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Local News 05 21 26 · KMUD News

• 0:00
  Speaker A: Foreign.
• 0:05
  Speaker B: Welcome to the KMUD News. I'm your news Director, April Lewis, and I'm glad to be with you for this broadcast. On this episode, we'll have in depth coverage of the Eureka City Council discussing the dynamics of homelessness and an update from Redway's Community Services District. But first, a rundown of today's top stories and headlines. This is KMUD News, Starting off with News from Cal Poly Humboldt with the exhilarating cheers of thousands of family members and friends ringing throughout the Redwood Bowl, Cal Poly Humboldt joyfully celebrated the incredible achievements of its spring Class of 2026. During commencement ceremonies held Saturday, May 16 this spring, 1286 students earned degrees and certificates, each representing a unique journey that culminated in a day filled with pride and recognition. This year's commencement marks an extraordinary milestone as it is the first class to enter the university as Cal Poly Humboldt Senator since the university received its polytechnic designation in 2022. Nearly 1200 students participated in the commencement ceremony on Saturday showcasing the spectacular accomplishments of the university's three colleges. The College of Arts, Humanities and Social sciences celebrated over 270 graduates. Meanwhile, the College of Natural Resources and Sciences honored more than 400 graduates. Lastly, the College of Professional Studies marked the occasion with more than 500 graduates in Mendocino County A Mendocino County Superior Court jury returned to the courtroom Wednesday morning from its deliberations, admittedly after some fits and starts to announce it had found the trial defendant guilty as charged. Defendant Matthew ryan Mayo, age 45, formerly of Crawford Ranch Road in Hopland and now generally of Nevada, was found guilty. Rape of an intoxicated or incapacitated woman, a felony administering a controlled substance to an unknowing victim, a felony and distributing a photograph of an intimate part of a woman's anatomy without her knowledge and consent, a misdemeanor. At the time of the crimes In May of 2020, defendant Mayo was a licensed respiratory therapist working at Howard Hospital in Willits. He invited a co worker over to his home on a Friday night after work to watch movies. After she arrived, he first spiked and then offered his guest a beer which she accepted without knowing that he had added a central nervous system depressant which was marketed as Ambien. Drugs commonly used in drug facilitated sexual assaults are primarily fast acting depressants. These substances, particularly when mixed with alcohol, can rapidly impair a victim's behavior, perception and decision making capacity, putting the victim at a severe physical and mental disadvantage. They are a valuable tool to criminals seeking to commit sex crimes because depressants are quickly metabolized and eliminated as evidence from the body, often before a crime can even be reported. While this case was pending, the Respiratory Care Board of California, a division of the Department of Consumer affairs, obtained in July 2023 a court order restricting defendant Mayo's license, which denied him the legal ability to work as a respiratory therapist pending the outcome of his Mendocino county case. After the jury's verdicts were entered into the record this morning, May 21, the court ordered the defendant remanded into custody pending further court proceedings. He is being held without bail in Trinity County. Caltrans is postponing the next phase of emergency slide repair work on State Route 299 at the Buckhorn Summit Slide area. Work on the eastbound lane, which was originally scheduled to begin Wednesday, May 27, has been postponed while additional funding is secured for the project. As crews have continued excavation and stabilization efforts, it became clear that the slide area required more extensive repairs than originally anticipated. Because this is an emergency project, returning to request additional funding is not unusual and helps ensure crews can safely and effectively complete the necessary repairs. The slide area remains stable and does not pose any safety concerns for the traveling public. Caltrans geotechnical experts continue to closely monitor and evaluate the area to ensure roadway conditions remain safe while additional funding is secured and and project plans move forward. More information, including a revised schedule for the next phase of work, will be shared as it becomes available. Motorists are encouraged to continue planning for delays in the area and check Quick Map for the latest traffic conditions. Last for the rundown A quick update from the Humboldt Sheriff's Office on Miranda's Rescue the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office continues to actively investigate the Miranda's rescue case and remains committed to pursuing every available lead related to this investigation. Detectives and investigators are working diligently with partner agencies, reviewing evidence, conducting follow up interviews and responding to information provided by members of the public. The Sheriff's Office recognizes the significant concern this case has generated throughout Humboldt county and beyond. The Sheriff Office wants the public to know that this case remains a priority. Since the investigation began, the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office has received numerous tips and pieces of information from the community. Every tip received is carefully documented, assessed and followed up on by investigators. Anyone with information related to the Miranda's rescue case is encouraged to contact the Sheriff's Office tip line at 707-268-2539. And now to our main stories. This is KMUD News. Biannual surveying has given Eureka a better understanding of homelessness in the city. Daniel Mintz reports
• 7:21
  Speaker C: homelessness is an issue that seems intractable, and recent surveying done by the Eureka Police Department shows that about one third of respondents say homelessness is actually a preference. The dynamics of homelessness in Eureka were explored in a May 19 presentation to the Eureka City Council. Eureka Police Commander Leonard LaFrance described the data from 239 surveys of homeless people done between March 8 and April 4. One of the finding is that when asked, is your lifestyle a matter of choice? 29% of respondents said it is. Asked about how that squares with causes related to income, housing, mental health, and substance use, LaFrance talked about the challenges of getting people off the streets.
• 8:11
  Speaker D: You know, people would ask them, you know, we give them these options, we talk to them about. We see them every day, right? We want to get them inside or wherever, and just like, no, I don't want this. This is what I want to do right now.
• 8:20
  Speaker A: Yeah.
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  Speaker D: And I think when we look at our population of. My estimation of our homeless in Eureka is 250 to 350, probably more towards 300. You know, we know, like, for. I've been here almost 20 years. There are people that are still on the street and almost 20 years ago that are still here now, and they. They refuse to take the services, and they refuse to change behavior. And so it's beyond challenging to, sure, you can still have a relationship with them, but again, the behaviors, eventually we got to figure out a solution on it for them.
• 8:50
  Speaker C: Other findings from the surveying is 26% of respondents saying they spent the previous night in a shelter, a 20 percentage point drop from the last time surveying was done in 2024. There are also drops in the percentage of respondents saying they slept in encampments or dream belts, while there's an increase in those saying they slept in doorways, alleys, and streets. The reasons why were discussed here by Sergeant Brian Ross of EPD's Community Safety Engagement Team.
• 9:23
  Speaker E: Essentially, they get 86 from the shelters, and then they're done until they either work it out with the shelter, and there's only so many options. So once something bad does happen to them, they're kind of stuck on the street, and then they're sleeping. They like to sleep around free meal because they feel safe there. And so a lot of less. A lot less people are sleeping on the trail because they can sleep next to free meal. It's lighted their services there. They feel safe, People can see them. And so that's. That's definitely a struggle. And then, you know, they don't have anywhere else to go. So they get up in the morning there and they can get food and they can get services and things like that. And you go out into the. Into the bushes of the trail and, you know, you're kind of on your own out there. There's no lights, there's no people watching you. And so we don't feel safe. And they don't want to go in the shelters for a variety of different reasons. It seems, if my personal opinion, it seems like the drug use is the issue. If you go in there, you can't smoke weed, you can't, you know, use drugs, and they can't live the lifestyle that they want to live when they're outside of the shelter.
• 10:21
  Speaker C: Mental health and substance use issues are often cited as causes of homelessness. 47% of respondents said they've been diagnosed or treated for mental illnesses. And those who said they use meth and fentanyl amounted to 21% and 13%, respectively. But a majority, 56%, said drugs or alcohol have been problematic for them. LaFrance said there's been progress on getting people with mental health conditions treatment, even
• 10:50
  Speaker D: though our numbers are increasing. You know, we went from 330 mental health holds in 2020 to 105 or 120 last year. I mean, a two thirds drop because we're diverting better. But are we seeing the same people? Yeah, but then you see folks that, you know, that were heavy hitters. You know, we're talking 350 calls a year for service that, you know, everyone in the city knew them. You drive by, it's like, where'd this guy go? Well, we got them assistance. And so that one individual that is very, very taxing on the community and themselves because they're like the just. The lifestyle is not good for them or anybody. So once they kind of get them assistance, I mean, for us, that's a giant win, right? You're looking for those big ones. Those aren't always going to happen. And also with Care Court, these guys have been working very, very hard with the county getting folks to where they to getting treatment and getting assistance. So I think it's a hard answer because we're getting more calls, but we're doing a better job, I think, on evaluating them. They're also a better job on diverting them.
• 11:51
  Speaker C: The surveying also found that 48% said they have disabilities or chronic health problems, 36% said they've been arrested or in jail in the past year, some multiple times. And a combined 61% said lack of Affordable housing and income are their biggest barriers to housing. 62% said they're dissatisfied with their current lives and 29% said they lived in Eureka prior to becoming homeless, which was the highest percentage in that category in Eureka. For KMUD News, this is Daniel Mintz.
• 12:37
  Speaker B: Redway's community Services district had an issue yesterday causing an unsafe situation for workers. We delve into the issue and future near term capital improvements in store for Redway K mod news reports. Cody Cox is general manager of Redway's community services district which manages the full scope of water in Redway, including but not limited to supplies, water treatment infrastructure, sewer and redundancy systems. Yesterday, May 20, there was an incident on Redway Drive involving drivers speeding and being irate with workers fixing part of the Redway Community District's network of water pipes. We followed up with Cody Cox to find out what happened, what work is going on and the large number of capital improvements slated for Redway starting off here. Could you just tell us a little bit of what occurred yesterday on Redway Drive?
• 13:40
  Speaker C: Yeah.
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  Speaker F: So with what was going on yesterday, the county's in the middle of their measure O projects. So we had Redway CSD has had several leaks on Redway Drive and we had cold mix patch in there. And so we were coming through removing our cold mix patch and they were coming through and putting their hot mix patch in. And then on the 29th they're going to be having a contractor come down and seal it. That's what we were doing in partnership with the county yesterday and we did experience Redway rate pairs coming through our safety cone zone there, our traffic control area that were pretty upset. You know, I can understand why with all the projects going around and going down in town, you know, you got PGE's helicopter out and you know, frontiers doing their FO stuff, fiber optics, you know, counties doing their patch and you know, we're out there. Yesterday, couple of things, we had a lateral service leak on top of what the county was doing. So we had to fix that, repair that, get that back up to grade level so that the next day today we could come through and put the hot mix there and then start removing our cold mix patches clear down past Oak and Redway down there. And we've completed that on Redway Drive this morning early. With the exception of the 29th sealant, that's going to go down the morning of or the day of, I can't really speak for the county.
• 15:13
  Speaker B: And then anything you can provide our listeners in terms of updates on capital improvements you're doing?
• 15:20
  Speaker F: Yeah. So the, the Redway emergency water storage and supply project grant is coming to an end. We've completed installing. 95% of our AMI meters are automatic reading meters or electronic water meters are in the ground. The 250,000 gallon tank next to our 460,000 gallon tank on Rusk is up. The new one is up and we're going to begin filling it, we hope next week. We're just completing the yard piping side of the project today. So that tank's going to be getting filled within the next couple of weeks here just in time for conservation and fire season. We really desperately need that. The other part of that grant was the update design for the filter vessels. Four of them times four at the surface water treatment plant for the Redway Community Services District. The design has been done and ready, ready to be implemented in another project that was an additive bid item. It wasn't included in the scope, but the tank and the meters were. And that's been completed just about. We're at that sunset of that portion of the project and the sunset date is on June 30, so cutting it close, but we're there. And there's another grant that we've just completed is Wastewater Infrastructure Planning grant. The planning grant's been completed and we've gone out to FASST application for the state revolving Fund with the State Water Resource Control Board. The ask was for 19.7 million. The previous ask was for 20.7. We came down a little, little bit. This is the second application going out. We had to make some changes. There are some things the state wanted to see happen. We did get that done and we're still waiting to hear back from the FASST program process through the dfa, which is the Division of Financial Assistance with the Wastewater Unit at the State Water Resource Control Board. We also have technical assistance coming from the Cal EPA side of things. For now, I'm talking about the sanitary sewer. That's going to help us get a head start on our cleaning and jetting of the sanitary sewer system. Even though we have our own VAC truck now. This was put into play before we received our VAC truck. That is our VAC truck. That is a towns VAC truck. It's a ratepayers jet vac truck. It's something we desperately needed that we now have. I'll continue talking about the sanitary sewer. That is the scope of work for this summer. This summer our CSD crews will be out doing cipp. That means cured in place Piping, we're going to be fixing any separations, cracks, spiral fractures on our side of the sanitary sewer system, our mains. What that is, is that's a trenchless technology. We send the bladder through a pneumatic bladder and we have a repair kit that has fiberglass and resin which are made specifically for the sanitary sewer systems. That's what we're going to be utilizing this summer. There will be no high lines. It's a pass through system like I said. So it's trenchless. So we won't, we shouldn't be largely affected by traffic control, but we will be out and about and that is what we're doing.
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  Speaker B: Cody Cox then went into more depth on recently completed projects and what is coming up this summer for the Redway Community Services District.
• 19:05
  Speaker F: The other project that we have going on, that we will have going on in conjunction with the cipp, the cured in place piping is going to be. And this is a big one, a big project that's been going on. We just completed the capital improvements project on West Coast Drive. So we just completed the capital improvements project on West Coast Drive which also included Mill Drive. That was a total of the removal of one dry barrel and then the addition of five new commercial fire hydrants. So commercial. The commercial hydrants are in. There is a commercial hydrant at the end of mill along with the other four going along West Coast. And that also includes 800ft of 6 inch C900 and then the 4 inch C900 pipe going down mill. And in addition to the hydrants, we've obviously installed all new auxiliary valves and isolation valves. And throughout town we have an issue and I know that our ratepayers have heard this before and felt this before because we're having to disrupt service for the whole town to get these first series of valves in. And we're working our way down through town. So we've already got having west coast done and mill done. We're moving into Redway proper and we'll be going down Redway Drive and then down Whitmore and onto Brycelyn and then across to park in the park and Pacific area for isolation valve installations. Once we start getting these in, there's going to be less and less. There's going to be a less amount of people that are interrupted. So it should, you know, we're getting, we're trying to get to the, you know, just the isolation of a street rather than an entire block or the entire town. So just, we appreciate the patience. We are working with valves that Were never exercised in the past. So they're, they're seized shut. A majority of them, some of them are working, but the ones that are working are not isolating. These are resilient wedge gate valves and if you don't exercise them, the valley in the bottom is going to build up with debris and you're never going to get isolation. That's an important thing for all the folks to understand. And we're working on it. We're getting them in. We've already gotten I think 15 or so and that includes the capital improvements project up there in west coast and mill. So we're cruising along with that project.
• 21:42
  Speaker B: Lastly, Cody explained why some currently operational hydrants need to be removed by the Redway Community Services District due to them not being the right fit for this climate. The new hydrants will also allow firefighters and others to access water supplies and in less time.
• 22:01
  Speaker F: The other thing that's, that's important to know is the, the, the hydrants that are being removed are, are dry barrel hydrants. Those don't belong here. The difference between a dry barrel and a wet barrel is the valve for a dry barrel is down in the bottom and that's like that and designed like that to prevent freezing. And we're never going to get a freezing like that. That's going to snap four or six inch line. We get freezes that'll fat, that'll snap to three quarter inch, but not anything larger than, you know, four and six inch. That's never going to happen. And what that means with the wet barrels being online and is, it's instant, it's quicker, the stem is on the hydrant itself instead of, you know, having to turn the whole thing at the bottom. So this is a, this is a quicker deal for the fire department and for the utility operators.
• 22:56
  Speaker B: I want to thank Cody Cox, general manager of the Redway Community Services District for his time and fire Full explanation of the water improvements ongoing in Redway. This story was created in part due to listener requests for more coverage of local water and school districts. And we'll be doing more stories on those topics. We always want to hear what stories are most relevant to you and we encourage listeners to give us a call at 707-923-2605 or email newsema.org Reporting for KMUD, I'm April Lewis. Lastly, we have two public news stories from Suzanne Potter. The first on EPA moves to weaken clean water protections and a story on California lawmakers looking to increase protections for medical patients in ice custody.
• 24:02
  Speaker A: Clean water groups say they're disgusted at the Environmental Protection Agency's move this week to rescind six Biden era rules on pfas, otherwise known as forever chemicals. The feds want to reissue narrower rules on four substances, arguing the rulemaking process was legally flawed. They'd also give companies and water agencies two extra years to comply with rules on two other chemicals. Maria Darwin with the Environmental Defense Fund calls the move outrageous.
• 24:30
  Speaker F: The federal government should be protecting us rather than supporting the economic interests who are profiting by this. And the federal government should not be putting profit ahead of our health.
• 24:43
  Speaker A: A recent study from the Environmental Working Group says PFAS chemicals are present in almost 40% of non organic produce grown in California. They also have a map that shows more than 100 sites in the Golden State where drinking water tests over the limit for pfas. The state Water Resources Board says these chemicals have been used in carpet, furniture, clothing, food packaging, nonstick cookware and firefighting foam, adding that exposure can harm a developing fetus and lead to cancer plus liver and thyroid disease. DOAA says this attack on clean water is evidence that the Trump administration favors big business.
• 25:18
  Speaker F: This is part of a coordinated approach. A lot of the people it's EPA are former chemical industry people who are integral to rolling back these regulations.
• 25:32
  Speaker A: The EPA is taking written comments until July 20th online@regulations.gov and they're holding a virtual public comment hearing on July 7th. For California news Service, I'm Suzanne Potter. Health care advocates are asking California lawmakers to pass two bills to protect the rights of medical patients in ICE custody. Senate Bill 915 would largely prohibit the use of blackout policies in these cases. Reporting by KFF Health News finds that family members and attorneys have had a very hard time finding patients hospitalized while in immigration custody. In a recent Senate committee hearing, UC San Francisco ER Dr. Francesco Sergi testified that ICE agent's behavior has severely restricted his ability to provide life saving care.
• 26:16
  Speaker B: ICE officers have refused to step out of my patients rooms during sensitive medical exams and they have denied me the ability to call patients families and refuse to allow to connect my patients to legal counsel.
• 26:29
  Speaker A: The bill would require ICE agents to produce legal authorization to gain access to a patient's room. Staff would have to ask agents to leave during medical exams and patient care discussions and document any refusal to do so. The California Hospital association and California Medical association expressed concern that directing healthcare workers to document agents badge numbers and ask them to leave patients rooms could create conflict and pose a safety risk. The bill is currently under submission in the state Senate Appropriations Committee. A second bill, Senate Bill 1323, would require health care providers to make sure that staff and relevant volunteers know that they can respond when patients want families to know where they are. The bill's author, State Senator Susan Rubio, says hospitals should also be required to post a notice at facility entrances with information about visitation and access policies.
• 27:20
  Speaker B: Existing statutes do not address the communication
• 27:23
  Speaker F: rights of patients to locate their loved
• 27:25
  Speaker B: ones and let them know of their condition.
• 27:27
  Speaker A: As a result, detained individuals may be isolated and unable to notify family members
• 27:32
  Speaker F: during a medical crisis.
• 27:34
  Speaker A: The bill passed the full state Senate and is now before the Assembly. The federal Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration enforcement, did not respond to a request for comment on the two bills. This story was produced with original reporting from Claudia Boyd Barrett for KFF Health News. For California News Service, I'm Suzanne Pot. Find our trust indicators@publicnewservice.org
• 28:01
  Speaker B: that's all for our news broadcast. Thanks for listening. Thanks to our rotation of broadcast engineers Michael McCaskill, Dennis Marr, Katie Phillips, Bianna Frederico, Larry Lashley and Javier Rodriguez. Also thanks to our reporter for this broadcast, Daniel Mintz. KMAUD News is online. You can find us on kmod.org now streaming on podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can download our stories and newscasts for offline listening. You can also follow us on social mediamudnews, including Facebook and Instagram. Do you have issues important to you that deserve more attention? Other stories were misangers but that you're curious about? Give us a call at 707-923-2605 or send an email to newsema.org Redwood Community Radio Incorporated is funded by Press Forward, the national movement to strengthen communities by reinvigorating local news. Learn more at PressForward News. Redwood Community Radio acknowledges that its transmitter sites located on the unceded territory of the Sinkyon, Wailaki, Wiat, Bilkut and Kato people. We honor ancestors past, present and emerging and acknowledge the ongoing cultural, spiritual and physical connection that these tribes have to the region. I'm April Lewis. Stay tuned in.