Interim Program Manager Julie Van Sickle (left) and Humboldt Science and Mathematics Center Director Jeffrey White (right). By John C. Osborn

One year after Humboldt State University shuttered its doors to the general public, the Natural History Museum in Arcata is expected to re-open next week, armed with new revenue sources and an expanded mission.

Back in Aug. 2009, news of the impending closure of the museum prompted a hastily mobilization of supporters who tried to find a way to keep the facility open, but with HSU facing a daunting deficit and no alternative sources of revenue captured in time, the doors closed.

The Humboldt Science and Mathematics Center/Redwood Science Project, a grant-funded entity independent of the university, had acquired grants to at least keep the museum open to elementary-level children since the closure.

Now, that same entity, directed by HSU Professor Jeffrey White, will oversee operations there. The center acquired a $50,000 grant and numerous private pledges of support to re-open the museum to the public. The museum will be open to the public Sept. 14, and a grand opening is scheduled for Oct. 9.

“We’ve received many pledges of support,” White said. “The checks are starting to come in right now.”

The center also trimmed $40,000 out of the museum’s budget in the realm of salaries and operating costs. Specifically, the Museum Director position was eliminated and replaced with a part-time Program Manager. Julie Van Sickle will serve as interim program manager until a search for a permanent manager is conducted.

The center has a fundraising goal of $100,000, enough money to keep the museum afloat for at least one year, White said. The museum will also rely on membership fees, sales, donations, and grants to maintain the costs thereafter.

Beyond the wonders that a museum offers to the public, White said the center will create a closer tie between the museum and academic programs, giving it a fresh new mission that will help to obtain grant monies. Students pursuing opportunities in elementary education will be able to have first-hand experience with educating children on physics and chemistry subjects at the museum once every semester, along with other academic opportunities.

The center, chartered in 2005, offers professional support and programs to better prepare future teachers in the science arena. The center is also an umbrella for various other endeavors, including the Northcoast Mathematics and Science Initiative and the California Environmental Legacy Project.

“This kind of adds to the different programs we’ve been running,” White said.

Top headlines for the day, lassoed and delivered to you

From The Reporta:

• Fourth District Supe candidate Virginia Bass held a kick-off speech yesterday outside of The Wharfinger in Eureka for the next and final leg of the supervisorial campaign, where she rebutted attacks made by incumbent Bonnie Neely while dishing out a few of her own. Listen to the speech in its entirety here.
• Last night, the Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee endorsed Eureka candidates Larry Glass, Ron Kuhnel, and Peter LaVallee, and Arcata incumbent Alex Stillman.
• Eureka Councilmember and mayoral candidate Frank Jager will be launching his campaign today at the Boys and Girls Club Teen Center on J Street, in Eureka, at 12:30 p.m.

From Elsewhere:

• Attorneys in the Skilled Healthcare lawsuit reached a settlement agreement which a Humboldt County Superior Court judge will review on Friday. The settlement is substantially less than the amount initially awarded after a jury found the nursing home company guilty of numerous health code violations — $62.8 million verses the $677 million imposed by the jury. Details, such as attorney’s fees, will be hashed out in future hearings.
• Deputies with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office discovered two paint dumps on Green Diamond Resource Company property one mile east of Korbel yesterday, finding a total of 95 five-gallon and 155 one-gallon paint cans between the two sites.
• North Coast Journal Editor Hank Sims has an intriguing theory about how Eurekans vote, and how various political players try to garner that vote.

The Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee endorsed four candidates for the upcoming Eureka and Arcata council races at its meeting Wednesday night.

The committee, which consists of elected Democrats in Humboldt County, hands out endorsements to local candidates that are a part of the Democratic Party, though all the city and county positions up for grabs are non-partisan. In order for a candidate to be endorsed, a two-thirds vote from the committee must be achieved.

For the Eureka races, the committee endorsed First Ward incumbent Larry Glass, Third Ward candidate Ron Kuhnel, and mayoral candidate Peter LaVallee, and for the Arcata race, only Alex Stillman garnered an endorsement from the committee although there are two seats up for grabs.

At previous meetings, the committee also endorsed Bonnie Neely for Fourth District Supervisor, Pat Cleary for Fifth District Supervisor, and was split again in the District Attorney race between incumbent Paul Gallegos and Allison Jackson. No candidates for the Assessor race were eligible for nomination.

Fourth District Supe candidate Virginia Bass speaks before supporters outside the Wharfinger. By John C. Osborn

Fourth District Supe candidate Virginia Bass rebutted several criticisms made against her by opponent and current supervisor Bonnie Neely, while also touching on the Balloon Track and county finances at a speech earlier today.

Bass talked to a group of supporters with the Balloon Track serving as a backdrop, at one point contrasting the view looking toward the Bay and the blighted property as “beauty and the beast.” Supporters at the event included Eureka Council candidates Marian Brady, Lance Madsen, and Mike Newman, Eureka Mayoral candidate Frank Jager, and Harbor Commissioner Richard Marks.

Bass started off by thanking voters for nearly bringing her to victory in the June Primary (she was 152 votes shy of winning the seat outright) and Jeff Leonard for running a clean campaign. She then criticized Neely for having nothing positive to say after 24 years of being office and for slinging mud at her in ads and in a recent speech. Bass said she would take the high-road and not sling that mud back.

“What I’m finding is a very desperate opponent,” Bass said.

One such area Bass touched on during the speech was campaign finances, pointing out that Neely raised 73 percent of the cash in her coffers from out-of-county donors. She specifically pointed to two $10,000 donations Neely received. At her campaign kick-off last week, Neely criticized Bass for accepting tens-of-thousands of dollars in developer money.

Bass said that there is too much money in elections and that there should be some campaign finance reform. Bass has, according to her financial disclosures, raised the most cash of all candidates in all races with a total of $114,667. Neely to date has raised $84,144.

Bass talked about the Balloon Track, specifically the need to immediately clean-up the property. She said the clean-up could generate 65 union jobs, and then she derided Neely for not doing more to intermediary in the whole process.

“We can make it a win-win,” Bass said of the clean-up. “The only ones who are winning are the attorneys, and the community is losing.”

Bass also touched on the state of county finances, saying that the county faces a deficit, cuts to public safety have been made, and the county’s rainy day fund is lower than it should be.

Listen to the Full Speech Here

Provided by the Arcata Theatre Lounge

Press Release from the Arcata Theatre Lounge

Sometimes, you have to lose your way to get back home

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) is an adventure film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and starring George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, and Charles Durning and is inspired in part by Homer’s The Odyssey.

Set in 1937 rural Mississippi during the Great Depression, suave and fancy-talking Everett Ulysses McGill (Clooney), dim-witted Delmar (Nelson), and easily-excitable Pete (Turturro) are serving time together on a prison chain gang. Everett knows where $1.2 million is hidden that’s theirs for the taking, and the three manage to escape; however, a stranger soon warns them that they’ll find treasure, but not the sort they’re looking for. As Everett and his partners hit the road, they happen upon a gluttonous bible salesman, Big Dan Teague (Goodman); meet up with Baby Face Nelson (Michael Badalucco) as he robs a bank; encounter three Sirens doing their washing; run into Everett’s estranged wife Penny (Hunter), who has told everyone her husband was killed in a train wreck; find themselves in the middle of a heated campaign between political boss Pappy O’Daniel (Durning), and reformist candidate Homer Stokes (Wayne Duvall); and even find time to make a hit record as The Soggy Bottom Boys. Noted songwriter T-Bone Burnett helped compile the songs (combining vintage country blues tunes with originals in the same style), while Carter Burwell composed the background score. Incidentally, the title O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a reference to the classic Preston Sturges comedy Sullivan’s Travels, in which a director plans to make a serious “message picture” with that name.

WHAT: Screening of “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

WHERE: Arcata Theatre Lounge

WHEN: Sunday Sept. 12 @ 6 p.m.

From the Rodoni camp:

The Johanna Rodoni for Assessor Committee announced today a November election campaign kick-off event at The Historic Scotia Inn on Thursday, September 9, 2010. The evening will feature dinner, live and silent auctions, as well as music by the Phoebes’.

Johanna Rodoni, a businesswoman, rancher and former county supervisor has a 35-year background of service to the community. Following the announcement of the retirement of the current Assessor, Johanna declared her candidacy. Rodoni believes a leadership change is needed in the Assessors’ department that is innovative, efficient and responsive to the needs of the community.

The campaign kick-off begins at 6:00 p.m. with a social hour, followed by a buffet dinner at 7:00 pm.

Donation for the dinner is $30. Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling

(707) 407-8599 or at Low’s Furniture in Fortuna – 906 Main Street. Tickets will be available at the door.

For more information on Johanna Rodoni and her campaign for Humboldt County Assessor, please visit: www.johannarodoni.com

WHAT: Johanna Rodoni Campaign Kick-off

WHERE: Scotia Inn

WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 9 @ 6 p.m.

Josh Mohland talks with supporters outside of his business on I St. duing his campaign kick-off. By John C. Osborn

Arcata City Council candidate Josh Mohland wants to make it clear that he is not a politician, and he thinks that point makes him stand out against other candidates.

Mohland, a political newcomer to the Arcata scene, addressed a group of supporters outside of his I St. business office last Friday, where he outlined his ideas for economic development, improvements to the city’s nightlife, and affordable housing.

“I’d rather spend my time and energy talking about issues I care about,” he said, “rather than what will get me elected.”

Much of his speech focused on the lack of job opportunities for graduating students and the lack of outreach to industries that would be a good fit for the city, including technology and green industries. On the point of technology, Mohland said Arcata is ripe for an industry of that nature to develop and grow, but nobody knows about this place. He added that relying on Humboldt State University, one of the area’s largest employers,  and other government jobs as a source of employment is not sustainable.

“You don’t build a Silicon Valley,” he said, “you let one grow.”

Mohland also addressed what he says is an unnecessarily complex permitting system, suggesting that the city implement a one-stop shop for permits, give customer service training to city employees dealing with the public, and expedite approval for projects that require only administrative approval. He also suggested waiving the business permit fee for the first year for a start-up company.

“The city needs to work with business,” he said, “not against it.”

He also briefly touched on nightlife issues, such as the lack of venues and shows for those between 18 and 20-years old, and a lack of affordable housing for households making less than $90,000 a year.

Mohland finished by saying if he could change one thing about Arcata with a snap of fingers, it would be that every Humboldt State graduate this spring would have a job waiting for them here.

“Now that would be awesome,” he said.

Listen to Mohland’s Speech Here

Smoking Ordinance

The council will consider amending parts of the recently approved smoking ordinance, a law that has since become an contentious issue with certain Eureka businesses, particularly bar owners.

The ordinance, arguably the most stringent in Humboldt County, bans smoking throughout most of the city, particularly in areas where people congregate, such as outside of bars, cafes, restaurants, events, apartment complexes, and parks. The ordinance cited a need to protect those who don’t smoke from the documented health effects associated with second-hand smoke. It went into effect in the beginning of Sept.

Since the ordinance was passed, the city has received a number of emails, phone calls, and a petition by businesses and individuals voicing their opposition to the new regulations. The petition, signed by a number of businesses and individuals including Ernie’s Lounge, John’s Auto Electric, the AA Bar and Grill, and Rendezvous Music and Vending, derides the city for not properly noticing businesses about the ordinance before the council voted on it and for the potential economic impact the new regulations could have on local businesses.

Medical Marijuana Enforcement

On Aug. 3, Eureka became the second city in Humboldt County to pass regulations on the cultivation and sales of medical marijuana in an attempt to curtail illegal grow houses and set standards for dispensaries. Under the ordinance, the city will allow four dispensaries the right to cultivate and sell medical marijuana, allow for two other independent distribution points, and establishes rules on personal cultivation in residences. The new rules went into effect on Sept. 3.

The new enforcement policies may largely reflect the criteria used when addressing other code enforcement issues, with fines being assessed the longer a complaint is not addressed and if the grow does not meet the standards set by the city.

According to the staff report, the city, upon receiving a complaint, would send out a notice to the property owner and the physical address of the alleged grow with an inspection date attached. If there is no response to the city after 15 days from the date in which the first notice was sent, another notice will be sent out warning of penalties if the issue isn’t addressed. If there is no response to the second notice, then the city will file a final notice and start charging fines. The city could also obtain an inspection warrant to search the property.

After an inspection by the city, if violations are found there will be more fines associated with a grow being out of compliance with the medical marijuana ordinance. Fines will accrue until the the code issues are resolved. Also, the city would have the ability to conduct no more than two unannounced inspections within a 12-month period from the date in which the initial inspection occurred to make sure a residence is in compliance.

Ultimately, if someone is found to be in violation of the ordinance and fines levied on the offender are not paid, then the city could initiate the process of placing a lien on the property, which could prevent a property from being sold, until the fines are paid. Violators will also face additional fees if they were found to have previous code violations in this regard. There is also a process by which a property owner can appeal if fines are levied against them.

The proposed fine schedule includes the following:

• $1,080/yr to renew a conditional use permit (pertains to dispensaries)
• $581.20/hr for an emergency inspection where the location is found to be out-of-compliance
• $500/day fine if a “grow house” if found, which is defined as a place where an the cultivation of marijuana is not permitted  (such as an unlivable residence)
• $425.60 if the city had to obtain an inspection warrant
• $348.72/hr for a scheduled inspection where the location is found to be out-of-compliance
• $50/day for failure to comply with all the codes established under the medical marijuana ordinance

By John C. Osborn

From the Meserve camp:

Dave Meserve will launch his campaign for Arcata City Council from the boat ramp at the Arcata Marsh on Thursday, September 9^th at 12:15pm.

Meserve will address supporters and media at the Arcata Marsh boat ramp. The new floating dock there was a project he championed while serving on the council and worked with others to create. The Arcata Marsh highlights one of the many ways Arcata has been on the cutting edge of livable, prosperous, and progressive cities.

As a city councilmember, Meserve will promote regional self-sufficiency, responsive government, and a livable community.

Meserve has lived on the North Coast for 41 years. He holds a BS and teaching credential from HSU and works as a building designer and contractor. Meserve served on the Arcata City Council from 2002-2006.

Meserve’s name will appear on the ballot for the November 2 election.

WHAT: Dave Meserve Campaign Kick-off

WHERE: Arcata Marsh, Boat Ramp

WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 9 @ 12:15 p.m.

From the Bass Camp:

Please join me, Humboldt County 4th District Supervisor candidate Virginia Bass, as I announce my campaign kick-off for the November 2nd general election at the Wharfinger Building this Wednesday, September 8th at 11:45 am.

We came within 152 votes of winning this campaign outright with three candidates in the race.  Now we need to finish the job we started on November 2^nd by getting out the vote.

I appreciate your continued support in the November general election.

I look forward to seeing you there as I’m excited to continue my grassroots door-to-door campaign so I can address the local concerns of our community.

WHAT: Virginia Bass Campaign Kick-Off

WHERE: Wharfinger Building

WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 8 @ 11:45 a.m.