An Honest Economy for Humboldt County
Where the redwoods meet the sea — and working people deserve a future
Eureka and Arcata anchor a region built by loggers, fishers, and farmers. The Yurok, Hoopa Valley, and Wiyot tribes have called this land home since time immemorial. But the mills closed. The salmon stopped running. The cannabis market crashed. Humboldt needs an economy that works for everyone — and these three bills are where it starts.
Three Crises. Three Bills. Real Legislation.
Humboldt County faces a collapsing fishing industry, a timber economy that never recovered, and a working waterfront that's aging out. The harbor at Eureka — once one of the busiest on the North Coast — needs investment to survive, not just promises. These aren't talking points. They're drafted federal bills with funding mechanisms, constitutional analysis, and built-in sunset provisions. Read them yourself.
American Blue Economy & Working Waterfronts Act
Rebuilding Eureka's harbor — and the jobs that depend on it
Eureka's waterfront is the economic heart of Humboldt County. But the docks are aging, cold storage is failing, and the infrastructure that fishing families depend on is crumbling. This bill invests directly in working waterfront modernization — upgrading piers, docks, ice houses, and cold storage so Eureka can handle both traditional fishing and the new aquaculture economy in kelp and shellfish farming. It funds marine technology certifications at College of the Redwoods, so local workers — not outsiders — fill the new jobs in offshore wind maintenance, scientific diving, and ocean monitoring. And it creates a self-funding Blue Economy Trust Fund paid for by industrial ocean users, not taxpayers.
Pacific Coast Fisheries Resilience Act
Keeping Humboldt's fishing families afloat — and opening new doors on the water
Three straight years of salmon closures. Crab seasons cut short by toxic algal blooms. Boats sold off because captains can't make payments when there's nothing to catch. Humboldt's fishing fleet is being wiped out. This bill provides immediate salmon disaster payments so families can pay their bills during closures, crab fleet resilience support to keep boats maintained and ready, and a Fisher-to-Kelp-Farmer transition program that helps commercial fishers diversify into regenerative aquaculture — restoring the bull kelp forests that have been 95% destroyed while earning a living on the ocean. It also fully protects tribal fishing rights for the Yurok, Hoopa Valley, and Wiyot peoples.
Redwood Country Rural Prosperity Act
The mills are gone — but the timber economy doesn't have to be
When the timber industry collapsed, Humboldt lost thousands of jobs and never got them back. This bill brings mass timber and cross-laminated timber (CLT) manufacturing to the region — the fastest-growing segment of the construction industry — using the existing infrastructure where mills once stood. It funds workforce training so Humboldt workers can build careers in sustainable forestry, value-added wood products, and outdoor recreation. And it invests in the economic diversification that a county of 136,000 people desperately needs — from small business development to agriculture to tourism. Humboldt's future isn't about choosing between the forest and the economy. It's about making them work together.
Every Bill Meets These Standards
Not talking points — tested principles. Every bill was drafted with constitutional analysis, fiscal scoring, and real accountability built in.