Posts Tagged ‘Jeff Leonard’
Eureka voters got their first chance to evaluate candidates for 4th District Supervisor side-by-side Monday night in a debate hosted by the League of Women Voters and the Healthy Humboldt Coalition. Focus centered mostly on the county General Plan Update.
A few things stand out:
Jeff Leonard likes to hear himself talk. He made a point to tell the moderator to count on him always having a 30 second rebuttal. Did he always use one? No. But he got the chance to talk about how he can always burn up the clock with more blah blah blah.
Leonard touted his rhetoric about “putting Eureka on the map” — a non-issue that was settled in 1853 when Eureka won the spot as Humbolt County seat. Incumbent Bonnie Neely further disposed of Jeff’s malarkey by pointing out that Eureka is represented by no less than three supervisors on the board — Mark Lovelace represents Harrison up to Harris on the East side, Jimmy Smith represents Cutten, and Bonnie represents Eureka proper.
All three said they support trails, though Virginia Bass recycled recent campaign line about keeping an open mind about a train she doesn’t believe will blow through Eureka any time soon.
Bass gave a nod to her developer base when she said she opposed Inclusionary Zoning, which was adopted by Supervisors last year. She said the county needs to be “creative” when working with developers. Leonard also opposes IZ, which Neely supported.
Both Leonard and Bass jumped at the chance to blame Bonnie for the slow progress of the General Plan Update. Yet somehow they’ve both missed numerous opportunities to show up to a county Planning Commission meeting and crack the whip and wave a magic wand. Neely said the process has been slowed by the inclusion of new elements in the plan and public involvement, but said policies will be adopted this year.
When it comes to legalization of marijuana, Leonard is “not worried about it.” Bass doesn’t want Humboldt to market the prized herb for tourism, and Neely suggested studies to determine how the county will be impacted.
Access Humboldt will upload the whole debate soon. This post will be updated with a link.
Tags: Bonnie Neely, ca, California, CAMP, Cutten, Eureka, Humboldt, Jeff Leonard, Jimmy Smith, marijuana, Mark Lovelace, Northern California, pot, tourism, UPD, Virginia Bass, vote, zoning
Posted in Humboldt Blogs, Opinion | Comments Off
The race for Humboldt County’s hotly contested 4th district supervisor seat will have its first battle tonight from 7 – 8:30 at the Wharfinger in Eureka.
The debate will be hosted by the Healthy Humboldt Coalition and the League of Women Voters and will focus on the General Plan Update.
Press Release below.
Forum on the General Plan Update
4th District Supervisor Race
The Healthy Humboldt Coalition and the League of Women Voters are co-sponsoring a candidates’ forum focused on the Humboldt County General Plan update. The General Plan is a blueprint for how and where the county will grow. The forum will be held on Monday, April 19th from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at the Wharfinger Building in Eureka. Light refreshments will be provided.
The public is invited to come to the forum and ask questions on a broad range of issues covered in the General Plan, including land use, water resources, protecting agriculture and forest resource lands, trails and transportation, affordable housing and where future development should go. The forum will also be televised live on Access Humboldt, Channel 10 Channel 11.
Questions for the candidates about the General Plan can be submitted before or during the forum by phone at: (707) 633-8478 or by email at: info@healthyhumboldt.org.
The Board of Supervisors is the final decision-making body on the General Plan Update. The final draft of the General Plan Update is currently being heard by the Planning Commission and will be sent to the Supervisors for review and decision later this year. The Board serves as the legislative and executive body of County government.
“Given the importance of the General Plan to the future of our community, and the fact that the Supervisors will be making the final decisions on the Plan, we feel it is important for the voters to understand the candidates’ views on land use planning,” said Elizabeth Conner, Director of the Healthy Humboldt Coalition.
The candidates for the 4th District Supervisor seat are Virginia Bass, Jeff Leonard and Bonnie Neely.
Healthy Humboldt is a coalition of public interest groups working for a County General Plan that provides healthy housing and transportation choices while protecting our resource lands and watersheds. The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
Tags: Bonnie Neely, ca, California, Eureka, Humboldt, Humboldt County, Jeff Leonard, Northern California, UPD, Virginia Bass, vote
Posted in Humboldt Blogs, Opinion | Comments Off
What does Jeff Leonard mean by his slogan “Put Eureka on the Board?” The county supervisor for the 4th District represents Eureka, Myrtletown and Samoa, yet Jeff Leonard said in a release that he feels the community has been forgotten.
Tags: ca, Eureka, Humboldt, Humboldt County, Humboldt County News, Jeff Leonard, Local, Myrtletown, Samoa
Posted in Times-Standard | Comments Off
[Guest post from Tokyo Rose.]
There were a number of Democrats at the Republican Central Committee’s Annual Dinner on April 10th, honoring Muriel Dinsmore. Some of them clearly came in support of the Republican of the Year, while others seemed to be more interested in promoting themselves.
Current Eureka Mayor, Virginia Bass, presented a proclamation to Muriel and praised her as a classy and gracious lady. The other supervisorial candidate, Jeff Leonard, and his dad, were also present, though noticeably uninterested in Virginia’s presentation of the City of Eureka proclamation.
Current Supervisor Jimmy Smith came with a proclamation for Muriel and was warm and gracious to all.
Kathleen Bryson, one of the four Democratic candidates for District Attorney, was also in attendance. She, like both the Leonards, spent most of the evening working the room for money and votes.
The only notable Republican candidate was some earnest young guy, whose name I can’t remember, challenging Congressman Mike Thompson.
Rob Arkley gave the keynote speech. It was moderate in tone and he actually praised Nancy Pelosi for her political skill. Though he doesn’t support the health insurance reform bills, he acknowledged her success in getting them passed. Give him credit for being willing to recognize talent.
Tags: Arkley, attorney, ca, California, Democrats, Dinsmore, District Attorney, Eureka, Humboldt, Jeff Leonard, Jimmy Smith, Mike Thompson, Northern California, Republican, Rob Arkley, Virginia Bass, vote
Posted in Humboldt Blogs, Opinion | Comments Off
As noted in an earlier thread, 4th District Supervisor hopeful Virginia Bass is employing a dirty tactic of standing aside to keep her hands clean while purportedly unrelated groups sling mud at her opponent.
However, a few specks of grime appear to be lodged under her fingernails.
In a new television ad, Bass resurects her 2006 campaign platform of Jobs, Jobs, Jobs but fails to list any accomplishments in the last four years. So to fill the 30-second commercial she says “we can’t just say ‘no’ without hearing all the facts.”
It’s safe to assume Bass is piggy-backing on the propaganda slung by Rob Arkley’s various front groups accusing Bonnie Neely of somehow single-handedly stopping Arkley’s Home Depot development.
With no substance to offer, Bass appeals to community ignorance regarding what went down at that fateful Coastal Commission meeting in December. Despite the city’s best efforts, the Commission followed well-established protocol by granting a hearing on the appeal of the project. If and when Team Arkley provides additional information requested by the Commission, that hearing will be scheduled, and the city/Arkley presentation on the project will be heard. Neely asked staff to set the hearing ASAP.
But what Neely didn’t do, which is apparently her big evil crime, was ask the Commission to change the rules — just this once! — and allow city officials and Arkley lawyers to present their case right then and there. She didn’t plead with her fellow Commissioners to allow Councilman Jeff Leonard to “ramp it up.” Worst of all, she didn’t cave to political pressure in the form of advertisements, press conferences and hastily crafted last-minute letter to allow a dog-and-pony show ahead of schedule.
Even if Neely fervently believed the appeals had no merit, she alone could not have changed the day. It takes a total of 3 Commissioners to agree to hear from the applicant, which would result in a whopping 3-minutes at the podium — apparently plenty of time to address staff’s 82-page report.
At the basis of this very expensive shenanigan is the hope by Bass, Leonard and the Arkleyites that voters are as ignorant as those fools pretend to be. As pointed out by the Times-Standard, the blogs, and even the city’s own staff, the chances of them making a presentation at that particular meeting were slim to none.
The truth is the Bonnie-haters got what they wanted — a false pretense upon which to claim victimhood and blame Neely in order to boost her opponent in the 4th District supervisor race.
Tags: Arkley, Bonnie Neely, ca, California, CAMP, coast, Eureka, hearing, Home Depot, Humboldt, Jeff Leonard, job, law, lawyer, Local, Northern California, pot, Rob Arkley, Virginia Bass, vote
Posted in Humboldt Blogs, Opinion | Comments Off
As noted in an earlier thread, 4th District Supervisor hopeful Virginia Bass is employing a dirty tactic of standing aside to keep her hands clean while purportedly unrelated groups sling mud at her opponent.
However, a few specks of grime appear to be lodged under her fingernails.
In a new television ad, Bass resurects her 2006 campaign platform of Jobs, Jobs, Jobs but fails to list any accomplishments in the last four years. So to fill the 30-second commercial she says “we can’t just say ‘no’ without hearing all the facts.”
It’s safe to assume Bass is piggy-backing on the propaganda slung by Rob Arkley’s various front groups accusing Bonnie Neely of somehow single-handedly stopping Arkley’s Home Depot development.
With no substance to offer, Bass appeals to community ignorance regarding what went down at that fateful Coastal Commission meeting in December. Despite the city’s best efforts, the Commission followed well-established protocol by granting a hearing on the appeal of the project. If and when Team Arkley provides additional information requested by the Commission, that hearing will be scheduled, and the city/Arkley presentation on the project will be heard. Neely asked staff to set the hearing ASAP.
But what Neely didn’t do, which is apparently her big evil crime, was ask the Commission to change the rules — just this once! — and allow city officials and Arkley lawyers to present their case right then and there. She didn’t plead with her fellow Commissioners to allow Councilman Jeff Leonard to “ramp it up.” Worst of all, she didn’t cave to political pressure in the form of advertisements, press conferences and hastily crafted last-minute letter to allow a dog-and-pony show ahead of schedule.
Even if Neely fervently believed the appeals had no merit, she alone could not have changed the day. It takes a total of 3 Commissioners to agree to hear from the applicant, which would result in a whopping 3-minutes at the podium — apparently plenty of time to address staff’s 82-page report.
At the basis of this very expensive shenanigan is the hope by Bass, Leonard and the Arkleyites that voters are as ignorant as those fools pretend to be. As pointed out by the Times-Standard, the blogs, and even the city’s own staff, the chances of them making a presentation at that particular meeting were slim to none.
The truth is the Bonnie-haters got what they wanted — a false pretense upon which to claim victimhood and blame Neely in order to boost her opponent in the 4th District supervisor race.
Tags: Arkley, Bonnie Neely, ca, California, CAMP, coast, Eureka, hearing, Home Depot, Humboldt, Jeff Leonard, job, law, lawyer, Local, Northern California, pot, Rob Arkley, Virginia Bass, vote
Posted in Humboldt Blogs, Opinion | Comments Off
The Citizens for Real Economic Growth are held a press conference this afternoon about what they call “stonewalling” by Security National/CUE VI to provide information to the California Costal Commission regarding the Balloon Track.
KHUM interviewed Neal Latt of CREG this morning, followed by Randy Gans of Security National.
Below is the CREG press release for the press conference:
Citizens for Real Economic Growth (CREG) was founded in 2005 as an grassroots educational endeavor to hold Union Pacific Railroad, then-owner of the Balloon Track property in Eureka, accountable for its legacy of intensive pollution of the property, and to advocate for an open process to determine the highest, best use of the site and then to help Eureka to proceed with that development.
Since that time, much has transpired in regard to the property. What has not changed is its condition: stagnation. The legal stage has evolved to the point at which certain information has been requested by the California Coastal Commission from the developer (CUE VI, a subsidiary of Security National), in order to proceed with the cleanup permit.
This information has not been yet been provided, and does not, to the best of our observations, appear to be forthcoming.
Today we call upon CUE VI and Security National to immediately provide the information requested of it by the Coastal Commission, so that a hearing on the cleanup permit may be held at the earliest possible time. Without this information, the Commission cannot make a decision, and the effort to achieve a cleanup of the Balloon Track cannot move ahead. When Security National bought the property in 2006, they knowingly and willingly assumed liability for doing the cleanup that Union Pacific and its predecessors had successfully avoided for decades. They made the purchase knowing that any proposed cleanup would have to comply with the Coastal Act – and importantly, they promised us they would do it.
Today we also call upon Virginia Bass and Jeff Leonard, and the alleged independent group “Citizens for a Better Eureka” to join us in demanding that CUE VI and Security National provide the information requested of it, so that the cleanup of the property may finally move forward. It is in no one’s interest for Security National to continue to withhold the necessary information and delay the process. Ms. Bass and Mr. Leonard, along with Frank Jager and Mike Jones, demanded a quick hearing by the Coastal Commission of the permit application in a press conference in this same location last December. If they are sincere in their expressed desire, they will join us to demand that the developer provide this necessary information to the Coastal Commission in the most expeditious manner possible.
Some of this requested information includes:
1) An Alternatives Analysis, to make the necessary findings that the proposed wetlands fill by the developer to control hazardous materials-entrained stormwater runoff on the site is the least environmentally damaging feasible alternative. This was requested because the Coastal Commission found that the City of Eureka’s approved Environmental Impact Report (EIR) “. . . provide(d) no substantive analysis of project alternatives that address other feasible options to the grading and filling of nearly 2/3 of the roughly 40-acre site that would achieve the same water quality objectives.”
2) A Hazardous Materials Contamination Assessment, which would provide “full characterization of the presence and extent of constituents of concern prior to approval of the Clark Slough wetland reserve component of the project.” As proposed by the developer, this component would entail extensive ground disturbance and “. . . the unearthing of heretofore subsurface material in an area that has been generally documented as contaminated with elevated levels of petroleum distillates, metals and polychlorinated dibenzo-dioxins and furans, and could result in exposing the aquatic resources within the slough and, in turn, Humboldt Bay, to toxics which could have deleterious impacts on the biological productivity of water quality of areas and species of special biological or economic significance . . .”
3) Property Interest Information. Questions have been raised in regard to the location of the boundaries between public and private ownership at the site, and whether portions of the site may be subject to public trust review by the State Lands Commission. To the best of our knowledge, CUE VI and Security National have not, as of yet, provided the requested information to the Commission, in regard to:
a) when the property was acquired, and from whom;
b) the purchase price;
c) a copy of any title report, litigation guarantee or similar document that might have been prepared in connection with all or a portion of the property;
d) the historic chain of title for all property, both on and adjacent to the site, held by the landowner in common contiguous ownership;
e) information to establish lot legality for all APNs both on and adjacent to the site, held by the landowner in common contiguous ownership;
f) the location of all wetlands located on site, as well as the location of all areas of soil and groundwater contamination.
In conclusion, the Balloon Track isn’t getting any cleaner. The dry season when the work might be performed is nearly upon us. We assert that it is hypocritical for CUE VI and Security National to complain about the Coastal Commission asserting jurisdiction over a permit that they themselves sought in the first place. By the same measure, the frivolous lawsuit brought by the Pacific Legal Foundation in this regard is (at best) a waste of time, and appears to be a mechanism for stalling further scrutiny by the Coastal Commission of a flawed and deficient EIR. It further delays the cleanup that all of our community clearly wants to see begun. We, the citizens of Eureka, demand an end to the apparent stonewalling of the Commission’s request for information from the project applicant. The Balloon Track, Humboldt Bay, and we, the citizens of Eureka cannot wait any longer for this cleanup to proceed.
Thank you for your time today.
Tags: Balloon Track, ca, California, coast, Eureka, Frank Jäger, hearing, Humboldt, Humboldt Bay, Jeff Leonard, KHUM, law, lawsuit, Mike Jones, Northern California, railroad, Security National, Virginia Bass
Posted in Humboldt Blogs, Opinion | Comments Off
Oh and Bon Bon–a quick thought, if we may: When conducting super-stealthy push polls, it’s generally a good idea to avoid polling members of the opposition’s campaign team.
Tags: Arkley, Balloon Track, Blue Lake, Bonnie Neely, ca, California, CAMP, coast, Eureka, festival, fire department, Gallegos, Governor, Humboldt, Humboldt County, Jeff Leonard, job, law, lawsuit, Local, Old Town, redwood, Republican, Rob Arkley, Sequoia Zoo, taxes, Virginia Bass, vote, Wes Chesbro
Posted in Humboldt Blogs, Opinion | Comments Off
Jeff Leonard will answer job interview questions from all Eureka community members who attend a reception at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the Vance Hotel lobby.
Tags: Eureka, Humboldt, Humboldt County, Humboldt County News, Jeff Leonard, job, Local
Posted in Times-Standard | Comments Off
Has 4th District Supervisorial candidate Jeff Leonard lost his head? Or did he just photoshop it onto an able skater’s body?
Tags: California, CAMP, Humboldt, Jeff Leonard, Northern California
Posted in Humboldt Blogs, Opinion | Comments Off
And what about Virginia Bass? The Republican-turned-Democrat mayor of Eureka is challenging Neely for her supervisor seat. The local GOP must be crushed with no good loyal candidates in the race.
Tags: Arkley, Bonnie Neely, California, CAMP, Eureka, Humboldt, Humboldt County, Jeff Leonard, Local, Northern California, Republican, Rob Arkley, taxes, Virginia Bass, vote
Posted in Humboldt Blogs, Opinion | Comments Off
An ordinance to regulate medical marijuana in the City of Eureka has been drafted, but the city council members behind the ordinance want public input before bringing it to the council.
Tags: California, city council, Eureka, Humboldt, Humboldt County News, Jeff Leonard, Linda Atkins, marijuana, medical marijuana, Northern California
Posted in Humboldt County Blogs | Comments Off
Eureka citizens got a half-baked mea culpa from Eureka city councilman Mike Jones at Tuesday’s city council meeting following his fruitless sojourn to the Coastal Commission meeting in San Francisco.
Tags: Bonnie Neely, California, city council, coast, Eureka, Humboldt, Humboldt County News, Jeff Leonard, Marina Center, Mike Jones, Northern California, San Francisco
Posted in Humboldt County Blogs | Comments Off
Citizens of Eureka will foot the bill for a three-day, two-night trip for 4 (Leonard, Jones, city manager Dave Tyson and city planner Sidnie Olson) costing $1,876.
Tags: California, city council, coast, Eureka, fire department, Humboldt, Humboldt County News, Jeff Leonard, Local, Marina Center, Mike Jones, Northern California, politics, San Francisco
Posted in Humboldt County Blogs | Comments Off
Eureka voters got their first chance to evaluate candidates for 4th District Supervisor side-by-side Monday night in a debate hosted by the League of Women Voters and the Healthy Humboldt Coalition. Focus centered mostly on the county General Plan Update.
