The Collector
February 14, 2025
Climate Action Plan Environmental Impact Report Published
Last week, we reported that a new draft of the Humboldt County Regional Climate Action Plan had been published, and the plan’s draft Environmental Impact Report was expected next month.
Apparently the environmental review was ahead of schedule, because the Environmental Impact Report was published this week! The document is available for public review and comment from now through April 5th.
With almost three-quarters of local climate pollution coming from transportation, you can be sure that CRTP will be reviewing the environmental documents and the revised plan itself very closely. Keep an eye out for more information after we’ve had a chance to analyze the 728-page document.
Humboldt Supervisors Argue Over Transit and Road Funding
Regular readers of The Collector may recall that CRTP has been advocating for a long time for a substantial amount of the revenue from the new Measure O sales tax to go toward public transit. In fact, we pledged to oppose any new tax that didn’t include transit funding way back in April 2023, when Measure O was just a gleam in the county’s eye. That advocacy led to bus service being included in the Measure O ballot language, and to county supervisors promising when they put it on the ballot that some of the funding would support transit.
This week, the supervisors decided who would sit on the committee that recommends how much money will go to roads and how much to transit. A CRTP representative was appointed to that committee, along with two of the supervisors and several other stakeholders. During the discussion, several supervisors proposed hypothetical amounts that might go to transit, ranging from less than 2% all the way up to 30% of Measure O revenue.
Supervisor Rex Bohn unfortunately took up much of the time arguing that no money should go to transit and falsely claiming that transit funding wasn’t part of the public discussion that led to the development and passage of Measure O. Other supervisors appeared to have better memories and expressed more support for transit. The discussion was so lively that the Lost Coast Outpost set up a community poll asking how much of the funding should go to roads vs. transit. CRTP will keep working to ensure that our transit systems get enough funding to meet some of the longstanding local needs – like more frequent buses and transit service on Sundays – and that the money spent on roads includes safety upgrades for people walking, biking, and rolling.
In other local transit news, Joann Fabrics has announced the impending closure of its Eureka location. What does that have to do with transit? Every Eureka Transit route stops at the corner of F & Harris Streets, which also happens to be the Joann Fabrics location, making it one of two de facto transit hubs in the city. An empty building there would likely create challenges for maintaining a comfortable environment for riders – but a new tenant willing to cooperate with the Humboldt Transit Authority could generate opportunities for improvement.
The Fight to Protect Richardson Grove Continues
Local environmental organizations are continuing the decades-long legal battle against the Richardson Grove highway expansion project, appealing a recent judge’s ruling that dismissed one of their lawsuits. CRTP has always opposed the Richardson Grove project. We believe that the state should be spending its limited transportation dollars on desperately needed safety upgrades and low-carbon transportation improvements, not widening highways in state parks to accommodate the biggest interstate trucks.
CRTP tracks many Caltrans projects and often advocates for changes or improvements. If you’re wondering what other projects Caltrans is planning in our region, most of them can be found on this interactive map produced by the agency, including projects planned 5 years or more in the future.
News from Beyond the North Coast
Take Action to Save Federal Safety Funding
As we previously reported, the Trump administration has frozen many major transportation funding programs, including critical safety, equity, and climate programs. Local agencies on the North Coast are recipients of some of this funding – or were, before it was frozen. Now, the US Department of Transportation is threatening to end the programs altogether. Our friends at America Walks have a convenient tool for you to contact federal and state representatives and ask them to fight to restore these important programs.
The Founding Father of the Parking Reform Movement Dies at 86
UCLA professor and world-renowned parking expert Donald Shoup died last week. His 2005 book The High Cost of Free Parking sparked a movement to reform parking rules and practices across the globe, and his many other academic papers and public appearances described the financial and environmental costs of overabundant parking and promoted practical reforms. He will be greatly missed.
The Collector is CRTP’s weekly transportation news roundup, published every Friday. We focus on North Coast news, but we also include relevant state, national and international transportation news – plus other items that we just find kind of interesting! To submit items for consideration, email colin@transportationpriorities.org.