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Why Care About Zoning?

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Editor: The Humboldt County Planning Department is now developing new zoning regulations for 13,000 parcels covering half a million acres of land in order to comply with the updated General Plan (“On the Go-Slow,” Jan. 24). They have already started with a series of public workshops, including one at McKinleyville’s Azalea Hall 6 p.m., Wednesday, March 13. Zoning regulates how land is used, specifying locations and densities, so if you care about how Humboldt County plans for the health of its communities and resource lands — zoning is where the rubber meets the road. The public input process seems rushed, given the 20 years it took to update this General Plan, and the fact that the planning department is allowing itself two years to complete the required zoning. Maybe they want to avoid reawakening some of the contentiousness responsible for the phenomenally long General Plan Update process. One bone in that contention may be the homes that are now automatically allowable on the vast majority of county resource lands, further straining infrastructure and services, especially roads and fire. Others might be the weakened protections of water quality and forested buffers between communities, or perceived threats to neighborhood character and property values. Everyone does have a stake in zoning. Too bad it is so boring. Most of us can’t get excited about understanding land use regulations until it directly threatens our comfort or finances. But climate change will soon enter the comfort zones of all of us, and the financial impacts of disappearing natural habitats and their ecosystem services are closing in, as well. How land is treated by each family, each community, each state and country is becoming critical, and we need to start caring … even about zoning. Joyce King, McKinleyville

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6 NORTH COAST JOURNAL • Thursday, March 7, 2019 • northcoastjournal.com

Finally, Food

The wait for a grocery store in Hoopa is over By Allie Hostler

newsroom@northcoastjournal.com

O

n Monday, semi-trucks lined store items sold but making healthy items up outside of the new Hoopa available is a good start at educating folks Shopping Center waiting to about consuming foods that are healthier unload pallets of groceries. to improve quality of life,” Jackson added. Inside, more than a dozen K’ima:w Medical Center holds two new employees swiftly stocked shelves, cooking classes a month and Tai Chi News learned how to use the cash registers, classes, which include a light meal, three practiced frying chicken and worked in days a week. They have about 300 clients their respective sections of the store. in the Hoopa Valley who are diagnosed The sounds of drills and hammers with either diabetes or pre-diabetes (Type echoed as construction workers installed II). In addition to the classes, the Diabetes the finishing touches on the coffee bar Program has a licensed dietician on staff, amid the bustle of the highly anticipated an open gym and offers lifestyle coaching grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremoas a tool to help patients manage and ny scheduled for noon Wednesday. prevent diabetes. “I’ve gone into the store a few times “We have an awful lot of high blood since they’ve started stocking the shelves pressure here,” Estes-Bruff said. “I think it’s and each time I feel like I’m starving, like because people are stuck eating shelf-staI want to eat everything,” Hoopa Valley ble food. Just having access to more foods Tribal Chairman Ryan Jackson said, echoing will make a big difference.” the the feelings of many in Hoopa, who With the grocery store up and running, have lived in a food desert since Ray’s Estes-Bruff hopes to add an educational Food Store closed abruptly in 2016. component to the Diabetes Program that The opening of the new store “iłwai includes shopping tours in which partickiliwh,” interpreted by some as “the ipants can learn how to find for healthy gathering place” in the Hupa language, is food items as part of their treatment and more than a simple grocery store to the prevention plan. community. It is the fruition of a vision Planning for the new grocery store and big step toward improving the health began slowly in June of 2016 after the of the community. Tribe severed its property lease with Ray’s “There’s a high degree of food insecuriFood Place due to a rodent infestation and ty here,” K’ima:w Medical Center Diabetes subsequent falling out with Rays’ parent Program Coordinator Vicki Estes-Bruff said. company, C&K Markets. “Indian Health Service has a survey they After a federal health inspection, it use for screening purposes and everyone was determined the entire facility would I’ve given the survey to has documented need to stripped down to the foundasome level of food insecurity.” tion and rebuilt. The tribe spent several Estes-Bruff said a number of things can months troubleshooting and unsuccesscause food insecurity, including lack of fully searching for outside grocers to fill money to buy groceries, a lack of transthe void. portation and a lack of access, all of which Suddenly, the community, which are strongly associated with high blood includes the Weitchpec, Pecwan and pressure and increased diabetes diagnosis. Orleans area, had nowhere convenient or Jackson said having more options for affordable to shop and was forced to buy fresh produce will impact the communigroceries at local gas stations or travel to ty’s health in a positive way and relieve Willow Creek to buy basics. What’s more, some of the anxiety associated with food Willow Creek’s shelves often ran low and security issues. Also, owning and operating prices were high. Most eastern Humboldt its own grocery store puts the tribe in the County residents, including many from driver’s seat when it comes to choosing Willow Creek, travel to Arcata and Eureka what types of food to make available to for their basic supplies. The tribe responded by increasing its the community — a unique opportunity floor space at the Hoopa Mini Mart Gas to improve the community’s health. Station to add things like toilet paper, “Sure, there will be typical grocery