100% Humboldt
Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world.
We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean.
We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing Northcoast of California 100%!
Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt!
100% Humboldt
#56. Kim Bergel's Journey of Service: From Childhood Challenges to Leading Eureka, Embracing Montessori Values, and Advocating for Mental Health Education
Join us on the 100% Humboldt Podcast as we sit down with Eureka's mayor and dedicated middle school educator, Kim Bergel. Kim opens up about her journey from a challenging childhood, marked by the tragic loss of her mother, to her dual roles in education and local governance. This episode reveals how these personal experiences shaped her commitment to public service and highlights the vibrant community spirit that fuels her passion for making a difference in Eureka.
Kim takes us through her advocacy for inclusive mental health education and the impact of Montessori principles like grace and courtesy on her approach to education. Learn about the unanimous council decision to return Indian Island to the Tolowa tribe, a historic moment accompanied by an emotional apology from former Mayor Frank Yeager. Kim also recounts her transition from the Transportation Safety Commission to winning her mayoral campaign, inspired by local leaders and a desire to serve her community.
This episode is filled with heartfelt stories and practical insights on community engagement, housing solutions, and more. From her favorite dining spots in Humboldt to exciting city development plans like transforming parking lots into residential spaces, Kim shares her vision for a connected and thriving community. Whether you're a Humboldt local or just curious about the power of community, this episode offers a rich tapestry of stories, values, and inspirations.
About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond
Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world.
We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean.
We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%!
Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt!
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Ladies and gentlemen, friends and neighbors, it's Scott Hammond with 100% Humboldt Podcast, voted number two by Loco just now, and online with my special guest and new best friend, kim Bergel.
Speaker 2:Hi everybody.
Speaker 1:Hi Kim, how are you?
Speaker 2:Hi, I'm great, it's good to see you. Yeah, you too.
Speaker 1:Tell us the whole Kim story, but tell us what's your job. What do you do? What's your day job?
Speaker 2:My day job is I work at a middle school and I work with special ed one period and then I have resource kids the other periods. Very nice.
Speaker 1:Yeah, is it Montessori school?
Speaker 2:This is not Montessori school. I started in Montessori school, but this is not Montessori school.
Speaker 1:Is it county?
Speaker 2:schools this is Eureka City schools. Yeah, oh very cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we have special, we have nine kids. My oh, very cool. Yeah, we have special, we have nine kids. My oldest goes Dad, aren't we all special needs and I go pretty much?
Speaker 2:I think we all have our own special needs.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, Especially these days. It's like in the water, but different story. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Everybody's got their something and your night job is. I'm the mayor.
Speaker 1:You're the mayor, hey.
Speaker 2:Oh, madam, or Madam Mayor, it's Miss Mayor, because I'm not a married mayor. It's Miss Mayor. I believe you can call me Madam.
Speaker 1:Mayor. I like Madam Mayor, you like Madam. Okay, ladies and gentlemen, madam Mayor, Hello everyone, I like it.
Speaker 2:Thanks for being here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so tell us about your early life, where you came from. We're going to talk about that a little bit, about your public service. Stick around. We've got a whole bunch of cool stuff to learn about Kim and me too. So tell us about where you came from, where you raised, where you went to school.
Speaker 2:So I grew up here in Eureka, over by the zoo, and I went to Washington Elementary, I went to Winship and I went to Eureka High. Wow, we're fourth generation. My kids are fifth generation, cool.
Speaker 1:Humboldt County Might say 100% Humboldt 100% Homegrown.
Speaker 2:some people would say.
Speaker 1:Homegrown, I like it. I like homegrown. And Humboldt County Might say 100% Humboldt, 100% homegrown.
Speaker 2:Some people would say Homegrown I like it.
Speaker 1:I like homegrown and Humboldt. They go together, they do, so what'd you do?
Speaker 2:after high school. Oh, I did a lot of things after high school.
Speaker 2:I took a different tack than a lot of people Tell us more. Tell us more. He says so yeah, I moved around a lot. Tell us more. Tell us more. He says so yeah, I moved around a lot. I'd had a family incident that happened in my senior year of high school. My mom died and you know, I kind of went off the rails with that and I moved around a lot just trying to see where I fit and who I was and running away from that situation. Clearly, sure, who wouldn't?
Speaker 1:At 17? 17. That situation clearly. Yeah, Sure who wouldn't At 17.
Speaker 2:17.
Speaker 1:That's so rad, so early journey.
Speaker 2:Early.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so how did that? I see how that's resolved. How did that go? What turned it around? How did that cycle?
Speaker 2:So I had moved around a lot, I'd tried a lot of different things, I'd tried a lot of different things that were very unhealthy, and I got to a place in my life where I just couldn't do it anymore and I asked the universe for guidance and somehow I got that guidance and here I sit before you today.
Speaker 1:So family, kids.
Speaker 2:Family. I have two kids One's at UC Santa Cruz and one has just graduated from Redwood Coast. Montessori.
Speaker 1:Very nice, so proud mom.
Speaker 2:Proud mom Absolutely.
Speaker 1:So the UC Santa Cruz are the banana slugs.
Speaker 2:They are Sweet. Have you ever licked a banana slug?
Speaker 1:I have never licked one, have you.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:How does it taste?
Speaker 2:It doesn't taste very good, but it makes your tongue numb.
Speaker 1:Oh, I bet.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Because they're super sticky.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But I don't think the brown ones do that for you.
Speaker 1:I think when we were at Humboldt State we were in an alternative GE program called Cluster and some people watching may remember. But it was no tests, no grades, hippy-dippy, woo-woo, but a great way to learn and one of the I think a student made a banana slug casserole. Oh my gosh, I know, and I'm not sure if they revealed it before or after we ate it, but anyway, we digress.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we do. I had a story about that as well, but I think we'll just pass.
Speaker 1:And then the UC Irvine are the anteaters, so we have some weird mascots. Yeah, here's a weird one. My brother is from Missouri and Columbia, where the university is the high school. In Columbia, high is the Kewpie Dolls. How do they win in a football game?
Speaker 2:That must be interesting. I just don't know, anyway Do they have the little thing on there.
Speaker 1:I think they have a little thing, a little heart, right here.
Speaker 2:We love you, we love you.
Speaker 1:Don't tackle us too hard.
Speaker 2:We're all about love.
Speaker 1:So tell us about early years. So you got married and got kids.
Speaker 2:Got kids, mm-hmm. Were you an educator, then Well, when my kids were born, after my kids were born, so prior to that I did a lot of landscape things like that. Worked at Ten Window Williams for quite a while. For. Bill, mm-hmm. Wow, yeah, with my daughter. She came to work with me when she was an infant.
Speaker 1:I bet I met you when I was calling on Ten Window, because I used to be in advertising at the Dry City Weekly.
Speaker 2:You probably did, yeah, and I had a baby in my sling or on my back.
Speaker 1:Bill was a different cool old school dude.
Speaker 2:He really is.
Speaker 1:He hung. Is he still living, Mm-hmm?
Speaker 2:Oh wow, he's got to be in his 90s.
Speaker 1:I believe he is yeah, wow, wow, because I haven't seen him in decades. It's been a minute.
Speaker 2:He has a lot of great stories. Oh, he's great I hope somebody captures those stories before he leaves Trans-India Podcast. Who knows?
Speaker 1:Who knows he was telling me he hunted with. Who was the guy that broke? The astronaut John Glenn. Oh that John and his team came up and he got to. I think fish with him maybe.
Speaker 2:Fish would be more likely. He was a fisherman, absolutely 100% yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, wow, yeah, he was telling me these stories. One day I go what the astronaut, the guy the movie was about?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm not surprised he lived such a charmed life. It's really like I said, if you ever get an opportunity, he's really great to talk to.
Speaker 1:Mr Relax, so you sold jewelry. Mm-hmm, I did. So how about bodybuilding Did you? That was a hard transition, that was kind of a hard trend, do you see?
Speaker 2:that transition. So, yeah, back in my 20s, um, I worked out at classic gym and I had been working out with this woman, suzy zugumbay, and she was an aerobics instructor, sure, and it came out that they were having a an event in reading, and so we decided, well, we'll train for that. And at that time there were people at Classic like Sal Palasi, who was just a rock star Sal.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he was huge Vince.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, I saw them recently and they both look amazing.
Speaker 1:They're great, yeah, but anyway.
Speaker 2:So he kind of coached us along to do that and we went to Reading and we did a competition there and we did one for Debbie Davis here. I did a couple's one as well and, yeah, it was a good time. The dieting part of it was really miserable, brutal.
Speaker 1:Is Debbie still around?
Speaker 2:I haven't seen her. I don't know, I don't know.
Speaker 1:So I remember seeing Sel and, I think, debbie in the day competing at Eureka High.
Speaker 2:I was there.
Speaker 1:Were you there, were you in the show I was.
Speaker 2:I was. I was competing with. Daniel.
Speaker 1:Heupel.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah, we were the couple. Well, there were other couples, but we were a couple.
Speaker 1:And Sal and Judy were very kind and taught me pickleball.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:Down at CR College of Redwoods, which is located on the map. Do you see how I'm doing the the shtick here? It's right over here, on the South Bay of Eureka College of the Redwoods. Shout out to CR Love you guys down there and shout out to Sel and-.
Speaker 2:Absolutely Judy, judy, sorry, judy.
Speaker 1:Gosh. Anyway, I get kind of nervous. Yeah, they're great, it's super, he was yoked man he like-.
Speaker 2:He really was, and both of them were just so engaged and just in it, you know, and they were inspiring. And when I saw them at Costco I was like, oh my gosh, you guys, what are you doing? And she said she said pickleball.
Speaker 1:And every bit is sweet and they're funny because they were really like coaching and coach approach and kind, and then after a while she'd really get on my ass. Hey, what are you? You know she would just like because that's love language, but whatever. Yeah, yeah, so bodybuilding. So did you ascend through the ranks?
Speaker 2:No, it was never really my thing, I just did it a couple, a few times. And my partner, susie, she had trained as a gymnast, so she was like this fabulously, like lean, like cut, and they told me I should do Miss Fitness, I just wasn't big enough.
Speaker 1:I know her name. Is she still around?
Speaker 2:No, she moved to Texas.
Speaker 1:So my son, micah, our 20-year-old youngest of nine, he can put up 455 pounds on a bench and he's yoked and he's uh cutting.
Speaker 2:so he cut 30 pounds off and the problem with cutting and dieting is he's just a crab, he's a grouch on the couch he's just a total jerk 100 because he's, like you know, starving well and we dieted down where, towards the end, like the last two or three days and we didn't have water, we were I was eating like two chicken breasts a day, we'd have to wash them, and was eating like two chicken breasts a day, we'd have to wash them, and then put like season 17, because no sodium, I mean it was hardcore Off the hook, wow Off the hook.
Speaker 1:So do you know? Ross Creech at Quality Body.
Speaker 2:I know I've awarded him for business of the year, which is incredible. You would know that, yeah.
Speaker 1:His wife is amazing. She's a really good bodybuilder and I should know her first name and I don't offhand. But hi, creatures, you guys are amazing. They do a good job. So you know a lot of business people probably in town as the mayor.
Speaker 2:I know some.
Speaker 1:Yeah, let's talk about Eureka business. That's a fun tangent. Then we'll talk about some of your passion, your community involvement and stuff you want to past, present, future that you want to fix in the universe and in Eureka.
Speaker 2:So business in Eureka. What are you seeing right now? Seeing a lot of change, a lot of good things. I want to just do a shout out to some of the Old Town businesses that have really stepped up. You know, during COVID they all, many of them, went the extra mile up. You know, during COVID they all, many of them, went the extra mile. They worked together collaboratively to create this kind of group that works so well together and it brings people to Old Town and I just really appreciate that. And Bell Star is one of those. Sue is amazing. The Book Lager was another one. You know, those two come to my mind, but there are plenty of others as well, they've been there forever.
Speaker 1:Book Lger Forever, yeah yeah. And so is Friday Night Market, a result of some of that energy, because that seems to have gone really well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it has. No, that's put on by Humboldt Made, so that's not even a city event necessarily.
Speaker 1:But you guys have to bless it. Oh, absolutely, and I've heard from business owners.
Speaker 2:You get a mixed review, but oh, absolutely, and I've heard from business owners you get a mixed review but a lot of business owners that I've talked to have been really happy with the Friday. Night. Market and have felt like it's really boosted business during the summer.
Speaker 1:It's amazing. So at Friday Night Market during the day, having a salad at Los Bagels, hey Dennis, there's no one in town. There's, like you know, I saw 10 people eating lunch walking by, but five hours later, oh my gosh, there's like a thousand plus people, just like packed streets. One night it was just like I think it was one of the last nights and it was like you couldn't find parking in Old Town, like you'd have to really truck in there. So yeah, good job on that. Tell us about your political career. How'd you get started?
Speaker 2:So I got started because of a resentment actually.
Speaker 1:Most many things start there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I, I love the council meetings. I would watch the council meetings. My kids would watch the council meetings. In fact, they thought a TV dinner was on Tuesday night because we'd watch TV during dinner, because we never watched TV during dinner. It was pretty cute actually. So I watched the meetings for a very long time and I watched the whole progression of the Jacobs—I'm not Jacobs, excuse me, I digress—Jefferson Project and how the city was going to support them and there was all these things. And then a new council came on and they just put the complete kibosh to it. So that was the first resentment I had.
Speaker 2:It was financial and maybe they were being responsible, but I just wanted to shout out to Heidi Benson, ellen and her team, richard Evans, the whole group, because they have turned the Jefferson Center into this incredible, incredible place for the community to be at. They hold events, they hold classes just an incredible event so that the city had nothing to do with that.
Speaker 1:Wow, so they just did it.
Speaker 2:They just did it, which is amazing, and that's one of the things I love about our community so much is. There's so many people out there that have a dream and they just do it.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:You know I'm thinking of the Humboldt Bay Marathon, right now you know, looking at Terry and how she's brought that forward and. Terry and Rich. Yeah, yeah, so um you know, Terry Vorman. I do.
Speaker 1:She's amazing, terry Vorman Little. She is an incredible person. She's one of my heroes for sure. She's been on the show. She's amazing. Okay, great. So you guys were at Montessori together.
Speaker 2:We were, we were.
Speaker 1:You guys started the school.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we were one of the founding families over in Cooper Gulch. There were I can't remember now. I thought there were 19 kids. There may have been a few more kids and now what's incredible is we started one grade at a time and we have high school now. My daughter was the first graduating class of Redwood Coast Montessori High.
Speaker 1:Wow, just recently.
Speaker 2:Well, she's in college, she's her fourth year, but yeah, it hasn't been that long. Four years, okay, yeah.
Speaker 1:So how did Maria Montessori do things different? In a nutshell, I didn't really dig deep with Terry on that, but just fundamentally it's a different modality right, it is.
Speaker 2:So it's more about following the child within limits, within limits. Some would think that it's more about following the child within limits, within limits. Some would think that it's just chaos, but it's not. And the thing I love about the program, the Montessori program, is it teaches grace and courtesy and it teaches people how to communicate in healthy ways. And unfortunately, I think in our other schools, whether they're too big or there's just not the curriculum for it we don't learn that, you know, and I think that can be challenging in the long run.
Speaker 1:Wait, grace and courtesy.
Speaker 2:Grace and courtesy.
Speaker 1:And communication and respect. Yeah and respect. Hear that folks. Yeah, hear that rest of the world. Yeah, oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So, when you were watching council meetings, what was the source of your resentment?
Speaker 2:The source of my—oh. Yes, back to that. I'm sorry I digress that's okay. Back to that was that they put the kibosh on the Jefferson Project.
Speaker 1:Was that it? No, oh, no, oh wait, oh, there's more.
Speaker 2:And so and then I don't know if you remember, but Frank Yeager had written this apology letter to the Weot tribe and growing up in Eureka that is something that we're very, very aware of. You know the massacre and as we got older we learned more about what the massacre was really about. And horrible, oh unacceptable. The council meeting. So everybody kind of read it. So it got up to council and they were worried about litigation, Litigation.
Speaker 1:From whom?
Speaker 2:From a hundred years ago. They didn't want to get sued was the topic that I was hearing and I was like are you kidding me? If you're going to do the right thing, you're going to do the right thing for free and for fun. You're not going to do the right thing because you're worried about being sued. It just. It made no sense to me.
Speaker 1:Or not. Do it yeah.
Speaker 2:So so I'm grateful to say that when we, when I did get on council, we had unanimous council approval to return the island to Tullow Up five different times. Wow. Yeah, because it was a process. It's not an event, right? Well, it ended up being an event and that'll be coming up on October 18th. We'll be. I was thinking about this today. I believe it's five years. It was 2019.
Speaker 1:Formerly known as Indian Island right.
Speaker 2:Formerly, yeah, formerly known.
Speaker 1:You know Lynette Mullins, right, uh-huh. So in Toastmasters where we speechified, she gave a really cool speech on that event and what transpired and why, and she was super well-read and super well-spoken about it. In seven, eight minutes it was like just shocking. Wait, that happened across the bay, right Quarter mile away. What, yeah, when, by whom?
Speaker 2:And it was mostly women and children, right, that were killed and elders, yeah, I mean, they just took, you know, hatchets to heads, just crazy, yeah.
Speaker 1:And for what purpose it was? For land, yeah, who knows?
Speaker 2:What is the purpose? Because, they were upset because they thought somebody was stealing their cattle or there was something going on. Yeah, you know. Yeah, is there ever a reason?
Speaker 1:for that, to do that, yeah, no, no, yeah, no, absolutely not so you're aggravated watching this stuff. Go down on public TV yeah. Access TV.
Speaker 2:Yeah, very much so. And so when? Oh, but I do want to say this. So when the island was returned, the beauty of that was that Frank could read his letter in entirety. Oh, that's cool. Former Mayor Yeager, excuse me, yes, so that was really cool.
Speaker 1:Also a good man.
Speaker 2:Also a good man, I totally agree.
Speaker 1:Big in scouting right.
Speaker 2:Absolutely yeah, yeah, Big in scouting right. Absolutely yeah.
Speaker 1:Were you on the same council as he was. He was the mayor, so you were appointed by then.
Speaker 2:I was elected by then. Yeah, you were elected.
Speaker 1:Okay, thank you.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I appreciate that correction. That's a big difference. So who suggested that you start campaigning?
Speaker 2:Right. So I was on the Transportation Safety Commission, which I really loved. I got on that because I would ride my kids all around on my bike and I had a tag along and a trailer. It was pretty long and the way people drove back then was just incredibly scary.
Speaker 1:Oh, my gosh Still is.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, but when you have your kids towing along behind you it makes it a lot more scary. So, anyway, I got on the Transportation Safety Commission because I wanted to see a change there, and in that time I met Linda Atkins, who was the liaison for a short period there, and so when it came to run for office, she'd come to me and ask me if I would run, and I was like I don't know, I can't do that. I have little kids. I can't, you know, can't do that. And so I had a discussion with my then husband and we decided that that was something that would be all right, we could do this. So that's what we did.
Speaker 1:And ran and won. Did you win the first time?
Speaker 2:I did, but you know it was so crazy because I didn't, at the first night, at election night, I didn't win, so because there were ballots that were sent in that weren't counted yet. All right. So I lost by a really small margin. I can't remember if it was like 100 votes or 46 votes and then when they did the final count I'd won by 46 or 100. I always get those numbers split Probably. I won by 46.
Speaker 1:A whisker? Yeah, good for you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's why it's so important to vote.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:No matter who you decide to vote for, please vote yeah, yeah. That's good Exercise that right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, there's been some close ones, so that was council. In what year was it?
Speaker 2:2014.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I had to put my coat on. It's cold in here. Go for it. Yeah, pop your coat on. That's Humboldt County. We live in Humboldt County, we live in. Humboldt County. It's one of the most northern coastal counties in California, the original God's country, invented by God, and has rivers and streams, and culture and arts and people and folks.
Speaker 2:Ocean and bay.
Speaker 1:And ocean and bay and woods and trails, mountain biking, fishing, hunting.
Speaker 2:Running.
Speaker 1:Running Agate hunting.
Speaker 2:Oh, and it goes on and the food's great.
Speaker 1:Hunting, running, running, agate hunting, oh, and it goes on and the food's great, usually Back to Kim Hi, kim Hi. I got my coat on, got the coat on so 2014,. So you're on that council. What are you guys dealing with in 2014 through that first term?
Speaker 2:That was a rough year for a lot of folks. We were dealing with the Pelcomarsh, you know, removal of people Right.
Speaker 1:Behind Bayshore Mall, that whole city.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then we were also dealing with syringe exchange, right.
Speaker 1:What were they called? They weren't haters, they were. What was the needle exchange program called Hatcher? Hatcher, not hater.
Speaker 2:Not hater.
Speaker 1:Yeah. That was problematic, though that was problematic.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that would be an understatement.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you have a bunch of free needles.
Speaker 2:Well, the science backs that up when it's distributed properly.
Speaker 1:Right yeah, and so that's kind of gone right. That hatcher got the hatchet.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 1:Sort of.
Speaker 2:They still have their building in Arcata brick and mortar, and then they do go to different areas. They do mobile. It's a little different. Now we have one spot in Eureka now.
Speaker 1:I found a lot less needles in my business in the last, say, five years. Good, I mean, it was like what's going on and oh, are they at the playground. It's like, oh, this is not good. And so that seems to have abated a lot, at least subjectively, on my watch and my little turf yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm happy to hear that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, not fun. So what else is going on in that first term, palco? Is this beyond the balloon track?
Speaker 2:No, that was before that went away before. Yeah.
Speaker 1:That was a bygone thought.
Speaker 2:Yeah, long before.
Speaker 1:Okay, the lot's still there and they're still. Hey, the trains are gone.
Speaker 2:I saw that off the balloon track yes, isn't that awesome.
Speaker 1:Kind of looks good yeah.
Speaker 2:Way better.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I like trains, but I just don't like them, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there Right.
Speaker 1:I live in McKinleyville, so I don't have a say at all. I guess I do. It's my planet too.
Speaker 2:Exactly. Everybody has a voice, everybody does, everybody gets their three minutes. We don't care where you're from.
Speaker 1:So, speaking of which, so I watch these meetings and I see the same obstructionist folks come on and say your piece, get out. You got two minutes, go Three, three minutes, and sometimes it's the same tune it's anti-vax or it's whatever. And, like you said, everybody's got a voice. One theme that I've had in this podcast is like a lot of people have their voice, say it. So let's take. We Are Up with Mary Keene, who's grassroots, like you know, big fans.
Speaker 2:I've got to get out there. Yes, yeah, oh, so cool. I've heard yes.
Speaker 1:Hey, Mary, you're doing a great job, but the first time Joni and I ever went to anything to testify went to that meeting. It was great and they approved it that night, and, don't you know, they rolled over backwards like compromised, helped the neighborhood, and you know, there was a couple of jerks. It just wasn't enough and it's never enough. And so it's you guys out there that I'm speaking to, and you know who you are probably the same people that troll on Loco and just say crap Could be Just for fun.
Speaker 1:Could, be, and I wonder, you know you could have your say-so, and then it's over and we all voted and there was consensus, and come on, move on, dude, and it's so. There's my little rant. Thanks for listening. Yeah, you're welcome yeah there's a place. Those are the guys that agitate and aggravate me when I watch over my TV dinner and city council meetings to go.
Speaker 2:Well, everybody is welcome and everybody gets their three minutes. Yeah, some people feel the need to be disrespectful, but they still get their three minutes and you know, to be honest with you, I'm glad that they're there because we need to hear all opinions, whether we agree with them or not. Sometimes it's very rough to sit there and listen to them. At times it's been. There've been some times in the past where it was really scary. But you know, you come to a place where it's like you're welcome here, follow the rules and we're happy to have you.
Speaker 1:You come to a place where it's like you're welcome here, follow the rules and we're happy to have you. Yeah, and then I would think, please hit the door. But that's just me, yeah no, I wish, Can I?
Speaker 2:just be honest with you about this.
Speaker 2:I wish that they would not hit the door, because what happens in the meeting after public comment there's so much great work happening all the time and folks come and they share their three minutes and then they leave and they don't hear all of the great things that are happening in the city. That's good. So you know, I encourage people to stay in the meeting if you can, because it's just, you never know and well, you can look at the agenda and see what we're talking about, but there are so many opportunities to hear great things and to put input on what we're doing. This is our city. This is our community. This isn't five people sitting up there directing everything. We need our community to step up and be a part of that.
Speaker 1:I love that. Yeah, it's true. Yeah, I like that perspective. So stick around and learn something, yeah, please, and adapt.
Speaker 2:Yeah and share, like, like instead of I mean I shouldn't say instead of, because everybody gets it right but what I'm saying is stick around and be a part of our community. Like, put your input in. Like, if you don't, if you like that or if you have a way that we could do it differently, please come and share it. You know, and listening to some of the presentations, like, we had a great presentation from Jacob from CARE Actually, I think he was at the beginning but we've had some other presentations, which are at the end, that are incredible, talking about what we're doing, about the issues that people are complaining about during public comment.
Speaker 1:Right, I love and admire you and all y'all to sit there and go and no one's doodling or on their phone on Facebook. It's like there's the Board of Supervisors, same thing, you know, ria Dell, city Council, whatever. I just don't think I could do it. It's like I couldn't be a doctor and just deal with blood. It would be just brutal all day long. So bless you for that gift, all day long. So bless you for that gift. I think, again to reiterate my aggravation, it's those who are aggro and mad and weird for no reason. It's just not necessary. You can be passionate without being attacking, and those that won't let it go after the decision's made do Just move on, bro. Anyway, hey, there's my two cents Thanks. So what are you passionate about in terms of what's going on today?
Speaker 2:In our city.
Speaker 1:In this council and you guys all report to Miles. By the way, no Is that true?
Speaker 2:No, he reports to you guys.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Yes, no, no way. Let's get that right, Scott, get your facts right.
Speaker 2:So the thing that I'm really passionate about is I do have a mental health initiative that I've been working on throughout my term as mayor, and so with that we've had my first year we had four town halls. Last year we had two because I had an injury and I was off work, so we had a small one and then we had a really big one to kick off May as Mental Health Month, and currently we're working on restructuring what we're doing and we'll be releasing shorts. Instead of having a whole town hall where people come and sit, We'll be doing short little videos with different agencies so that folks can understand what's happening in our city. Like people don't, I think people don't. Well, they don't understand because they don't know Right. Like people don't, I think people don't. Well, they don't understand because they don't know right.
Speaker 2:When you know better, you can do better. But there are so many opportunities to be involved, to be, if you've got something, an issue going on, people to reach out to. There's just so much access and so much opportunity for people, and I think we get so caught up in our day that we don't realize that.
Speaker 2:So that's something that we're going to be doing, moving forward as well, and then in May we'll have another big, huge event, for May is Mental Health Month.
Speaker 1:So the initiative has to do with incorporating folks to volunteer more and get involved with mental health issues.
Speaker 2:It more has to do with education. Okay, so I guess what I meant by that is that if you need a resource, we're trying to show what is actually out there and also to remember that you know, mental illness is not a moral issue, right?
Speaker 2:Nor is addiction or cancer or any of those things, and I think it's really a challenge sometimes because we see the behaviors and they can be scary and they can be a lot of things, but to remember that that person too is the child of somebody, maybe a parent, and that there are places that they can go and be to get the support that they need. And that's what we're trying to bring out more to folks, so that we can get the help people the help they need.
Speaker 1:It's a cool reminder. Mago Dei, child of God, human being, human being, it's all pretty important. 100%, yeah, 100% humble. I had an officer. Hey, where'd you get that plug? Officer Lenny LaFrance was on the show.
Speaker 2:Okay, yes.
Speaker 1:Is he the mist officer?
Speaker 2:No, he's actually commander of France now and he began the CSET program, which is Community Safety Enhancement Team.
Speaker 1:Nice guy.
Speaker 2:Excellent, he is, yes, compassionate. Good cop 100%. His whole team, his whole team. And I swear, if you get an opportunity to watch one of them interact with someone who's having a crisis or all this, you'd be blown away. So he trains other units and individuals and teams to deal with the mentally ill on the street.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's so cool.
Speaker 2:You know, that's one thing about our city we have a lot of innovative people right. So he created that program. He's sharing that program, so he created that program. He's sharing that program. The city created Uplift Eureka, which is a program to help homeless people or I call it homeless, some people call it unhoused, I don't know what term is appropriate these days but to support them in getting help and they won an award from the League of Cities for that program, For that program but you know, up here behind the Redwood Curtain, we really do have to get creative and innovative with our ideas, because we don't have LA's money or access to a lot of the things that bigger
Speaker 2:cities do. Yeah, deborah Garns was talking about that a little bit Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Mayor of Riadale, your fellow mayor.
Speaker 2:I know how many. Who else is mayor? Is Alex Stillman mayor?
Speaker 1:No, Meredith, and who else is the other mayors? Trinidad has a mayor. Anyway, we'll close you on that one later. Thanks, you're welcome. So achievements have you gotten accolades for some of the initiatives and stuff you've done. That's not why I do it. No I wouldn't think so. Oh, okay, but have you been recognized? As maybe I should not ask that? Not that I'm aware of Do you get medals?
Speaker 2:No only when I run.
Speaker 1:Okay, good, good. So how's your running? Have you been running?
Speaker 2:I've been running off and on Did you do the marathon. I did the half Nice and I bested my time, which was awesome, and then I started running again and then I had this other injury and it created a problem with my equilibrium.
Speaker 1:Oh no.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, it's delightful.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Jodi got to finish with Sarah.
Speaker 2:I saw the pictures. I saw the pictures.
Speaker 1:Yeah, she walked, they walk-ran and had a good finish and I like the Humboldt Bay Marathon. Then Scott Q Marcus, who we all know and love.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Scotty Q.
Speaker 2:Richard.
Speaker 1:He made it through, he did, he got it. He did Couched a 5K to 13.2. So proud of him. No, actually she did a race for him, she did a 10K for him.
Speaker 2:She did a 5K.
Speaker 1:Was it a 5K? It was a 5K Was. Was it a 5K? Okay, yeah. Yeah, because Terry and I ran with him one day just to kind of get a feel for what the course was.
Speaker 2:Yeah, to get what the course was, and all of that.
Speaker 1:He's been a big part of my life and a good friend of mine. Taught me how to public speak and write a book and be generally cool like Scott Q Marcus.
Speaker 2:Don't forget the.
Speaker 1:Q. I got the Q.
Speaker 2:Q.
Speaker 1:Actually Q started in Toastmasters many years ago and I got invited to a meeting and went and I thought you know my dad always said public speaking would be a good thing and I did and I really loved it and really kind of hooked up with him and got part of the NSA National Speakers Association and how to do, how to be a more, better speaker, because some people have a way with words and others, no, have way.
Speaker 2:More, better.
Speaker 1:Yeah, more. There's a Steve Martin line. That didn't go over too well. So, hey, part of the show where we have fabulous prizes and a bell that actually works Very nice. So here's your Humboldt quiz. Okay. Are you ready? I'm ready, you sure, pretty sure. It's pretty important stuff.
Speaker 2:So question number one Kimbergal, for 10 points, you have an entire day to do whatever you want to do with a healthy body and you can go anywhere you want in the county and do whatever you want. Where do you go? What do you do? So I would run on the trail. Which one? Our trail? The um waterfront trail, actually all the way out that it's so beautiful. That news, the new part. Have you been out there?
Speaker 1:yeah to the, to the uh nuclear plant yeah, yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Humble hill, humble hill yeah does it go?
Speaker 1:it goes to, goes up to the plant, at this point right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then it'll be extending.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, Very nice.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's so beautiful, so I would do that, and then I would look for low tide and I would go out to the beach. I would either go to I love to go to King Salmon starfish, but only at low tide, so I would do that or go agate hunting probably.
Speaker 1:Nice Like Moonstown.
Speaker 2:No Dry Lagoon. Should I share my?
Speaker 1:spots, I don't know, secret Dry Lagoon spot.
Speaker 2:No, no, it's not secret.
Speaker 1:Is that the one where you have to take a boat over?
Speaker 2:No, no Dry Lagoon or Big Lagoon also.
Speaker 1:Jodi and Sarah Starr did that hike over to Dry. There's some hike that they did. That was really.
Speaker 2:Oh, I wonder if it's in Flam Beach behind and keep going. I don't know.
Speaker 1:No, up at Dry, actually Dry Lagoon there's um. Anyway, I don't hike with them, so I don't have any?
Speaker 2:I haven't been on that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's supposed to be nice. Lots of hiking yeah, Do you know Reese Hughes? He was on the show. He wrote the book on hiking for Humboldt.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay, I have that book, but no, I don't Hi.
Speaker 1:Reese, I have your book. Yeah, kim Hensher, great guy. Okay, question number two. We digressed for a moment. You get to eat anywhere you want today, and who do you go with and where are you going to take them? And it doesn't have to be Eureka, because I know I'm pretty loyal to Eureka. I am pretty loyal to Eureka, it could be Eureka.
Speaker 2:It doesn't have to be so. Could I have three meals or only just one?
Speaker 1:Three is for bonus points, three meals so, oh.
Speaker 2:So for breakfast I would probably go to Los Bagels, and yes, and, or the Green Lily. But the Green Lily, you can go for brunch, oh, so good, they have gluten-free French toast. So I mean, yeah, nobody has gluten-free French toast. And it tastes good, it tastes so good. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Gluten-free.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and then for dinner.
Speaker 1:I don't know what's lunch. Is it red lily? Well, it would be brunch.
Speaker 2:It would be between the green lily For lunch.
Speaker 1:let's see their French onion soup is killer, by the way. Green lily, yes, yeah, yes, it is Super good, it's the bomb For lunch.
Speaker 2:Let's see. Well, I would probably have a cheeseburger at the Vista.
Speaker 1:Really Okay, cool, oh God um the vista really. Oh god, they have great food there they do. I've had the cubano.
Speaker 2:It's really good and then, uh, for dinner. That would be a tough one. It would probably be the sea grill or um tandoori bites, because I love indian food yeah, have you tried their new pizza place? I have not yet it's supposed to be good I have heard. Have you tried? It, tried it. Nick Is it?
Speaker 1:good, supposedly good, I've heard it's good. Okay, yeah.
Speaker 2:No, we went there Tuesday night. Not there, we went to the other location.
Speaker 1:Their butter chicken is killer.
Speaker 2:And we were talking about going there, so next time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what's the bread called?
Speaker 2:The non, the non, bread, the non, that stuff.
Speaker 1:They have a gluten-free too.
Speaker 2:No, I said the non-gluten-free there's a lot of jokes in pen Chuckle chuckle right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's a lot of levels on that one. Hey, question number three Cup of coffee. Where'd you go, Jitterbean? What'd you get In my?
Speaker 2:car I would get jitterbean. Well, either Ramones or Humboldt Bay coffee, okay, either one. Just it would depend on the day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, ramones, still has really good coffee.
Speaker 2:And meetings yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they've done it for years.
Speaker 2:I go to both.
Speaker 1:I think I know the answer to this one. So you get to go for a bike ride. Where do you go?
Speaker 2:Waterfront Trail. Actually, a great ride too is from my house, my son, and out to Headwaters and ride out that way and it's gorgeous Up Elk River all the way. All the way down through Cotton and then down and back on Elk River Road and then back to the trail there and we ride partway up the trail, not all the way up the trail.
Speaker 1:Right, yeah, you can go a little ways up. We've done that. That's a beautiful, that's such a cool trail.
Speaker 2:It's so beautiful and there's not that much traffic. This is where we live. Yeah, this is the bike ride.
Speaker 1:This is where we live yeah, I was at Fur Bridge today coming back from the stand down. It's like I don't know how you get a bike on there with two cars going. I mean it's like the bike must have to go ahead of the car.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I would take the lane on that for sure. And just take the whole lane and just ride fast, Ride like heck.
Speaker 1:But yeah Well it depends who's behind you. That's true. That's true how close they are.
Speaker 2:Samoa Bridge is pretty scary too, though, to be honest, I've ridden that with my kids.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Joni was saying.
Speaker 2:One time I rode it with my kids. That was enough. Speaking of the Ghirardelli Trail, that's coming in hooking in Arcata and Eureka.
Speaker 1:That's going to be amazing.
Speaker 2:The.
Speaker 1:Ghirardelli? Well, ghirardelli is the contractor. Oh yeah, what are you talking about? You're going. Is it Dick Taylor or Ghirardelli? Yeah, exactly. No, they're the contractor. Actually, I think it's Mercer. Is it Mercer or is it McCall? Anyway, it doesn't matter, we're connecting.
Speaker 2:Camarcada.
Speaker 1:We're connecting Mm.
Speaker 2:I've heard early next year, but don't quote me on that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, jodi, every time we drive by we're like check it out, look at that. Oh yeah, so nice. Here's the question that we had, and I suppose you could have an answer. I don't know why do you not just build the trail on the rail bed, because the forms are made, the rails are already forms that you could concrete in and maybe overflow, and do I mean there must be a machine that's built in America that already does this to rails? I don't know.
Speaker 1:So in this case they had to build it aside and do the whole other roadbed for it, but anyway, that's a great question. I digress, somebody out there probably knows that answer. So what do you see for the future, current issues and future vision for Eureka specifically?
Speaker 2:Okay, so current issues. Madam Mayor, In which regard?
Speaker 1:What are the key current top three current issues that you're focused on? That, you see, is I don't know that you're passionate about.
Speaker 2:So homelessness housing are always two big ones Economic development, so housing. I'm so proud of our city. We've worked really diligently, we have such a great team, but we've got some places that are going to be coming forward, so hopefully sooner than later, where we're going to be housing people, and again behind the redwood curtain. I think it's really important to remember that we have to be creative, we have to be innovative, and so I really want to give props to our staff who thought of this idea of turning parking lots into housing and I know that there's a city manager Slattery confirm this or clarify this at our last meeting that you know these places that are moving in are not zero income people. These are folks that are working people. These are people I could qualify for that and many people I know could qualify for the housing that's going to be going in.
Speaker 2:And there's always this big fear of what you're going to end up with, I suppose. And there's always this big fear of what you're going to end up with, I suppose. But I think you know, looking forward, what I see is I see a booming old town. I see us thriving because we're going to have a lot more people down there, a lot more people, a lot more shopping, a lot more opportunity, less things happening. Maybe that are distasteful.
Speaker 2:I don't know, but having more people in a place certainly makes a huge impact. So I'm really looking forward to that moving forward and getting people housed. You know that's, and right now it's so expensive. You know I'm so grateful. My mortgage is less than people pay for a one bedroom apartment, you know, and I'm just so grateful every day for that and it's a bummer, it's like it's horrible.
Speaker 1:Our poor kids and grandkids.
Speaker 2:Absolutely so. At the city, working towards getting getting housing has been a really big and important issue, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah Gosh, I don't even know where to start on that one. So, as part of that development downtown, fill me in on the transportation center behind Lost Coast Brewery. That is conceived of. What is that project? And that's separate from Measure F and the whole development of parking lots, right?
Speaker 2:No, that's not separate from Measure F.
Speaker 1:Is it a part of that vision to do a big transpose center like Arcata has?
Speaker 2:So would you clarify what you mean by Measure F before I go any further?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'd strike that. So I just want to focus on the transportation center questions.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's a pretty good idea, right.
Speaker 2:So it's going to be a hub, it's going to be a transit hub, it's going to have businesses below. It's going to have housing on top. It's going to be a place where people can convene and, again, it's going to be housing, something we desperately need, and it's going to increase our hopefully our transit riderships. Amtrak will be coming through. There's going to be a lot happening in that hub.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I don't know if you've ever been to a transit hub or something like that in a bigger city, but they're pretty neat, oh they're cool.
Speaker 1:They're pretty neat. So, yeah, so that's going to be. We just got back from Amsterdam, where everything's not cars. Yeah, if you own a car, it's super expensive for every 12 bucks a gallon and parking's a headache.
Speaker 2:Oh, we thought we had it bad at 569.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh. Then we go to Medford and it's like 333 and they're talking about under three bucks and you go. Where do I live? Anyway? The gas prices we should talk about that for a long time but we won't. So Transportation Hub also has regional buses that go to Willow Creek or to. Ukiah or the Skunk Train or wherever that's cool.
Speaker 2:It is cool.
Speaker 1:That's going to be neat. It's going to be really exciting and I think it's really going to boost our Old Town. Yeah, and I think Old Town can handle it. So development behind Jack's and behind Dick Taylor Chocolate there's an RFP out for that.
Speaker 2:We haven't settled on anything there yet.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but the idea would be to develop that into something other than parking.
Speaker 2:It would be shopping buildings, homes. There's been a lot of talk. Years ago, when I was first on council, we did a charrette with Rob Homeland. A lot of community came and we kind of looked at what could happen and ideas. I think we should have a Ferris wheel personally. It would be awesome down there.
Speaker 2:But there was a lot of talk about what could happen there, whether that would be coffee shops, offices, businesses Right, cal Poly, humboldt moving in with a conference center I mean there's a lot of different or somebody moving in with a conference center, those kinds of things. Just really looking at different opportunities.
Speaker 1:Maybe a concert venue.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 1:Like writing with their municipal auditorium that they did 50 years ago.
Speaker 2:Yeah, gosh, we definitely. In my opinion, we could really use a concert venue, wouldn't it be nice?
Speaker 1:It would be absolutely awesome. Yeah, whatever.
Speaker 2:Used to do them in the Muni years ago.
Speaker 1:Right Remember. Do you remember that the echo chamber Echo, echo, yeah.
Speaker 2:I saw Dr Hook there.
Speaker 1:Oh, there's some history and Ringo was there. I didn't see.
Speaker 2:Ringo.
Speaker 1:Ringo Snoop came, and then Leonard Skinner played so loud at Redwood Acres that it like blew people's hats off and stuff. Oh, wow. It was like sound check. Anyway, actually, old Town Bar and Grill, did you ever go there?
Speaker 2:I did. That's been a long time ago, that's been way back.
Speaker 1:Paul DeMarc was talking about some of the shows back in the day and how Debra Lazio brought in amazing people. Like just how did you get them off of I-5 to come over here? She said four, five, six nights a week of music yeah, Wouldn't that be something.
Speaker 2:That would be amazing. The music venue.
Speaker 1:So the other tract of land Halverson, Is there anything going down there?
Speaker 2:So there is a park going in there. Is it Grace Martin? No, that's it. I'm sorry the name escapes me. I want to say it's Grace Martin, but there will be a park going in there for kids and all of those things. It's going to be really nice.
Speaker 1:Very nice, really nice, yeah, right on the waterfront.
Speaker 2:Right on the waterfront. That'll be cool. Yeah, I would love to see us use that waterfront more often. We are now. We're doing a lot of different events post-COVID. The Kite Festival is one of those events and Cannafest just happened and there there's just a lot of things that go down there.
Speaker 1:That's really cool Riding around the Mattacot looking at all of it going. Oh, this city looks very different from a boat.
Speaker 2:It does. Who doesn't love Mattacot?
Speaker 1:Mattacot's cool man.
Speaker 2:Smallest bar, legal bar in California.
Speaker 1:Right and longest running something boat.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think she's 100. Oh gosh, I want to say she's like 114. Wow, yeah.
Speaker 1:And chug it along Great history. Yep, it's so cool to look out the bay and go oh, I hear the speaker and they're giving a tour and it's amazing.
Speaker 2:I can hear it from my house.
Speaker 1:So, real quick, I want to talk about your legacy and what you want to leave behind in your gravestone and what we're going to say and what you would like them to say or think they could. But before we do that, how do we get a hold of you or y'all at the council? What's the best way to go?
Speaker 2:707-616-2178.
Speaker 1:616-2178.
Speaker 2:That's the best way I'm going to call right now. You're going to call me. My bat phone will go off, is it your?
Speaker 1:cell phone. No, I'll call you in a minute, I'll call you when we're done, Okay, so you actually take calls. I do that's cool, I do.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what's that number?
Speaker 1:again 616 what 707-616-2178. 2178. Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:I work in the day, so texting also works.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:But if you leave me a message, generally, I'll call you back.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's accessibility.
Speaker 2:I try to be accessible. I think again. I want to repeat myself because I think it's really important. We're a community, we're all in this together, and so I am available because I think it's important that we discuss whatever needs to be discussed, whatever's happening.
Speaker 1:Yeah, here's how clueless I am about politics, and maybe I should be a little bit more aware. Are you on the ballot? Are you one of the seats?
Speaker 2:for November? You're not no.
Speaker 1:That's just Scott.
Speaker 2:And Katie.
Speaker 1:And Katie.
Speaker 2:Moulton yeah.
Speaker 1:Gotcha, he's Ward 2 and she's Ward.
Speaker 2:She's Ward 2 and he's Ward 4.
Speaker 1:He's 4. Had him as a guest Great guy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he is a great guy, nice man, scott Our climate change lead guy. Oh really, oh, he's so knowledgeable, so knowledgeable.
Speaker 1:And that's important Absolutely.
Speaker 2:Why is that?
Speaker 1:important for us as a city council.
Speaker 2:Have you noticed the weather. It's really nice today. I like this climate change.
Speaker 1:Do you remember when you were a kid?
Speaker 2:It'd be raining by now, exactly, exactly. So sea level rise is something that we really need to get on top of sooner than later, and so I appreciate that Scott is really engaged and involved in that.
Speaker 1:I'm going to ask about that at the gym tomorrow. Do it. Yeah, he works out. We all say hi, okay, guys, high five, what's up? Yeah, he's sweet. So tell me, what do you want to be remembered for? Wow.
Speaker 2:I think the most important thing for me is that I made a difference, and I already so. Whether it's my legacy or not, I already know that, and all the people that I worked with in Palcomarsh and all the people that I talked to on the streets, or some of them in business, or the return of Tullowhat Island and my part in that, all of these things have enriched my spirit and my insides and my soul, and they've been such a gift.
Speaker 1:Nice.
Speaker 2:And so, whether people remember me or not, I win, I get it, you know.
Speaker 1:Right on, I like that, yeah, and I didn't even ask this, so I have to ask this other question. But just behind that, what three things are you passionate about?
Speaker 2:So for the city, for your life, for my life.
Speaker 1:Could be the city. I mean it's For your life, for my life Could be the city. I mean it's part of your life.
Speaker 2:Well, I think you know one of the things that and the reason I work at a middle school and the reason that I do a lot of the work that I do is I really feel like it's so important for us to see our value and to treat each other with respect. And when I worked in Montessori, that was a really big piece and I learned so much there and I'm so grateful for that.
Speaker 2:But I think the way that we treat each other and the way that we talk to each other is a big piece. Now I digress what was the question, but that's something that's very important to me.
Speaker 1:Well, I think you answered the three things you're passionate about.
Speaker 2:One would be sounds like kids and and absolutely modeling with youth kindness yeah, well, I'm concerned. I mean it's selfish. I'm concerned about my future, so I really want to have our kids realize their value and realize that we can be respectful. I mean it's embarrassing when I look at the low not the local national the news and the way we treat each other, and sometimes even at a council meeting it's like I have eighth graders that treat each other better than grownups and seeing those kind of behaviors that we're modeling for our kids.
Speaker 1:It's weird.
Speaker 2:It's sad.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I'll ask you a question because I think I know the answer. Back to mental health. It's actually kind of relates to mental health. I think there's something in the water right now. It's really bizarre out there. It's people, uh, that I know and I, I guess, cause I'm 65 and I'm older, I know more people and network bigger and whatever. But there's a lot of crazy out there and a lot of really sadness and like people are going through really hard crap and it's heartbreaking and heartrending.
Speaker 1:Do you see a higher frequency in the networks you're part of?
Speaker 2:in is this culture of divisiveness that's created some of those things. And then people, you know people can't afford to live somewhere, People can't afford to pay fuel to get to work. There's a lot of things that are happening now that are very uncomfortable and very challenging, and those things, unfortunately, are at a higher level than we can do here in Eureka. But bottom line in my mind is that the way we treat each other, with all that stuff going on, I mean I go to other countries, like I've been to Mexico and some countries like or some areas there, and and met some families from different countries and watching you don't have to have anything to be happy, Right, and I think we're so driven culturally.
Speaker 2:And so that creates that whole narrative of.
Speaker 1:Stuff. Yeah, it's okay to have stuff, just to let stuff have you.
Speaker 2:Well, that's, yeah, it's totally. But that is part of the problem, I think, is that we get driven to do all these things and then we you know we can't do them all, and then that creates another problem for us in our Right, dissatisfaction entitlement and I think we'll blame the Mr Google on some of that just in terms of the internet's really served us well and not so well. Doesn't that chew with everything, though?
Speaker 1:It's true, yeah.
Speaker 2:Everything is both, and that's for sure. Yeah, it's, yes, yeah.
Speaker 1:That's true, everything is both, and that's for sure. Yeah, it's yes, yeah, but anything else you're passionate about? I mean, there must be plenty of things, but so you said raising up a next generation with some?
Speaker 2:kindness and respect. And I love to garden. I love to be out in my garden.
Speaker 1:Cool yeah, I love to be out in nature. Nice, what do you grow?
Speaker 2:I love to bring people together flowers.
Speaker 1:Flowers, nice, yeah, okay, great, that's good to know. So parting shots, how do we get ahold of you again? 707?
Speaker 2:707-616-2178.
Speaker 1:And my phone number is 616-PA-BUCKET. Call me, I'll pick up every time, promise. Just kidding.
Speaker 2:Thanks for being here. Sure, you know, one thing I did want to say is they did offer up to I think it's important because you know the city did offer up to do a phone tree. You know where you'd have to call and press the buttons and all the way to get to me, and I just I don't like that for myself, so we're not doing that. So that's the number you call me at. You can find me there.
Speaker 2:Do you get more calls or texts. It depends on the situation. So emergent stuff, usually a phone call If it's something that can kind of you know it's not an emergency text. Text and then email too.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's really cool. That's so accessible. Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 2:I think it's important.
Speaker 1:Tell us one more time that we're all in this together and there's a way to do it better. I want to hear that that's such an absolute truth. That's the gospel man.
Speaker 2:That's the bottom line. I mean really the way we treat each other is the most important thing. All these other things are just noise. If we have the relationships and the way we treat each other is with respect and dignity, we don't have to like each other, we don't have to agree with each other, but we don't have to be jerks to each other you know, and so I think it's really important.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's a resource in that and connection, that relationship.
Speaker 2:In a healthy community we lift each other up, and I see that so much in our city and I can see the other as well. You know, and hopefully eventually, you know, we all have our something, we all have, our passion, we all have our passion and hopefully we'll find ways to collaborate and make a difference in our city together. Not five people sitting up on the dais, all of us.
Speaker 1:Right, we all live here, we're all part of this village. Yeah, yeah, anything else. Anything you'd like to recap or parting shots?
Speaker 2:Nope, I just really appreciate you having me here today my pleasure. And directly after work, yeah, with middle schoolers yeah, me too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, with whatever I did today. Uh, yeah, thanks for being here, appreciate you, yeah thank you all right, thanks again you betcha.
