WE SUPPORT OUR ELECTED AUDITOR-CONTROLLER

Public Statement from Cooperation Humboldt Board of Directors & Staff
 
Cooperation Humboldt exists to create a solidarity economy in our community. We know it is possible to meet our collective needs without exploitation or oppression and that it is possible to do so in a manner that heals and regenerates our natural ecosystems.
 
We also understand the importance of public engagement in civic leadership, and we believe that our elected officials should be held to the highest standards of public service. Humboldt County Auditor-Controller Karen Paz-Dominguez is an outstanding public servant and we are appalled at the attacks she has faced for the past two years, which have intensified of late. The recent actions by the Board of Supervisors taken against our elected Auditor-Controller are baseless, border on malicious harassment, and are a waste of public funds that are badly needed for other purposes. It is particularly disappointing to see a strong young Latina leader being singled out for such baseless mistreatment and blatant abuse.
 
For two years Paz-Dominguez has stated that she was not receiving accurate information in a timely manner and that her office was understaffed to do the work required under California law — work she was elected to do by the voters of Humboldt County. She has a legal responsibility to certify financial records and can’t do so without proper documentation. No one should want or expect her to do otherwise. Now that she either hasn’t gotten the records or has received them late, the Board of Supervisors and the County Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) are attempting to blame her for the adverse consequences of her principled choice to follow both the law and generally accepted accounting principles.
 
Several times the CAO has hired outside consultants to undo work already completed accurately by Paz-Dominguez. Where did the money come from to hire consultants for this purpose, while the Board refuses to hire the two additional staffers that Paz-Dominguez has said she needed for the past two years?
 
Now the Board and CAO want to hire an outside firm to audit — not the county — but the Auditor’s office itself, at a cost of $250,000. This during an unprecedented pandemic, when funds are desperately needed to keep county residents housed, fed, and healthy. Furthermore, the CAO is now advocating to hire a Finance Director, in direct opposition to the decision made by voters in 2016.
 
It is also worth noting that the county’s outside auditor has previously praised Paz-Dominguez’ work when she reduced an $8 million “miscellaneous” trust fund down to $480,000. Paz-Dominguez also kept the county from making a gross error on its projected income when $7 million in revenue was being counted twice. And she has diligently worked to reduce the fraud potential in payroll that was taken out of the Auditor’s office just before she was sworn in as the newly elected Auditor.
 
Frequently, the County states it can’t do critically important community projects due to a lack of funds. So where is this money coming from to attack the Auditor? It is money that would be much better spent serving the community rather than trying to disparage one of our most respected and effective elected officials.
 
– Cooperation Humboldt Board of Directors & Staff

9/24/2020 Email Blast – Invitation to Food Team Introduction!

2020 just keeps coming at us. Just remember, we are all in this together, and that is exactly how we will get through this– TOGETHER!

We invite you to join us this Saturday, September 26th from 1:00-2:30 pm for an introduction to Cooperation Humboldt’s Food Team and to find out how you can get involved!

We believe that access to nutritious, culturally appropriate food is a fundamental human right and should never be dependent on wealth or income. So all of our projects are grounded in that belief.

Our past accomplishments include:

– Establishing 12 Little Free Pantries, with 11 more about to be installed.

– Completing 15 front lawn conversions (turning unused grass into productive organic gardens).

– Setting up over 240 mini gardens for low-income residents since the pandemic hit.

– Planting 80+ free community fruit trees.

– Numerous other educational events/offerings…

***Our newest project (and one where we need lots of help!) is taking over production of the Local Food Guide.***

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82932886084

Meeting ID: 829 3288 6084

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+16699006833,,82932886084# US (San Jose)

 

Meeting ID: 829 3288 6084

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/keGCofOI3x

 

We hope to see you soon,

Your friends at Cooperation Humboldt

www.cooperationhumboldt.com

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If you aren’t already, would you consider joining Cooperation Humboldt as a sustaining monthly donor? You can chose an amount that works for your budget from $10, $25, or more! Your contribution goes a long way to support the diverse community-centered work we do together!

DONATE HERE

As always, please reach out to us with your own dreams, ideas, and plans. Please be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on how Cooperation Humboldt empowers our community to build a brighter future!

We have two wonderful accomplishments to share with you today.

First, thanks so much to everyone who donated during the month of August. We exceeded our matching funds grant goal to raise $10,620 (which makes $20,620 including the matching funds)! This generosity supports so many empowering projects that we provide to our community, which leads to our second celebration…

Last Saturday as part of our ‘Mini Garden Extravaganza’ event, we installed a whopping 78 gardens in one day! This brings us to 241 total gardens installed for the season. Huge thanks and appreciation go out to all of the amazing volunteers who joined forces to make this possible.

It’s been heartwarming to read the messages of thanks from those who received mini gardens on Saturday, and we wanted to share a few with you, since this would not have been possible without your support!

“In short, WOW! I absolutely love our mini garden. I am looking forward to seeing how the garden changes as it grows. As a first time gardener I really appreciate the size. Thank you for considering our family.” – Jacqueline

“I am so fortunate to have received a mini garden this past Saturday. Thank you to Cooperation Humboldt for affording my son and I the opportunity to learn and eat healthier. We can’t wait to watch them grow and one day cook with veggies from our own backyard!” – Natassia

“The garden is just the perfect size for me, and the timing for fall is spot on. And the greatest thing is I could never have done this for myself. With my arthritis it would be just too much. The young men who brought the pot and soil were so pleasant and a joy to meet. And the ladies with the plants were so swift and did a great job. A job well done by four of the nicest people  I have met in quite a while.” – Tricia

“My family and I are so happy every time we look at our new garden. We are so grateful for the food and experiences we will get from this. Our community is amazing, Cooperation Humboldt you’ve really blessed us! Thank you.” – Khianna

“I was so excited and pleased that I was chosen to receive a mini garden. I am 67 and my wife is 66 and we live in a trailer park with limited space. This small garden will give us purpose and enjoyment in our lives. Thank you thank you very much.” – Ron

As always, we encourage you to reach out to us with any questions, comments or suggestions.

Your friends at Cooperation Humboldt

www.cooperationhumboldt.com

————————————————————

If you aren’t already, would you consider joining Cooperation Humboldt as a sustaining monthly donor? You can chose an amount that works for your budget from $10, $25, or more! Your contribution goes a long way to support the diverse community-centered work we do together!

DONATE HERE

As always, please reach out to us with your own dreams, ideas, and plans. Please be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on how Cooperation Humboldt empowers our community to build a brighter future!

Movement School for Revolutionaries – July 14, Eureka, CA

Do you want to restructure society to more effectively and compassionately meet human needs and stop the ecological crisis?
Are you ready to participate in bringing about deep, structural change?
Attend the Movement School for Revolutionaries in Eureka to meet others who feel the same, develop a shared analysis of our current state, discuss how changes can be made here in Humboldt County, and get to work!

Saturday, July 14

10:00-5:00

Labor Temple – 840 E Street, Eureka

https://www.school4rev.org

Lunch provided

The Movement School for Revolutionaries is a highly participatory political education and strategic orientation workshop designed for those who recognize the need to restructure society to meet human needs stop the ecological crisis. So if you only believe incremental change is needed and/or possible, this isn’t a good fit for you. We are eager to work you on incremental changes later, but this day is about deep, structural change.

We will also talk about how (not “if”) revolutionaries should engage in electoral politics. So if you are a revolutionary who does not believe in engaging elections at all, this isn’t a good fit for you. We are eager to work you on social movement efforts later, but this school is designed for self-described revolutionaries who want to explore elections as one of several tactics.

Mel Figueroa (Campus AntiFascist Network), Emily Kawano (Solidarity Economy Network) and David Cobb (Cooperation Humboldt) will serve as facilitators.

The goals for the day are:
* Understand the larger social & historical context of our current social/ecological/economic crisis & political realignment
* Collaborate with fellow radicals & progressives across party line
* Build a united front of the Left to fight back against both neoliberalism and neofacism
* Develop strategies for engaging elections – and prepare to take and exercise state power

Upcoming Event: Artists Dismantling Capitalism

“The role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible.”
​–​Toni Cade Bambara

In that spirit, we invite your participation at an exciting Symposium on Sat, Feb 24 from 10am-6pm titled Artists Dismantling Capitalism to be held at 212 G Street in Old Town Eureka.

This Symposium will be highly participatory, and is an effort to bring together artists, culture workers, social change agents and anyone and everyone who knows that we can collectively create a society that is loving, compassionate, inclusive and beautiful.

It is being sponsored by Cooperation Humboldt, Societies for Poetic Action and Synapsis, with collaboration from LOTS of other awesome community groups.

Schedule

10-10:30 Intro/Overview

10:30-11:30 “Big Picture” Framing: A short (but deep) dive into the inter-relatedness of patriarchy, imperialism, capitalism and white supremacy as a way to ground our time together.

11:30-1pm Concurrent Workshops

Artists Union: We will examine artist’s experiences in the local market, determine what is needed to improve their conditions, and explore the possibility of creating some sort of union/cooperative.

Women in The Arts Roundtable: organizing many generations of local women in any and all disciplines in the arts in order to share experiences, discuss the significance of our roles and strategize for more successful representation and visibility in the local arts community.

Opportunities in Excess: An exploration of local excess and the opportunities they present to engage the circular economy and sustainability practices within art making.

1-2 Lunch

2-3:30 pm Concurrent Workshops

Critiquing Strategic Arts Plan: Policy affects, in very concrete ways, how art is perceived and funded. Deconstruct, discuss, help develop a critique of how Eureka’s “Strategic Arts Plan” affects our creative community.

Using Image Theatre to Envision a Solidarity Economy: Understand the Pillars of Economy, and then apply those pillars to compare the current economy built on extraction, exploitation, and enclosure to a solidarity economy based regeneration, cooperation, and ecological and social well-being by using theatre games and Theatre of the Oppressed techniques.

Women of Color Against Racism

3:30-4:30 Concurrent Workshops

Societies for Poetic Action: Discover what a local, politically, environmentally and civilly engage art collective is doing to affect their community and see how you can get involved or gain inspiration for your own practice.

Art & Patriarchy

4:30pm-5:30pm Facilitated Strategy Discussion

5:30-6pm Closing

We hope to see you there!