TODAY in SUPES: A Debate Over Criminal Justice Reform, Another on Housing, Plus Speed Humps Come to Bridgeville
Screenshots from Tuesday’s meeting (clockwise from top left): First District Supervisor Rex Bohn, Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell, Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson, Fourth District Supervisor Virginia Bass, Sheriff Billy Honsal and Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone.
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As calls for criminal justice reform continue nationwide in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors spent much of Tuesday’s meeting debating a California bill that would lift restrictions on who can run for sheriff.
Humboldt County Code Enforcement
If Humboldt County departments were backyards, the Code Enforcement Unit would have so much trash piled up that concerned neighbors would call the . well, you get the picture. At a recent presentation given to the board of supervisors, the department offered an alarming picture of just how dysfunctional it has become. Code Enforcement Unit Manager Karen Meynall presented an articulate but dismal report on the unequal balance of needs to the department s staffing level, which sits at 11 people. Of these, five are code compliance officers and three are investigators. The remainder are administrative staff. The traditional team [the officers who deal with non-cannabis related complaints] currently has nearly 700 cases that are open with approximately 450 still unassigned to staff, Meynall said. A full-time workload consists of approximately 40 cases. The two most seasoned staff members each have over 75 cases assigned to the
TODAY in SUPES: Cautious Optimism on Local COVID Conditions, Plus the Latest Measure Z Awards and a Bracing Dose of Pension Funding Policy Talk
No, they were not all talking at the same time. Screenshots from Tuesday’s meeting (clockwise from top left): First District Supervisor Rex Bohn, Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell, Fourth District Supervisor Virginia Bass, Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson, Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Ian Hoffman and Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone.
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The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday had some major money-management decisions to make, including how best to spend the latest influx of Measure Z revenues, and also which strategies are needed to address exploding pension liabilities.
The Agency Running Humboldt County’s Workforce Services is Ready to Bail Over Chronically Late Payments
Humboldt County Economic Development Director Scott Adair speaking at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting via Zoom. | Screenshot.
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For months now county officials have been warning that delayed financial transactions, including chronically late payments to vendors, could have “massive implications” for county government, including devastating losses in funding and key services.
A rather dry-sounding agenda item from Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting suggests that this dire prophecy may now be coming true, even as the reasons for the county’s ongoing fiscal snafus remain a matter of bitter internal debate.
Fifty or More Employees of Humboldt County Superior Court Jumped the COVID Vaccine Line
Roughly 8 percent of the county has received at least one dose of COVID vaccine and another 9 percent has been fully vaccinated. | Graph via the County of Humboldt.
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Last month, roughly 50 to 55 employees of Humboldt County Superior Court managed to get COVID-19 vaccinations at a clinic in Scotia despite the fact that, per state guidelines, it was not yet their turn.
The state is currently in the midst of Phase 1B of its vaccine distribution plan. This phase includes people age 65 and older as well as employees in education and childcare, agriculture/food and emergency services.