Humboldt Bay Harbor Working Group Luncheon Focuses on Master Permitting Possibilities

Humboldt Bay Harbor Working Group is hosting an informative and practical luncheon designed to delve into the possibilities of master permitting.  The Harbor District began this process of master permitting their oyster leases.  Prosperity 2012 identified master permitting as a key economic development strategy.  This luncheon is designed to learn from the work being done at the state level and how it can apply to the needs of our region.  Can we as a community move forward on this new and much needed process to revitalize our Port and create good-paying jobs?

The luncheon is scheduled for Wednesday, August 27 from Noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Samoa Cookhouse in Samoa.  All guests must RSVP for this no-host luncheon of pot roast or soup and salad by calling 441-1974 or email to charles.bean@yahoo.com. The guest speaker is Andrew Sturmfels from the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz).  He has visited Eureka earlier to talk about a new economic development program.  On the 27th Andrew will talk about his progress statewide in master permitting processes.

Andrew Sturmfels was appointed by Governor Brown to serve as Senior Permit Assistance Specialist within the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) in January of 2013. His job is to assist businesses in California with understanding and navigating permitting, licensing, and regulatory processes. When not working directly with businesses, Andrew works on statewide policy efforts that make it easier to do business in California. Over the last 18 months Andrew led the implementation of the statewide Lean-6 Sigma program that resulted in substantial process improvements across 11 state departments.

HBHWG is a citizen’s group advocating for good paying jobs through the revitalization of Humboldt Harbor. In the fall of 2011, community members interested in creating jobs with living wages met to discuss the Harbor’s immense untapped potential.  This citizen’s action group became the Humboldt Bay Harbor Working Group (HBHWG) with one of its goals to host a monthly educational lunch forum on the last Wednesday at Noon at the Samoa Cookhouse.  More information about HBHWG is available  at   www.humboldtworkingport.org.