Fight for the Fifth
Madrone, Doss face off for supervisorial seat
Larry Doss
health or addiction services or other types of services, ncumbent Supervisor then we can actually Steve Madrone and do that,” Madrone said, real estate broker Larry noting there’s also a great Doss, a former Humboldt deal of funding coming Steve Madrone Bay Harbor, Recreation and down from the state that the Conservation District commissioner, are county could tap into. vying to represent the Fifth District in this Any success, he said, will also depend on year’s June election. creating partnerships with nonprofits and Madrone is finishing up his first term on community buy-in, noting there’s a comthe board after narrowly defeating Ryan mon misconception that many of those Sundberg in 2018 to represent the sprawling facing homelessness locally are from other district that stretches from the more urban areas despite a “tremendous amount of neighborhoods of McKinleyville to the rural evidence” that shows they either grew up reaches of Willow Creek, encompassing the or were already living here before becomnorthern portions of Humboldt County. ing homeless “for any number of reasons.” Doss, who is also a cattle rancher, And, he said, “some empathy would go a recently moved his primary residence from long way” toward finding a landing spot for Eureka to Orick to qualify for the race. such programs. With the election approaching, the Jour“So funding, partners and location,” nal interviewed Madrone and Doss, asking Madrone said. “All of those are elements each the same four questions on issues that have to be solved in order to make affecting the region, including homelessprogress, but I think most taxpayers get ness, climate change, the county’s budget it that by not solving this problem, we and economic development. Here’s what are actually spending a lot more money, a they had to say. lot more taxpayer dollars, than we would NCJ: Homelessness and housing insespend if we were actually putting it toward curity is a nationwide problem but also an solving the problem. So that goes a long acute one in Humboldt County. What steps way toward helping convince people that can the county government take to address we really should do something.” this issue, which is complex with myriad Doss: With homelessness and housing causes? insecurity running “deep and wide” across Madrone: One solution, the incumbent the region, affecting emergency and medsaid, is leveraging the hundreds of thouical services, all aspects of business in the sands of dollars in federal Section 8 housing county and community members’ sense of vouchers that go unused locally each year security, Doss said it’s important to look for by creating tiny home villages on surplus solutions with “quick results.” county or state land, or private property Doss pointed to the county’s plans with the owner’s cooperation. to open a transition center for homeless The idea, Madrone said, would be to residents, saying he is “rooting on” the basically take out a loan from the General pilot project, noting similar ones have seen Fund to buy a dozen or 20 modular units success in neighboring counties. from the Hoopa Valley Tribe’s company anDoss said he believes there are a lot of nually, then use Section 8 voucher money options that “don’t cost a great deal of from the rent to repay the fund, with the money” and one idea would be to look added benefit of supporting jobs in the beyond public -private partnerships to Hoopa Valley. also incentivize the private sector to “Once we have people in housing and provide affordable housing. out of the woods, then you can start bring“I would also like to take that a step ing wrap-around services to the people and, further and work on a program to offer for those who either want or need mental Continued on next page »
By Kimberly Wear
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northcoastjournal.com • Thursday, May 19, 2022 • NORTH COAST JOURNAL
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