Screenshots of Tuesday’s virtual meeting (clockwise from top left): First District Supervisor Rex Bohan, Second District Supervisor Estelle Fennell, Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson; Fourth District Supervisor Virginia Bass, Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich and Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madron.
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Covid and Cannabis: Those two familiar topics were the main objectives at the meeting of the Humble County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.
With coronavirus, the focus was on the recent spike in cases across the country, the state, and here in Humboldt County. The board’s conversations have had an impact on the tense social exchanges that can occur when customers refuse to wear masks while sheltering local businesses.
Along with marijuana, the board heard an in-depth presentation outlining some key principles and strategies for Humboldt’s marketing. Famous Cash crop. The marketing assessment, prepared by local business group Humboldt County Growers Alliance (HCGA), will serve as a guide to future marketing efforts funded by the county’s weed-centered economic development program, Project Trellis.
Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich, who has led the county’s COVID response efforts as staff seeks her replacement, said it’s hard to know what to expect next in this epidemic. “Every day is a surprise right now,” he said.
One of California’s 58 counties has been placed in the state’s most restricted “purple” level by the government’s Gavin News administration, and while Humboldt has moved to the second-highest, “red” level (excluding “orange”), Francovich said if current trends If it continues, we are also at risk of purple.
He noted that many positive COVID-19 cases were confirmed in October during the first two weeks of November in Humboldt County. And our case rate went from about two cases per 100,000 inhabitants to 8.8 per 100,000. About half of the cases involved travel outside the county, and Francovich reiterated his recent warnings against this large number of gatherings and family visits.
“To do our job well, it means making sacrifices to get together this year to keep our friends and family safe and alive, and we will celebrate with them next year.”
The state of California has entered into an agreement with Umm Ptm Serv to continue testing at Redwood Acres Fairgrounds until April. The company’s samples are now being sent to a state lab in Valencia instead of a commercial testing laboratory. Frankovich said there is some “growing suffering” in the state’s facilities, resulting in a period ranging from two days to more than a week for test results.
Frankovich also addressed recent news that both Pfizer and Moderna have developed highly effective vaccines (at least according to a press release from the pharmaceutical giants). It is “very likely” that the Pfizer vaccine will be available to local health care workers by December. “We’re planning on that,” Frankovic said.
The Pfizer vaccine requires deep-freeze storage and must be administered within one month, in two doses. With 20 million health care workers in California alone, it may take some time to reach the rest of the supply. It is also not clear how long immunity lasts after vaccination. Still, Francovich called the recent developments “really encouraging.”
With Humboldt County Sheriff Billy Honsell for COW debriefing, Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson gave a recent experience at the local Burito site. Wilson said the two men inside refused to wear masks and were “tormented about it.” He argued that these individuals were using the fact that employees did not need to create dossier covering customers. The cashier at the restaurant was a young woman, Wilson said.
“Dynamically they didn’t understand how scary they were,” he said, referring to the anti-clay mask. Seeing the social tensions in this country and the news of people becoming violent when asked to wear masks, Wills said the pair “don’t understand how they’re terrorizing everyone in the room.”
He said he had seen two similar incidents, in which a pair of “I’m just going to say that, young white men” at the Arcata Farmers’ Market, wearing masks, weakening the masks, the effect they were having on weak parents. Ignores.
“This behavior is scaring people away from business who really need business,” Wilson said.
Hansel said most businesses now have a sign indicating their mask requirements, but he also suggested employees need to take a stand. “People need to be comfortable communicating, [saying] ‘No mask, no service.’ “They shouldn’t run that cash register if they’re not comfortable with it,” he said.
Wilson said the cashier at the Burito spot is not shy; She was scared. The supervisor said, “It’s really inappropriate that we’re that dynamic. I don’t have the answer.”
“There are fewer and fewer people reacting to aggression or” fooling themselves “when asked to mask,” Honsell said, adding that his office Will Customers who refuse to do so avoid the charge of misconduct.
Fourth District Supervisor Virginia also struggled with the pair of mass encounters at Bass and Wal Lamart. He saw an employee ask him to cover his face, and while they were continuing without doing so in the store, Bass requested him to cover his face.
In response, “They followed me around the store.” “They had masks, but they were coughing directly at me. … People are making fun. ”
Honsley said his deputies Is Examples of misconduct were issued, and he noted that the county’s Joint Information Center (JIC) was “really putting up boring stuff when it comes to wearing masks.” He again urged people to “be bold” and “say something if you don’t see anyone wearing a mask inside a retail store.”
First District Supervisor Rex Bohan, who has at times backtracked on COVID-related public health orders, urged people to exercise caution. “Seriously, you listen to people, professionals and science,” he said. And about the face ing, he suggested, “Understand our young man: he is not showing weakness; It shows brilliance. “
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Shortly after the meeting, the board chairman and another district supervisor, Estelle Fennell, turned down an opportunity to serve as an alternative to a position with a statewide government organization. She acknowledged the still unexplained and very close re-election efforts against challenger Michelle Bushnell.
Bohan is serving as California County Representative (RCRC) as well as a county representative for the Golden State Finance Authority Authority (GSFA). Fennell has been optional, and according to a staff report, both she and Bohan have expressed interest in continuing those roles.
After Fennell returned from volunteering, he quickly nominated Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madro for an alternate position. Wilson moved to re-appoint Bohan with Madron as an alternative.
The boss then spoke, she wanted to hear from Bohan, and Bohe said that while he appreciated filling Madron’s footsteps, he would choose to fill the bass with an alternate role, “because she’s got a lot of connections.”
However, with motion already on the floor, the board voted unanimously to re-appoint Bohne and Madro served as his replacement. Bohan’s “yes” vote seemed less than enthusiastic.
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Humboldt County Growers Alliance delivers a PowerPoint presentation by policy director Ross Gordon Zoom. | Screenshots.
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Next came a presentation on the County Cannabis Marketing Assessment, an 80-page document prepared by the Humboldt County Growers Alliance (HCGA) and presented by Ross Gordon, the group’s policy director. (You can view a summary of the report in PDF format here.)
First, however, the county’s economic development director, Scott Adair, gave an overview of the industry’s landscape, noting that with the nationwide declaration of marijuana on the horizon, other communities across the country have aggressively begun selling their weed products. Humboldt County needs to do the same, Adar said, if we hope to secure our “brand” and market share in an industry that generates significant tax revenue.
The previous request for marketing proposals was very vague and various varied responses were generated, many from large county marketing companies. So the county hired HCGA to develop a detailed and thorough marketing assessment. The full report, which includes eight findings and 30 recommendations, has been disseminated to the community, which will seek the approval of most of the local industry players who responded.
Gorden said in his PowerPoint presentation that the goal is to come up with strategic direction and vision based on research of similar industries in Hawaii, including the wine-growing regions of Napa Valley and Bordeaux and the coffee industries of Kona. Big Island and Colombia.
“Thousands” of fully independent small businesses across the country will be able to transition to the legal market, creating fair value for their products while cultivating the environment in a sustainable fashion, Gordon said. This vision also includes helping consumers around the world understand the “unique qualities of the craft Humboldt cannabis”.
Gord published several key principles of the strategy, focusing on equal participation of all local industry appointees, protection of intellectual property (including the Humboldt name), quality control, sustainability, and public policy.
Following Gordon’s presentation (which proceeds from Fennell and Bohan), the agency told the board that the county’s economic development staff was recommending a new request for marketing proposals, this time limiting applicants to local profiteers and directing them to use marketing assessments. As a structure.
During the period of public comment, many cannabis industry appointees called for support for the HCGA document and the strategy outlined therein.
Encouraging Humboldt County-based profiteers to develop a new cannabis marketing plan, employees voted unanimously to submit a new Request for Proposal (RFP).
