County of Humboldt - Government

06/13/2026

🌞 Hey Humboldt! Temperatures are expected to rise in eastern and southern Humboldt over the next few days. Check out the post below for the latest information on Cooling Centers, including locations and hours of operation.

Warm weather is here! As of June 11, 2026, cooling centers are available across Humboldt County. These locations provide a safe, air conditioned space during open hours.

☀ Garberville Library
715 Cedar Street, Garberville, CA 95542
(707) 923-2230
Hours: Tuesday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday and Friday 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.

☀ Kim Yerton Memorial Library
370 Loop Road, Hoopa, CA 95546
(530) 625-5082
Hours: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.

☀ Willow Creek Community Resource Center
38883 CA-299, Willow Creek, CA 95573
(530) 629-3141
Hours: Monday through Thursday 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Closed Friday through Sunday.

☀ Willow Creek Library
39 Mayfair Street, Willow Creek, CA 95573
(530) 629-2146
Hours: Wednesday and Thursday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Sunday through Tuesday.

If possible, check ahead by phone before visiting, as hours may change during extreme weather events. Stay cool, Humboldt!

County of Humboldt - Government

📸 Pictured: Collage of Garberville Library, Kim Yerton Memorial Library and Willow Creek Library. Text reads: "Cooling centers as of June 11, 2026." OES and County of Humboldt logos displayed.

06/12/2026

The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors will hold two public hearings on Monday, June 15 on the county’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2026-27 Proposed Budget, a $657.8 million spending plan that funds essential services and programs that support local residents.

Hearings will be held on Monday, June 15 at 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. in the Board Chambers on the first floor of the Humboldt County Courthouse, located at 825 Fifth St. in Eureka. An overview of the proposed budget, which funds the services and programs that support nearly everyone who lives, works or visits Humboldt County, will be presented.

Following the conclusion of the Budget Hearings, the county’s budget will be presented for adoption in a special meeting on Thursday, June 18 at 1:30 p.m. Members of the public unable to attend the budget hearings or the special meeting in person may do so on Zoom and provide written comments in advance by email to [email protected].

The Humboldt County Board of Supervisor’s meeting agendas and details about how you can participate via Zoom are available online at: humboldt.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗲
Hearings represent an important step in the county’s budget process. The annual budget is the most significant policy decision made each year by the Board of Supervisors as it provides an estimate of the county’s resources and sets a legal limit for spending by county government.

The proposed budget presented to the Board of Supervisors on June 9 reflects that the County of Humboldt must continue adapting to changing conditions to ensure the county can provide the services the community needs for the long-term.

Some key points for the public to provide input on include:

1. Additional requests for General Fund allocations
2. Measure Z funding recommendations
3. Use of other discretionary funding sources
4. Programmatic issues such as airport service, Measure O-funded road repair, social services negatively impacted by federal cuts, tourism strategy and public safety services

Humboldt County’s 2026-27 Proposed Budget document is available for review online at: humboldtgov.org/247/Budget

It is also available for public review at the Clerk of the Board's Office in Room 111 on the first floor of the Humboldt County Courthouse, at 825 Fifth St. in Eureka, during regular business hours.

05/29/2026

The Humboldt Bay Area Plan is undergoing an update to reflect the significant changes Humboldt County has experienced over the past 44 years. On Monday, June 1 the most recent draft of the updated plan will be released to give the community the opportunity to provide input.

This is a plan that is certified by the California Coastal Commission that establishes policies on how the unincorporated area around Humboldt Bay and its coastline can be used. It is in the process of being comprehensively updated to address issues including sea level rise, tsunami awareness and land use requirements.

The County of Humboldt invites you to participate in the update of the Humboldt Bay Area Plan.

The most recent draft of the plan will be available for public review on Monday, June 1 on the county’s website at:
tinyurl.com/HumboldtBayAreaPlanUpdate

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀
The Humboldt County Planning & Building Department will hold a virtual community meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16 to go over the draft with the community. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about the proposed updates, ask questions and make public comment.

Additionally, a public workshop on the draft Humboldt Bay Area Plan will take place at the Humboldt County Planning Commission’s meeting on Thursday, July 16. The Planning Commission’s meeting will begin at 6 p.m.

The Humboldt Bay Area Plan Update web page will be updated with all public meeting information, including Zoom links, as it becomes available at: tinyurl.com/HumboldtBayAreaPlanUpdate

To receive community meeting updates or ask questions about the Humboldt Bay Area Plan, please email [email protected] or call 707-268-3713.

📸 Pictured: A flyer announcing the Humboldt Bay Area Plan public draft is available for review on June 1. Additional flyer text is noted in this post's caption.

05/27/2026

⚠️ IMPORTANT AGRICULTURAL ALERT: Residents Urged to Report Possible Invasive Pest on Grape Plants Sold at Costco ⚠️

The County of Humboldt’s Agriculture Commissioner is urging residents to take immediate precautions after the invasive glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS) was discovered on grape plants sold at Costco stores throughout California.

The Costco store in Eureka, located at 1006 W. Wabash Ave., was among those that received these grape plants from Burchell Nursery, a wholesale nursery located in Fresno County. The issue occurred at the nursery supplier level, and the local food supply has not been affected by the discovery of this insect.

The glassy-winged sharpshooter, a type of leafhopper, spreads Pierce’s disease which kills grapevines and can also harm almond, citrus and ornamental plants, creating a serious risk for agriculture and home gardens in Humboldt County and across the state. There is currently no known cure for Pierce’s disease. Due to the clear and present danger the pest and disease pose to local vineyards and backyard growers, it is important that any potentially affected plants are inspected as soon as possible.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗼 𝗗𝗼
Early detection is critical for protecting Humboldt County and California’s agricultural and natural resources. Anyone who purchased grape plants from the Eureka Costco location on or after Tuesday, April 21 should contact the Humboldt County Agricultural Commissioner’s office to help stop the pest from spreading further.

Please do not plant your recently-purchased grapevine if you have not already done so. Residents who purchased grape plants from Costco on or after April 21 should not move or throw away the plants. Residents should place two garbage bags over the plant, secure them tightly and immediately contact the Humboldt County Agricultural Commissioner’s office for further guidance and to schedule an inspection.

You can reach the Agriculture Commissioner’s office on the phone at 707-441-5260 or by email at: [email protected]

𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Humboldt County has a restriction against the glassy-winged sharpshooter to protect both commercial growers and home gardeners. Native to the southeastern United States and Mexico, this invasive species was first identified in California in the 1990s and is now established in central and southern parts of the state. This pest threatens California’s grape industry and is known to feed on more than 250 plant species, causing damage to vineyards and ornamental landscapes. As part of the Humboldt County Agriculture Department’s Pest Detection Program, yellow panel sticky traps are placed at nurseries and throughout the county to detect the presence of this pest, which has never been detected in Humboldt County.

“The glassy-winged sharpshooter poses a serious threat and it’s important that we move quickly to prevent it from spreading," said Humboldt County Agricultural Commissioner Weylan Shaw. “Staff is working closely with Costco and our state and local partners to protect Humboldt's farms, home gardens and landscapes. If you purchased grapevines from Costco on or after April 21, please contact us. We know this may be an inconvenience and we truly appreciate your help to keep Humboldt's agriculture and gardens healthy."

Additional information about the glassy-winged sharpshooter and Pierce’s disease can be found at the California Department of Food & Agriculture’s website:
cdfa.ca.gov/pdcp/

Photos of the GWSS can be found at:
cdfa.ca.gov/pdcp/Glassy-winged_Sharpshooter.html

📸 Pictured: Symptoms of Pierce's disease caused by GWSS on a grape leaf. Picture from University of California, courtesy of the California Department of Food & Agriculture. Additional text states, "County of Humboldt press release."

UC Cooperative Extension - Humboldt/Del Norte Counties
UC Master Gardeners of Humboldt and Del Norte Counties

05/26/2026

The Humboldt County Planning & Building Department would like the public to know that the Board of Supervisors will reschedule its consideration of a report regarding redwood tree removal on a property in lower Redway, which had been set for June 2.

The report will explain to the Board and the public why the trees were removed and outline steps on how similar situations will be addressed in the future.

Currently, four trees have been removed and there is a single old-growth tree remaining on the subject property. An application for a special permit has been submitted to the Planning & Building Department for the removal of the remaining tree.

This special permit is expected to be considered by the Humboldt County Planning Commission at its upcoming meeting on Thursday, June 18. Once the Planning Commission makes its decision, it can be appealed to the Board of Supervisors. If the Board receives the tree removal report before the permit process is complete, its members could be limited in how freely they can discuss the matter if an appeal is later filed. Therefore, it is important that this permit process is completed before the tree removal report is presented to the Board.

For more information, please contact Humboldt County’s Planning & Building Director John Ford by email at [email protected].

To read the full press release visit: HumboldtGov.org

📸 Pictured: A forest with redwood trees with text that states, "County of Humboldt Press Release." Photo by Molly Isaacson.

05/22/2026

The Humboldt County Office of Elections would like to share that the ballots discovered earlier this month inside a locked drop box from the November 4, 2025 Statewide Special Election will be counted.

𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱
On May 4, Humboldt County Office of Elections staff discovered 596 uncounted sealed ballots from the November 4, 2025 Statewide Special Election inside a locked ballot drop box. Under Section 2.5 of Article II of the California Constitution, these ballots should have been counted before election was certified on Dec. 5, 2025.

Following the discovery, elections staff worked to ensure proper protocol was followed. It was confirmed the ballots had not been tampered with, as the drop box was locked and the ballots remained sealed. The Office of Elections then worked with the California Secretary of State to determine the appropriate process to have the ballots counted.

It was determined that the error occurred due to a miscommunication among election workers about whether the drop box had been fully emptied. To prevent this from happening again, the Office of Elections has implemented a new physical verification procedure requiring each drop box to be confirmed empty and secured before election results are finalized.

While the Office of Elections and the state both confirmed that counting these ballots will not change the result of the November 4, 2025 Statewide Special Election, it was important for the county to explore every available option to have the votes counted.

Under Elections Code §17302, ballots from the November 4, 2025 Statewide Special Election must be destroyed six months after the election was certified. However, the County of Humboldt secured the uncounted ballots and filed a petition with the Humboldt County Superior Court requesting to count the ballots and recertify the election. The court made the determination to grant the county’s petition.

“I am grateful to the court for granting our petition to count these votes so that every eligible ballot will be reflected in the final election results," said Humboldt County Clerk-Recorder & Registrar of Voters Juan Pablo Cervantes. "While we are relieved by this outcome, I want to be very clear that my entire team takes the circumstances that led to this situation with the utmost seriousness. I am deeply sorry this error occurred. We have strengthened our procedures, implemented additional safeguards, and remain committed to maintaining the integrity, transparency and accountability our community expects and deserves.”

The court order authorizes the Humboldt County Clerk-Recorder & Registrar of Voters to open and count the ballots and include the results in the final vote totals for the November 4, 2025 Statewide Special Election. A supplemental certification must be issued by July 31 and will be backdated to the original certification date of Dec. 3, 2025. The court also granted an extenstion to destroy the ballots by July 31.

Read the full press release at: HumboldtGov.org

📸 Pictured: A ballot being dropped into an official ballot drop box with text that states, "County of Humboldt Press Release."

Humboldt County Office of Elections

05/19/2026

Heads up, Humboldt! The Humboldt County Department of Aviation would like to inform the community that Humboldt Bay Fire will hold a multi-casualty incident training exercise on Thursday, May 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The exercise will take place at Murray Field Airport, located on Airport Road in Eureka. ✈

The training exercise will simulate an airplane crash with multiple casualties, giving Humboldt Bay Fire firefighter/EMTs and firefighter/paramedics the opportunity to practice mass casualty response, practice executing the North Coast Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Multi-Casualty Plan, perform triage and set up on-site treatment areas. In addition, Humboldt Bay Fire will work closely with local ambulance companies and Providence St. Joseph Hospital to coordinate the rapid transport of "injured" patients to area hospitals.

This exercise is necessary on an annual basis for Providence St. Joseph Hospital to maintain its designation as a local trauma center.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁
During the exercise, airport visitors, Highway 101 travelers and those in the vicinity of Murray Field should expect to see emergency fire vehicles, ambulances, EMS aircraft and emergency personnel operating within a controlled area on airport property.

There are no planned street closures, and airport operations will not be impacted as a result of this training exercise.

The County of Humboldt’s Aviation Department is proud to partner with Humboldt Bay Fire to provide a location for this important training opportunity. For more information on the Humboldt County Department of Aviation, please visit FlyACV.com.

For more information on Humboldt Bay Fire, visit HBFire.org.

📸 Pictued: An aerial view of Murray Field Airport, courtesy of the Humboldt County Department of Aviation. Additional text reads "County of Humboldt press release."

Fly ACV
Humboldt Bay Fire
Providence Humboldt County

05/11/2026

Heads up, Humboldt! The county's meeting agenda calendar is experiencing intermittent outages today, Monday, May 11. This means you may not be able to access the Board of Supervisors' meeting agendas when it is down.

Humboldt County IT has identified the issue is on our vendor’s side and is working with them to restore access as quickly as possible.

While our vendor works to fix this, you can view the Board of Supervisors’ meeting agendas at: HumboldtGov.org/MeetingAgendaBackup.

We appreciate your patience during this time. If you have any questions, please contact the Clerk of the Board’s Office at 707-445-2390.

📸 An infographic containing information related to the status of the county’s meeting agenda calendar, as noted in the caption.

05/06/2026

📰 COUNTY OF HUMBOLDT PRESS RELEASE: On Monday, May 4, Humboldt County Office of Elections staff discovered 596 uncounted sealed ballots from the November 4, 2025 Statewide Special Election inside a locked ballot drop box. Under state law, these ballots should have been counted before the election was certified on Dec. 5, 2025.

Immediately after the discovery, elections staff worked to ensure proper protocol was followed. It was confirmed the uncounted ballots had not been tampered with because the drop box was locked and the ballots were sealed. The Humboldt County Office of Elections then worked in partnership with the California Secretary of State to determine next steps.

The Office of Elections and the state have both confirmed that counting these ballots will not change the result of the November 4, 2025 Statewide Special Election. However, it is important that Humboldt County Office of Elections explore every available option to get these votes counted.

Under state law, ballots from the November 4, 2025 Statewide Special Election must be destroyed six months after the election was certified. However, the County of Humboldt will be pursuing all legal avenues to get the ballots counted.

The Humboldt County Office of Elections has determined that this error occurred when election workers checked the drop box and there was a miscommunication about whether it had been fully emptied.

The Elections Office has already updated its protocols to make sure this will not happen again. A lock out, tag out procedure is now in place for every drop box prior to certification to ensure each one is physically verified as empty and secured before elections results are finalized.

The Humboldt County Office of Elections will continue to pursue options to count these ballots and will provide the public when an update as more information becomes available.

To read the full press release and a statement from Humboldt County Clerk-Recorder & Registrar of Voters Juan Pablo Cervantes, please visit: tinyurl.com/ElectionsPressRelease

📸 Pictured: A ballot being dropped into an official ballot drop box with text that states, "County of Humboldt Press Release."

05/04/2026

May the 4th be with you, Humboldt! The County of Humboldt is proud to support the Forest Moon Festival with funding provided by Measure J. Hosted by the Humboldt-Del Norte Film Commission, this festival celebrates our region's role as one of the iconic filming locations for Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

This year, the Forest Moon Festival runs Thursday, May 28 through Sunday, May 31, featuring costumed characters, movie screenings, film site tours and immersive activities among the coastal redwoods. For the full schedule and more information, visit ForestMoonFestival.org.

May the 4th be with you! If you’re a Star Wars fan, you may already know that our region is also the Forest Moon of Endor, home of the Ewoks! Over 40 years ago, the redwood coast served as the film site for the iconic battleground between the Rebel Alliance and the Empire in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Today, fans from around the world continue to visit this stunning cinematic landscape to honor the legendary film franchise and explore the North Coast. 🌲🌊

Hosted by the Humboldt-Del Notre Film Commission, the Forest Moon Festival is an annual celebration held in many towns across Humboldt and Del-Norte counties honoring the region's role as this incredible filming location. The festival features Star Wars-themed events for fans of all ages featuring costumed characters, movie screenings, film site tours and immersive activities amongst the coastal redwoods.

This year, the Forest Moon Festival will take place Thursday, May 28 through Sunday, May 31. For more information about the festival and to check out the schedule of events, visit ForestMoonFestival.org.

Learn more about things to do around Humboldt County in May in our May newsletter at: tinyurl.com/May2026Newsletter

📸 Pictured: Costumed Star Wars superfans search for cell service at Cheatham Grove in Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park, which is one if the iconic film sites in Humboldt County where Return of the Jedi was filmed. Photo by Mark McKenna, courtesy of the Humboldt Del-Norte Film Commission.

Humboldt-Del Norte Film Commission
Forest Moon Festival