River Union HUMBOLDT – Last week was poised to be National School Choice Week in Humboldt County but a proposed Board of Supervisors proclamation on it failed after it was flagged for discussion. Supervisor Mike Wilson pulled the proclamation from the Jan. 22 board meeting agenda, citing the use of tax funding…
Supervisors grant themselves a pay raise, with Madrone dissenting
Daniel Mintz Mad River Union HUMBOLDT – In what one Humboldt County supervisor described as a “super uncomfortable” action, county supervisors have approved pay raises for themselves. The base salary for the position of Humboldt County Supervisor got a boost at the Jan. 8 Board of Supervisors meeting. According to the Transparent California website, county…
Rezoning for General Plan reopens political division
Daniel Mintz Mad River Union HUMBOLDT – Humboldt County’s General Plan is still in a state of flux, as implementation of its zoning maps has inflamed division over land use and hinges on the outcomes of public meetings in multiple communities. The ever-controversial process of approving land use changes took another turn at the Jan.…
Humboldt Bay Trail funding appears assured
County of Humboldt HUMBOLDT – The project to complete the four-mile gap in the Humboldt Bay Trail between Eureka and Arcata is on the list of projects recommended for funding through the state’s 2019 Active Transportation Program. The Active Transportation Program is a competitive grant program that funds bicycle and pedestrian improvements throughout California. The…
Revolt against General Plan rezones
Daniel Mintz Mad River Union HUMBOLDT – Humboldt County’s recently-updated General Plan is more controversial than ever and has hit a wall of opposition as the Board of Supervisors considers its implementation. At a December 11 hearing, supervisors took up the rezoning of hundreds of thousands of parcels in accordance with the General Plan’s land…
McKinleyville to study zoning changes
Jack Durham Mad River Union MCKINLEYVILLE – The McKinleyville Municipal Advisory Committee (McKMAC) will hold a special meeting Thursday, Dec. 6 at 6 p.m. to discuss proposed land-use zoning changes in McKinleyville. A venue for the special meeting had not been determined before the Union went to press. The committee discussed the zoning changes at…
County expects to be stuck with cannabis cleanup tabs
Daniel Mintz Mad River Union HUMBOLDT – Five Humboldt County property owners have been fined a total of almost $5 million for code violations related to cannabis cultivation but the county isn’t expecting them to pay and the sites will have to be cleaned up. The reality of issuing cannabis-related code penalties was made apparent…
Vote ensures road and public safety funds
Daniel Mintz Mad River Union HUMBOLDT – Humboldt County’s public safety services and roads will continue their current levels of tax funding, as voting for local and state ballot measures supported them. The locally-advanced Measure O, which continues a half-cent sales tax for public safety services, was approved by voters while the statewide Proposition 6,…