[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:15] Speaker B: Good evening and welcome to the local news. Today is Tuesday, January 20th, and I'm Nat Cardos reporting for KMUD. In tonight's news, Safer Seniors group to comment on Fortuna's first draft of a rent stabilization ordinance at Fortuna's special city council meeting tonight. Redwood trees being removed on property in Lower Redway, part two of a story aired last week. So stay tuned. Those stories and more coming up.
[00:00:43] Speaker C: Redwood Community Radio acknowledges that its transmitter sites are located on the unceded territory of the Sinkion, Wailaki, Wiat, Wilkut and Kato people. We honor ancestors past, present and emerging and acknowledge the ongoing cultural, spiritual and physical connection these tribes have to this region.
[00:01:06] Speaker B: Tonight, as this broadcast airs at 6pm Fortuna City Council will be having a special meeting and Save Our Seniors sos, a coalition of mobile home park residents, will be attending for public comment to raise concerns about the first draft of the city's rent stabilization ordinance.
Over the past couple of months, SOS has been pushing for an RSO to prevent mobile home park landlords from raising the rent unsustainably high. KMUN News spoke with Hilary Mosher, a volunteer regional manager for nonprofit organization Golden State Manufactured Homeowners League, who's been working with SOS towards this RSO for more about what led up to this RSO draft.
[00:01:41] Speaker D: Some of the folks living in mobile home parks in Fortuna came to me last, really late last spring and said that their rents were going up exceedingly high, like unsustainably high. And so I told them, well, we need to work to get a rent stabilization ordinance to get the city council to pass one that will stabilize those rents and protect you from exploitation by your park owners. So we started out in that route. We formed an organization called SOS Save Our Seniors. We started petitioning during public comment at the city council meeting, and it only took like two or three meetings. And the council became very interested in doing what they could. And back in, I think it was October, they passed a temporary moratorium on rent increases until at least April or until an RSO was adopted. And that was huge. It was unexpected. And I mean, we had asked for it, but we didn't expect it, but they passed it and we were delighted. So people were able to get through the Christmas Hanukkah holiday period without being gouged. And right now we're in the last, I would say, you know, several yards of this race. And the city manager, Amy Nelson of Fortuna has come out with a draft version of a rent stabilization ordinance. And there's some really good things in it, but unfortunately there's some huge giant holes in it right now. So going to the meeting tonight because there's only 30 days for the public comment period, which is up at the end of January. January 31st is the last day for public comment. So we're going to go forward and we're going to talk to them about let's close up these holes that will sabotage the whole concept of stabilization if not closed up.
[00:03:30] Speaker B: Currently there is a rent moratorium in place, meaning that landlords cannot raise the rent until the RSO is finalized. This was covered on Cayman News in a prior story back in September and was a huge win for SOS in getting the RSO draft. Moving along, some of the key issues that SOS takes with this current draft of the RSO is that it doesn't include protections from excessive rent increases at sales, sale or transfer of a home, includes an annual rent increase cap of 100% of the Consumer Price Index CPI doesn't include any administrative fees to be paid by residents or park owners that would offset expenses related to the RSO and more. Moser breaks down what specific parts the coalition criticizes as well as the requested alterations.
[00:04:09] Speaker D: Good in that it caps the rent allowable rent increases at 1 per year.
And they're proposing, I believe, 5% only. It can only go up 5% and that's a huge improvement because the state law permits a park owner to raise the rents up to four times a year as high as they want. There's really no restriction. So that's a huge thing. But there's a problem in that on the kind of backside of that is when somebody sells their home, there needs to be a cap on how high a rent increase can go to the new buyer. And there is none currently in the draft. So we want to make sure that that gets closed up because of course that's unstable in the long run for the people living there right now, right this minute, you know, the 5% cap will keep them sustainable. But if they need to sell their home, on the one hand, they themselves are going to get hurt if there's no cap on increase. The market estimates that for every or that, let's say the industry, that for every hundred dollars in a lot fee increase, the home loses a value of about 10,000.
And so being able to sell your home if the rents are going to be jacked up on the new buyer becomes almost impossible when the buyer can just go three miles down the road to another mobile home park in the unincorporated areas of Humboldt county and get far lower rent. So we're urging the city council to pass a rent increase cap on sale or transfer.
[00:05:40] Speaker B: Another issue they take with the draft RSO is that it allows for a hearing officer to be appointed by the Fortuna city manager in the event that a park owner files a fair return petition. A fair return petition is a request that can be made by the landlord in a rent controlled area for a rent increase above the standard allowable amount, where they can argue that the capped rent doesn't provide a fair profit on their investment. The draft includes no limits on how often a park owner can file a fair return petition and is also nonspecific in terms of qualification requirements for a hearing officer. Mosher, elaborates further.
[00:06:11] Speaker D: The current proposal has a problem in that it allows for a hearing officer to be appointed by the city manager in the event that a park owner files a fair return petition. Now, a fair return petition allows a park owner to make a case for this rent cap, not allowing them to make a fair return. You know, they're entitled as a landowner, a business owner, to constitutional right to make a profit. And, and so if they want to make a case for the fact that they're not making a high enough profit, they can file a special petition. And right now, the draft that the city manager has written says that it would be heard by a hearing officer to be appointed by the city manager. And we're arguing and saying, no, you know, it really should not be appointed by the city manager. The fair return petition should be submitted to an administrative law judge through the California office of administrative hearings, which is an office that we as taxpayers have paid to set up. And they have, you know, trained judicial officers who are sworn and who have no local biases at all. We feel that it's really important to be able to do that. And it also saves the, you know, city staff from having to spend hours doing analyzation and coming up to speed to even learn what fair return means in terms of mobile home parks there. Also, the draft does not include how often a park owner can file a fair return petition. And the process means, first they serve the residents. We want to raise your rent. In my my park, they said $300 a month and then they filed their petition. So all us residents just, we had to pool our money and get an attorney. And we just were biting our nails and it took almost six months for it to be heard. And so we're saying there needs to be a limit of one fair return petition per 12 month period, per Park. And we're also asking that those fair return petitions be submitted to the Office of Administrative Hearings rather than, as the draft suggests, having the city manager make the decision about it. The other thing is the proposal requires the City Council to vote to approve the hearing officer's final decision. And this is problematic because it presumes that the City Council knows as much or more than the hearing officer, and it could undermine a competent hearing officer's decision through local biases. You know, I mean, all of us are subject to that kind of influence.
[00:08:39] Speaker B: The draft includes an annual rent increase cap of 100% of the CPI. And SOS is concerned that if the CPI should happen to end up being extraordinarily high, rent stabilization could be eroded. For example, in 2022, CPI was 8%.
[00:08:52] Speaker D: If it should happen to be extraordinarily high as it was in 2022, that means it would be an 8% rent increase, and that would erode any rents stabilization. So we are requesting that the RSO should include an annual cap of no more than 3% or the CPI, whichever is lower. And the CPI usually is somewhere between 1.5 and 2.5, so that we don't believe that's an unreasonable request. The draft proposal also does not allow for any reduction in rent for reduction in services petitions that can be filed by park residents. And that means that if park owners should decide to cut back park wide services, like in retaliation for rent stabilization, such as landscaping and clubhouse maintenance and street lights or watering, the residents have no way of maintaining the value of their homes in a rundown park and resale values will plummet. So we're asking that the RSO please include a reduction in rent for reduction in services regulation that allows residents to file a petition with the Office of Administrative Hearings, either get the park owner to bring back the services that were in place before the RSO went into effect, or to have their rents lowered according to the value of the lost services.
And that's, you know, super important in my park. When measure V passed in Humboldt county, we had five maintenance workers and the park owner fired all but one. And they stopped watering our lawns. They stopped repairing any of the infrastructure that required repair, and the park just slid downhill. And we finally did have to file a reduction rent for reduction in services. And lo and behold, before it was even submitted to the hearing officer, all those services suddenly came back.
[00:10:45] Speaker B: Aside from some key issues with the draft, Mosier also recognizes that there are good aspects of it, starting with how quickly the city of Fortuna responded to the group's concerns?
[00:10:54] Speaker D: Well, as I said before, it does set a rent increase amount and it does say that there can only be one per year. So that's two things. It is calling for, you know, review of fair return petitions, although we don't feel it's specific enough and doesn't identify a competent reviewer. But the fact that they're identifying. Yeah. That if a park owner wants to claim they're not making enough, there's a process in place. So that's really good. The biggest thing of all is that the Fortuna City Council is acknowledging that the largest source of affordable, you know, non subsidized affordable housing in their city is in those mobile home parks. And they're allowing for the fact that there is no control over right now how high those rents can go. And the ordinance, it says it actually states this, so that's huge too. And we really, really are grateful to the City Council for, you know, stepping up and being very proactive. Other cities that I've worked with, and I've worked with many over the years have taken up to two years to put something together. And, man, during those two years, rents just skyrocket. So we really, really appreciate the City Council and we expect by the time this process is through to be awarding them with a certificate of appreciation, for sure.
[00:12:16] Speaker B: The public comment period for the draft ends on January 31st. Public comments can be made either in person at the Fortuna City Council meeting tonight, future Fortuna City Council meetings, as well as via email.
[00:12:26] Speaker D: For people who can't make it tonight, and even for people who can, it's important to get your comments on the record, and the best way of doing that is by sending an email. And the email address. Let's see if I can remember it. It's A Nilsson N I L S E N at CI Fortuna CA us.
That is the City Manager Amy Nilsen's email address. And in your email ask, please distribute this to other council members or to all council members. And as long as those emails get in before January 31, they will become part of the record and the City Council members will all receive them. And we have found that these city council members, for the most part, with possibly one exception, have really been doing their homework and they've really been paying close attention and reading. They're like our heroes.
We've been pleasantly surprised.
[00:13:22] Speaker B: Once again, the public comment period for the draft ends January 31st. The Fortuna City Council meeting is currently underway, but can also be accessed through Zoom on the Fortuna website. Friendlyfortuna.com a redwood removal project on private property in Redway has prompted a reevaluation of who holds the authority to approve tree removals when public safety, infrastructure and environmental protections intersect. Confusion arose when Cal Fire was the only agency to approve the project, raising questions about how it moved forward without explicit approval from Humboldt county officials. Gabriel Zucker reports in Redway.
[00:13:58] Speaker C: The removal of redwood trees on a private property has sparked confusion and concern, highlighting a complicated overlap between safety, state forestry rules and county zoning laws. The application to cut the redwood tree was received by Cal Fire Region Office in Santa Rosa on December 15 and then was approved on December 16. This was approved under a hazard exemption because the following branches were a hazard to the house on the property and the owner is planning to move his mother into the house, according to the Humboldt county government website.
Tree removal involves numerous considerations, including fire safety, neighborhood character and the protection of sensitive resources, such as habitat. Removal of trees greater than 12 inches in diameter may require a permit from the current Planning division. In general, it is easier to remove trees from a property in the inland areas than it is in the coastal zone. For example, in residential zones, trees may be removed within 30ft of a building pad as long as the removal does not impact a sensitive resource. However, if the resident is in the coastal zone, permits are required from the current planting division. Tree removal 3 acres or larger in size or in the timber production zones, require timber harvest plans and are regulated by the state agency. Cal Fire KMA talked to Lucas Titus, who is part of Cal Fire. He is a forester in the Humboldt Norte Unit who is in charge of overseeing timber harvest operations in southern Humboldt.
[00:15:16] Speaker D: The Humboldt County Planning Department or the county of Humboldt said that there was no Q zone permit, told the landowner there was no Q zone permit required for the harvest of these trees and so the only permit that was required for this harvest document was the 0 to 150 harvest document that the landowner applied for and was approved under the tree removal falls under, like I said, Cal Fires Permit to harvest Trees. The property in question is within the Q zone of the Humboldt county ordinance and that's why when I inspected the property back in October, I told the landowner he needed to make sure that he was in compliance with Humboldt County's qzone ordinance and whether he needed a permit for that or not.
[00:15:58] Speaker C: KMUD was able to interview John Ford, the director of Planning and Building for the county of Humboldt. He shared that since 2022, the county's role in redwood removal changed after discussions with Cal Fire and local foresters Unfortunately, Ford's interview recording was not usable for broadcast. So I will use his exact quotes in my voice. Ford said, quote, in the past we required a special permit, but then we were enforcing upon what we thought was a violation because somebody had removed redwoods without a permit. And after meeting with local foresters and Cal Fire, we are instructed in point to the Forest Practices act which does not allow local jurisdictions to issue permits associated with timber harvest plan or the exemptions thereto. So we started just not requiring any permits and just allowing the provisions of the Forest Practices act to be implemented by Cal Fire, end quote. This is why the redwood tree removal was approved. Ford said that the county of Humboldt had been operating with the belief that they were precluded from taking any action when it came to the approval process.
Ford shared that recently he discovered a provision in the California Code of regulations for Cal Fire requiring all city and county ordinances have to be complied with, including all permits being obtained. He is currently working with Cal Fire to understand how these different rules intersect. Ford said, in Redway, we have zoning ordinances that say if you want to remove old growth redwood trees, you've got to get a special permit. And if one were to follow the California Code of Regulations, which is not law, the Forced Practices act is law, but that should be a practice of Cal Fire. It would require the county to issue a permit to allow the tree removal. So I'm in a state of research right now, end quote. In the meantime, he is taking a firm stand until these questions are answered.
Ford said, quote, I'd instruct his staff not to sign off on any pre removals where a permit would be required and to require the permit in the future, end quote. Most of the redwood trees on the property were deemed hazardous because of the proximity to the house. The big question that has come up is the one old growth redwood tree on the property. There are precautions being taken because of its proximity to power lines next to it. Currently, PGE is supervising the old growth trimming. Kima talked to Megan McFarland, a spokesperson for PGE. She answered how they will approach this tree and confirm there are no plans to cut it down.
[00:18:09] Speaker D: So what we have here is a private property owner in Redway. They hired a third party contract crew to do some work at their property. And sometimes when a contract crew is doing tree work and it's somewhat near PGE power lines, we like to offer as a safety precaution what we call a contractor assist. So PGE essentially goes out and helps ensure that the work is done.
[00:18:31] Speaker E: Safely.
[00:18:32] Speaker D: There's no safety risk to the workers, the public. So this, what's happening on this project isn't PG and E work, but we can be on site as a safety precaution. So I can kind of expand on that. We are aware of a redwood tree on that site that has suffered some storm damage, mainly some broken limbs that could snap off and come into contact with our overhead lines. And this would be a safety hazard. So PGE does have plans to address those broken limbs.
We would be doing targeted trimming to mitigate any safety hazards. But the address you gave me, I checked with the supervisor. We have no plans to remove a redwood tree at that address. It would just be targeted trimming for some storm damaged limbs.
[00:19:13] Speaker C: Kmud reached out to the landowner for clarification on this process, but he declined to comment. The Redway tree removal exposed how unclear laws and authority can lead to problems before, during and after the fact. Moving forward, this problem in authority is being fixed. But for Redway residents and the redwood trees already being removed, the clarification came too late. This is Gabriel Zucker with kmud.
[00:19:37] Speaker B: In state news EV sales are way down, but industry experts remain optimistic. Public News Service's Suzanne Potter reports.
[00:19:46] Speaker A: Last fall, when the Trump administration eliminated tax credits for electric vehicles, the EV market tanked 20% for used models and 50% for new EVs. But industry analysts say there's still reason to be optimistic. According to new research from Cox Automotive, the EV market only saw a decline of around 2% last year when compared to 2024. Liz Naiman is director of market insights at Recurrent, an EV data company. She says used EVs tend to be cheaper and have fewer miles and better tech compared to a used car that runs on gas, and there will be a greater supply of them in the near future.
[00:20:22] Speaker D: One of the side effects of the Inflation Reduction act was that a lot of people leased new EVs. Over a million of those used EVs are going to be hitting the market. Those are going to be two to three year old cars still under warranty and at super affordable prices.
[00:20:38] Speaker A: The Trump administration claimed that the tax credits worth $7,500 for new EVs and $4,500 for used models were an unfair mandate from the Biden era. Trump also blocked California's vehicle emissions standards, which incentivized productions of EVs.
Stephanie Valdez Streedy is director of industry insights for Cox Automotive, which owns Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book. She notes that many manufacturers like Hyundai, Nissan and Chevrolet are developing new lower.
[00:21:07] Speaker D: Cost EV models, 61% of EV vehicle models are over $65,000. And so if we want mass adoption, we really need more affordable, compelling products, which I think we're going to be able to see in the next few years.
[00:21:22] Speaker A: Experts add that EV adoption will grow as charging infrastructure becomes more accessible and reliable. For California News Service, I'm Suzanne Potter. Find our trust
[email protected].
[00:21:38] Speaker B: In national news, postal workers given notice that in emergencies like civil unrest, curfew rules don't apply to postal workers. KPFA's Sharon Sibota reports.
[00:21:48] Speaker E: The Insurrection act is an 1807 law that gives the President authority to deploy the military without congressional approval. Ironically, US Postal workers who were handed essential worker letters earlier this month were already worried about the possibility of President Trump invoking the Insurrection Act. KPFA spoke with a postal worker on the condition of anonymity who received a letter on Saturday, January 10, just three days after ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot Renee Goode, who had been observing ICE and then trying to drive away as ICE agents tried to open her car door. The letter stated that in the event of large scale emergencies, epidemics, hurricanes and civil unrest in which states or localities may issue curfew orders or directives restricting travel, that the rules would not apply to or prevent US Postal workers from reporting to and doing their work.
[00:22:42] Speaker F: I'm a career letter carrier in Base Bay Area.
[00:22:46] Speaker E: Talk about the letter you got and how it resembled or reminded you of the one from the pandemic times.
[00:22:51] Speaker F: Everybody in our post office got two letters. One was a letter from the head of human resources letting us know that we are essential workers and that if we get stopped by the local police that we should show them this letter. They get clear passage through.
And the letter mentioned pandemics, civil unrest. I forget, I forget what else. But it was kind of curious because we're not in the middle of a pandemic and there is some civil unrest that has been brought about by the administration.
And so the rumor was that this was an advanced of President Trump invoking the Insurrection act and that they were giving us all this letter now so that in the event that martial law is established and the states push back on that, that we'd still be allowed to finish our duties.
[00:23:55] Speaker E: And where does that rumor come from?
[00:23:57] Speaker F: Some more senior people in my office felt that way.
And then there's also some chatter on Reddit, there's some subreddits about the post office and people picked up this thread and there's some substack information about this too, where people were concerned about it. And, you know, it's just, it's just a rumor and no one really knows, but it was given to us with no context at all.
[00:24:24] Speaker E: When probed about the possibility of US Postal workers being targeted by ice, the postal workers shared that while not all postal workers are citizens, they all must provide documentation that they are legally able to work in the United States. However, the workers have been warned not to interfere with ice.
[00:24:41] Speaker F: We did have another stand up, which is like an all hands discussion about not interfering with ICE and not interfering. This was a couple months ago about making sure that we weren't using our postal vehicles or our bodies to impede any kind of enforcement act by ICER and Border Patrol.
[00:25:03] Speaker E: How does this land with you?
[00:25:04] Speaker F: It was just strange. It was scary because I believe in democracy and I don't want our country to be taken over by a fascist dictator. And it seems to be we're headed down that road.
And so when it's given to you where there's no context and no one has any answers about why we're getting this now, it just raised some questions.
[00:25:27] Speaker E: KPFA reached out to the United States Postal Service on Wednesday, January 14, one day ahead of President Trump's threat of invoking the Insurrection act in the state of Minnesota. James McKean, the senior public relations representative from Washington, D.C. responded with a written statement saying only that the postal workers received a reissuance of the essential services letter. When KPFA probed further asking about the timing and the frequency of such a notice, the Postal Service did not respond. For Pacifica, kpfa, I'm Sharon Sabota.
[00:26:06] Speaker B: In National Native News, Antonia Gonzalez reads today's headlines.
[00:26:10] Speaker E: This is National Native News. I'm Antonia Gonzalez. Tribal leaders are among those raising concerns about the stability of mental health and substance abuse services. That's after a temporary major cut in federal funding. Last week, Chuck Kornbach reports, the White.
[00:26:27] Speaker A: House announced roughly $2 billion in cuts to the SAMHSA, or substance abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The government said the money no longer aligned with President Trump's public health agenda. Then about 24 hours later and without explanation, the grants were restored. The Ho Chunk Nation is one of about 2,000 organizations that would have lost funding. Ho Chunk President John Green Deer says last week's cuts, had they held, would have been on top of other reductions announced a year ago that were only partly restored.
[00:27:02] Speaker D: Those never came back online completely, especially those who work close with the program.
[00:27:07] Speaker A: Green Deer says the Indian Health Service has also lost staff nationwide. He says the uncertainty not only harms Indigenous communities but which he calls America's most vulnerable populations.
[00:27:19] Speaker D: It is dealing with the most vulnerable populations within a vulnerable population.
We are working on mental health issues.
[00:27:28] Speaker C: We are working with addiction, domestic abuse.
[00:27:30] Speaker D: And all the, you know, social determinants.
[00:27:32] Speaker A: Of health, green Deer says. Overall, the Ho Chunk Nation is providing a good level of services, but only after greater partnering with the state of Wisconsin and some nearby counties.
The question for some organizations is whether the Trump administration will try again sometime to make major cuts in federal dollars. For national Native News, I'm Chuck Kuernbach.
[00:27:55] Speaker E: Indigenous students and families are concerned about rising costs as the U.S. department of Education resumes wage garnishment for federal student loans in default. The Mountain West News Bureau's Daniel Spalding has more.
[00:28:08] Speaker D: The Department of Education started to send notices to borrowers whose loans have gone unpaid for more than nine months.
[00:28:14] Speaker C: Employers can withhold up to 15% of disposable income without a court order.
[00:28:19] Speaker D: This policy may hit Indigenous communities especially hard. Higher education analysts say that about 40% of native borrowers default on their federal loans, and many carry balances longer after.
[00:28:31] Speaker A: Graduation than other groups.
[00:28:32] Speaker D: Nez Perce tribal member Sienna Rubin, who.
[00:28:35] Speaker B: Graduated from the University of Idaho in.
[00:28:37] Speaker D: 2021, says wage garnishment adds another financial bur into Native families already stretched thin. I feel like student loans obviously, like come last because are you eating them? Are they, you know, are they feeding you? Are they housing you? Are they doing any of this? Ruben also says that Indigenous alumni often have the additional responsibility of supporting family members.
[00:28:56] Speaker C: I'm Daniel Spalding.
[00:28:58] Speaker E: More than a dozen tribal governments have formed the alliance of Sovereign Tribes of Southeast Alaska. The new partnership promotes a unified approach to addressing regional tribal concerns while acknowledging each tribe's individual differences. Gloria Burns is the president of the Ketchikan Indian Community. She says the new partnership has already improved communication between the region's tribes.
[00:29:20] Speaker D: As we communicate, then we're going to.
[00:29:21] Speaker E: Partner with each other.
[00:29:22] Speaker D: And when we partner with each other, then we're creating real movement and change with each other.
[00:29:27] Speaker E: Albert Smith is the mayor of the Metlakahtla Indian Community, the only reservation in Alaska, he says. There has not been an established partnership of Southeast Alaska tribes, and in more.
[00:29:38] Speaker D: Than 20 years the importance is tribes helping tribes working together for a common goal, the betterment of our region and Indigenous peoples of our of our region.
[00:29:50] Speaker E: Other tribal governments in the alliance include the Craig Tribal association, the organized village of Kake and the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. I'm Antonia Gonzalez.
[00:30:07] Speaker D: Native voice one, the.
[00:30:09] Speaker F: Native american radio network.
[00:30:18] Speaker B: That's all for tonight's broadcast. Thanks for listening. Thanks to our engineer, Katie Phillips, and thanks to our reporters, Gabriel Zucker, Suzanne Potter, Sharon Sobota, and Antonia Gonzalez. KMA News is online and you can find us on kma.org and now streaming on most podcast platforms, including including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, where you can download our stories and newscasts for offline listening during your rural commutes. You can also follow us on social media. If you have questions or suggestions, you can give us a call at 707-923-2605 or send an email to newsmud.org Redwood Community Radio, Inc. Is funded by Press Forward, the national movement to strengthen communities by reinvigorating local news. Learn more at PressForward News. Reporting for KMUD, I'm Nat Cardiff.
