After several warnings and issuing a citywide tactical alert for Los Angeles, there were several arrests today by LAPD and more are expected

 

After several warnings and issuing a citywide tactical alert for Los Angeles, there were several arrests today by LAPD and more are expected.

A candidate from the local left who is already being selective about access and treating all fairly

Victor Garcia chose who he sent his press release to; Victor you are a month behind my reporting that you planned to run. Does not bode well that as a potential candidate, you do not treat all local media sources fairly. Those who support you are aware who I am.

Victor still has not filed any paperwork with the City of Eureka so his campaign announcement is meaningless.

Victor, we already have enough activists on Eureka City Council. What we need is people who know how to run a business, can budget and increase opportunities for private industry.

This post is for the survivors, the families, the lawyers and law enforcement

 

Christopher Diven's father in law thanked me again for the updates on the case. Two other local media covered the preliminary hearing. So did I while covering 20 to 30 defendants with multiple cases daily. He contacted me twice because  

He is not local and I have covered Diven regularly and for years. Many people contact me whether other media covers a random hearing or any case because I have been there for years and continue to be the one to inform and help. You don't hear about all the people I help at the courthouse, even on a busy day or respond to, in addition to the content I provide. As exhausted as I am, what makes it worthwhile is the survivors, the families who rely on my consistent, detailed coverage. Lawyers, law enforcement, others at the courthouse follow me to see what is going on. These are the people who never demand anything for me and appreciate me. The people who support me personally, financially or both; even those who give what they can once could contact me but they are the ones who give me space and ask for nothing.

After I finish another weekend of updates and new posts, I am taking some time for me next week. When and how long, no one besides the people mentioned above need to know. Whatever and whenever that time is, I may or may not do minimal posts, you may not see a difference in my daily content.

If I don't respond to tips, if you have to wait for some update, that is just how it will be. Taking an entire day off has not happened in 22 years. I am going to try. I may even make it two or three days. It won't be enough because I will be taking care of everything I have not been able to but it will be a break from the toxic den of evil at 825 5th street and around that building.

For all those who aren't loyal, take me for granted; don't worry. The time I take off will still have sloppy local error filled clickbait from other local media. Pigs might fly and the other local media may even apologize for their error. Link for related reference.

https://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2026/03/getting-arrested-for-dui-near-epd.html?m=1

A Humboldt small claims lawsuit filed by Sacramento couple mentions habitability issues; $6,806, Complete Property Management and a defendant with the same name as a Humboldt Deputy DA

 

I noticed a small claims hearing on calendar this morning with the name exactly the same as Humbolt Deputy DA Victoria Reierstad. I was not in the courtroom today so I cannot confirm if this case involves Ms . Reierstad. I did not see her on the second floor at all today. It is not a common name.

Michael Taney is an attorney at Humboldt Superior Court. He is listed on this case as pro tem judge. Humboldt Commissioner Sarah Kaber usually hears small claims cases.

"A pro tem judge (pro tempore) is a temporary judge—often a qualified attorney or retired judge—appointed to act in place of a regular judge who is absent, disqualified, or when a court vacancy exists. They handle cases, such as small claims, with the same authority as a regular judge. " Legal Information Institute

The case was filed on December 5, 2025. There was one hearing on 3/13/26. The parties did not stipulate to Mr. Taney hearing the matter. It was continued to today. E court lists that at the request of Ms. Reierstad, the small claims hearing was continued to 4/24/26.

I have included court documents which include the claim filed by plaintiffs and the 3/13 court minutes. Between the 3/13/26 court minutes which do not list Complete Property Management properly with other parties; the omission of Complete Property Management in e court under parties and no idea if Alyssa and Samuel Wilson filed out the small claims form properly; I will have to wait, clarify and update, if neccessary the role of parties.

The dispute is about $6,806, a Humboldt property rental and habitability issues which the Sacramento couple claimed was sustained by "Humboldt County Building Department."

If the Wilsons provided any evidence, it was not in e court. I do not know this Sacramento couple but just based on the filing, I can sense drama from them and I am not buying the " poor me victim" routine. I have only had one interaction with Ms. Munger and she is very professional. If this is Deputy DA Reierstad, I have had interactions with her. She is professional and kind. 

Another judicial appointment release from California Governor Gavin Newsom and Humboldt Department 6 MIA; again

 

Another judicial appointment release from California Governor Gavin Newsom and Humboldt Department 6 MIA; again

I have been reporting on Zephyr lawsuit, Nicole Fryer, owner of Humboldt Bay Social Club for months

 

As usual Lost Coast Outpost is a day late and a dollar short. I have been reporting on the Zephyr lawsuit, Nicole Fryer, Humboldt Social Club for months. There are regular updates in my posts. The 2/20/26 update in the February 11, 2026 post has the judgement and court minutes.

LOCO recently apologized for one error with their RCEA debacle . I pointed out other errors by LOCO recently. If you want court documents and accuracy and haven't read my posts on Zephyr, check out the three posts I have done.

LOCO runs to City of Eureka manager Miles Slattery a lot and vice versa whenever LOCO wants to pretend they are publishing some big deal for the first time or the City of Eureka and Slattery need a distraction from the public pissed about something. All local media follow my blog and Facebook. This news is months old and I reported it because I actively research news and cases of public interest.

LOCO is cowardly. They report on this lawsuit months later because Fryer is not someone with resources or money and in a vulnerable position. Unlike them, I report on all lawsuits involving people in power and with money in a small county based on newsworthiness.

Instead of Slattery vs Fryer and he said, she said, you can check out all court documents I provide with my reporting.

Of course, the other local media never give credit to my reporting first. People who read more than one source know.

The good ole boys and gals who own most of the local media and their staff are petty, unprofessional. I work very hard without the money and resources they have and those of you who enable them by your silence also deserve to be called out.

Kai Jones who pleaded guilty in case for human trafficking and sexual exploitation of minors sentenced to 8 years in prison

California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the sentencing of Kai Jones for the human trafficking and sexual exploitation of two minors. Operating out of Los Angeles, Alameda, Monterey, Contra Costa, and Sacramento counties in 2022, Jones lured his underage victims with promises of protection and a bright future in exchange for the money they received from performing commercial sex acts. As a result of the investigative work and prosecution by the California Department of Justice (DOJ), Jones was charged with seven felonies, including human trafficking of a minor, pimping of a minor, and unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. On February 13, 2026, he pleaded guilty and, today, he was sentenced to eight years in prison.

"Remove him"; Judge Killoran orders court staff to put guy smoking blunt on Zoom put in cyber jail and timeout

**The You Tube video is of a Tennesse man who was charged with possession of marijuana and decided to light up a joint in court.**

Typical Humboldt criminal. 

While covering the Destinee Rhamy case, Humboldt Superior Court Judge Lawrence Killoran and attorney Ms. Andrea Sullivan noticed a guy dressed in a red shirt "smoking a blunt" on Zoom. Ms. Sullivan also said "he had an illegal weapon behind him."

Judge Killoran asked court staff to "Remove him." He was put in cyber jail for a time out so Judge Killoran could complete proceedings on the Rhamy case.

The guy in Humboldt was so stoned. He didn't even flinch as Judge Killoran addressed him.

Based on yesterday's arrests and who was on the Courtroom 5 calendar, I have at least two names to check out. 

Judicial intervention this morning in Destinee Rhamy case; retrial scheduled in June

Holland Elbik's mother, Kay Elbik, despite an admonition from Humboldt Superior Court Judge Lawrence Killoran during the first trial was disrespectful to the court, other people in the courtroom 5 this morning and chose to talk with Victim Witness Rep before the Destinee Rhamy case, while other cases were called and while I was covering the Rhamy case. She was seated behind me. No other media was in court. Rhamy and her family were respectful. 

Ms. Andrea Sullivan said, "I discussed options with my client. She has elected to go forward with a new trial."

At request of defense, a judicial intervention is happening this morning. Trial dates were set. Readiness Conference on June 2; jury trial on June 15. Deputy District Attorney Roger Rees is the prosecutor for the case. The intervention did not result in a resolution today.

Depending on judicial intervention, there maybe changes.

The search feature on the blog provides access to all prior coverage. I have exclusive information on this case and if you have not read it before; you should for additional context to understand this post. The 3/12/26 post has links to trial and other coverage on the Rhamy case.

Lloyd Snyder arrested for intimidating a witness, continuous sexual abuse of a child and child endangerment

Lloyd Allen Snyder was arrested by HCSO yesterday for PC 136.1(a)(1) intimidating a witness, PC 288.5(a) continuous sexual abuse of a child and PC 273a(a) child endangerment.

There is very little information, no court documents in older cases and no middle name listed in four family law cases with the sane woman for a Lloyd Snyder in Humboldt Superior Court. One of the cases was dismissed.

Whether it is a message in 2014, 2019 or today, the messages I receive from survivors is what reporting is about and should be

 

Thank you for your work in Humboldt. It is so hard to get information and as a survivor of someone you have been covering, you were the only place to find information that allowed me and my daughter to feel safe. 

California let us down and we return to our lives of fear, but for that time he was in jail, your reporting kept us informed. I cannot believe they would allow a three strike felon to trade it for a misdemeanor, I wish they knew how many things this man has gotten away with in his life. 

Thank you for all that you do.

I miss Humboldt so much and life is so much harder when you have no family, but even thousands of miles away, that man scares me. 

Thank you again for your work, I truly appreciated being able to know what was happening and had over a year where I could sleep knowing he was behind bars where he belonged. 

This is part of an email I received today. There are those who say they believe in God and there are those who live it through their actions and their lives.

If you have followed my reporting in Humboldt from the beginning, the emails and messages I have received from the survivors over the year are the ones that matter. 

These are just two of them.

From my very first job as a journalist in Philadelphia right after college, even when I worked in traditional, mainstream media; my reporting included  news that helped gave survivors a voice. At that time, I had editors and publishers and there were weeks I had to convince them to cover those stories in meetings versus the fluff some advertiser wanted. I put in the extra time; if needed.

Now, I am my own boss. I don't have sales reps.  I don't have a steady paycheck every Friday. I still do the reporting. I am the sales rep.  I am very grateful to those who support my work in Humboldt.

Records subpoenaed from Building and Planning and St. Joe's in Humboldt human trafficking suspect case

 

(HCSO's arrest of Tonev)

Human trafficking suspect had two 2026 cases on calendar today on 3/26. CR2600915 is the case filed first and is scheduled for preliminary hearing. In this case, the Humboldt County DA has subpoenaed 4 manila envelopes from Humboldt Building and Planning yesterday. I already reported that on 3/18, DA subpoenaed records from St. Joseph's Hospital.

CR2601052 the second case is on for motion to examine bail. In that second case, preliminary hearing is scheduled for 4/3.

Deputy DA Carolyn Schaffer appeared on the case instead of Deputy DA Rebecca Buckley-Stein this week. Ms Andrea Sullivan is Tonev's attorney.

Whether the preliminary hearing in the first case proceeds or not is unknown until the case is called and certain other issues are addressed.

I am posting this preview before the hearing. 

10:56 a.m.: Tonev released on first file without having to pay $465,000 bail. DA choses to have contested hearing on $25,000 in second case which will be held this afternoon. If defense wins that as well, Tonev will be released from custody. Both preliminary hearings now on 4/3. Defense had two witnesses ready today. Humboldt Superior Court Judge Kaleb Cockrum asked attorneys today to come back at 1:30.

If you followed my coverage on this case, you know the background. HCSO Deputy Justin Pryor was ordered to be here today by Humboldt Superior Court Judge Steven Steward. Instead he is at the training in Illinois. There were no consequences for the deputy.

No other media in court. No other media has been at every hearing.

1:35: Waiting for Courtroom 3 to open.  Part of the hearing was completed today. Rest will be completed tomorrow. Ms. Schaffer has a homicide preliminary hearing tomorrow morning so schedule will be flexible. A referral was made to supervised release on the second case.

If you followed my coverage on this case, you know the background. 

The hearing on bail will conclude tomorrow. When I finish updating this post, there are details that were revealed in court like an undercover operation that led to Tonev's arrest. If all you read was the HCSO press release, it sounds like they responded to a call from the Mexican consulate.

For those who like details. I hope to have this post and all other new other posts and updates added to previous posts from this week completed by the weekend.

I do have concerns about this CA bill charging for public records but I blame people like Kent Sawatzky

Assembly Bill 1821, authored by California Democrat Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco would allow public agencies to charge if government workers spend more than a certain amount of hours within a month looking for documents requested by the same person. 

I have mixed feelings about this and it is because of the next two paragraphs I highlighted in italics.

The proposal would apply to most people, with exemptions for journalists and educational or scientific institutions.

Californians have a constitutional right to government records but Pacheco says it aims to discourage filers who abuse.

For those familiar with Kent Sawatzky in Humboldt; I know the County PIOs and local media are; he is the kind of person who should pay. Unfortunately as many First Amendment experts have pointed out; this will affect others.

There is another possibility behind this bill that you won't see covered by the Democrat spin media. The timing of this is suspicious when California fraud is being uncovered.

Lost Coast Pest Control loses Mother Bernard lawsuit, wins against Redwood Cabins but that judgement maybe temporary

On March 21, I did a post on a lawsuit filed by Lost Coast Pest Control against Mother Bernard House. LCPC lost that small claims case.

https://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2026/03/another-lawsuit-against-providences.html?m=1#more

Lost Coast Pest Control has filed another small claims hearing against Redwood Cabins and RV resort. On 2/26/26, there was a small claims hearing and judgement was entered in favor of Lost Coast Pest Control. 

Whether LCPC's win is permanent is yet to be determined.

Redwood Cabins filed a motion to set aside that judgement but there was no proof of service because they did not know the other party had to be notified. You don't even have to be a lawyer to know that basic concept; just have common sense. The 3/25/26 hearing on the motion to vacate was continued to 4/24/26.

For those who don't want to read the court minutes, another lawsuit about money owed for rest of contract.

Max Wolfe arrested by Fortuna PD for forgery and check fraud

Max Allen Wolfe was arrested by Fortuna Police Department yesterday for PC 470 (a) forgery and  PC 476 check fraud.

The name looked familiar and when I searched my blog, I found a November 2024 post about Fortuna resident Max Wolfe who was injured in a hit and run being investigated by CHP.

Max Allen Wolfe has two traffic cases and four criminal cases in Humboldt Superior Court. He has a failure to appear in one 2024 case which is for petty theft. He has convictions in both traffic cases and convictions in the other criminal cases for two probation violations, firearm charges with some firearm and drug charges dismissed in one of the cases as a part of the plea.

LA law firm representing former French Laundry employee in California labor code violations lawsuit

 

Elena Flows Beteta worked at the French Laundry as a worked as a dishwasher from 2022-2025. Beteta s suing French Laundry Corporation, French Laundry Partners, LP and KRM, Inc. which does business as the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group over alleged pay and break violations of the California labor code.

The lawsuit was filed on March 19, 2026 in Napa Superior Court by LA's Koul Law Firm.

Beteta is suing on behalf of her and “over fifty current and former aggrieved employees."

LA deputy arrested for three felonies involving a minor; bail is $300,000

 

A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy has been arrested after an investigation into allegations of off-duty sexual misconduct.

Getting arrested for a DUI near EPD headquarters

 

Getting arrested for a DUI near EPD headquarters. At least the DUI suspect was drunk. 

What's the excuse for LOCO's errors?

LOCO thinks EPD and RDPD are the same? Photos by RDPD. The text says contact RDPD Sgt.

The press release is also days old because David Bourland was arraigned this afternoon.

Since I was not in the courtroom, I dont know what other errors were made in LOCO's reporting of the Christopher Diven preliminary hearing. The name of the witness who had a medical emergency is one error. 

I have court minutes which I have added  to yesterday's post.  I hope enough readers saw the LOCO screenshot posted below before the court minutes. LOCO has access to my blog and Facebook page as well as other coverage just as anyone else and they could edit the article. I posted earlier about the morning developments in Diven's hearing. If LOCO staff is going to sit in a courtroom, they can also add some quotes . The information in the court minutes has the same information and more relevant information than what LOCO posted.

Robert Schaulis from the Times Standard spelled the witness' name  spelled and posted two articles on the same case. Maybe LOCO should have hired Robert?

I covered several other cases this week instead of wasting time on the Diven case which is yet another Humboldt drama homicide of a woman sleeping or having an affair with two men and one ends up dead. Whether Retired Judge Christopher Wilson strikes the MIA witness' testimony or not; at a jury trial, she is not a credible witness. The DA should make Diven an offer for a plea.

Another error by another LOCO reporter.

Regretting the error in this instant age of social media means nothing. I previously pointed out an error Dezmond made while covering a court case. Maybe LOCO should work on getting facts correct instead of hiring a bunch of people from the woke colleges and schools who train activists; not journalists.. People who cannot spell, get confused and can't read data. These "reporters" work on one story for days and can't even do the basics. 

Aside from LOCO moderator Angie, the website barely garners comments. This one got a few. LOCO getting called out in these comments.

LOCO didn't post their correction on FB. This reader made sure others knew.