Episode 54 · Debra Garnes · September 14, 2024
Debra Garnes shares the winding path that brought her from Detroit to Rio Dell, weaving together family, service, and leadership. From Navy deployments and a long career at SMUD to small-town civic work, she reflects on the experiences that shaped her approach to community.
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What this episode covers
- Debra’s upbringing in Detroit and the music-and-church culture around her
- Her time at Northern Michigan University studying accounting
- Four years in the Navy as a gunner’s mate, including WESTPAC deployments
- A 15-year career at SMUD, including hazmat and decommissioning work
- Moving to Humboldt through a stay in off-grid Zenia before settling in Rio Dell in 2003
- Her role as mayor of Rio Dell and the effort to elevate the city’s image
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Transcript
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Scott Hammond: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages, it is the 100% Humboldt Podcast with your host, Scott Hammond, and my new best friend-
Scott Hammond: … Debra Garnes.
Debra Garnes: Hiya.
Scott Hammond: Hi, Debra. How are you?
Debra Garnes: I'm great. Thank you.
Scott Hammond: And your, your tag says Mayor of Rio Dell.
Debra Garnes: Yes.
Scott Hammond: I like it.
Debra Garnes: All right.
Scott Hammond: I like… It looks like- I was gonna say it looks like you're a doctor, the doctor-
Debra Garnes: Oh
Scott Hammond: … of Rio Dell.
Debra Garnes: I wish I was the… Well, I don't know if I wish I was a doctor.
Debra Garnes: But-
Scott Hammond: So tell us, what are your duties?
Debra Garnes: … pretty much.
Scott Hammond: What, what's your title and what, what do you do?
Debra Garnes: Um, well, my title is Mayor of the City of
Debra Garnes: Rio Dell.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And b- basically I'm kind of the face of Rio Dell, the, um, and which the mayor would be.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And I'm a part of the council.
Debra Garnes: We, um, set the ordinances, the regulations for the city
Debra Garnes: of Rio Dell.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: We promote Rio Dell. I try to promote Rio Dell every chance I get.
Scott Hammond: Right.
Debra Garnes: And, um, uh, we're just there for our
Debra Garnes: community-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … doing what we can, trying to, um, raise the, the,
Debra Garnes: uh, image-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … that's the word
Scott Hammond: Right
Debra Garnes: … raise the image-
Scott Hammond: Right
Debra Garnes: … of Rio Dell and e- kinda elevate us to a point where we're not forgotten and we're not thought of in a negative
Debra Garnes: way.
Scott Hammond: And you're not finished. You're just starting.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: I like it. I like it. No, I love it. How big… So how big is Rio Dell?
Debra Garnes: Um, there's, uh, people-wise about 34 and a half,
Debra Garnes: 3,500.
Scott Hammond: Okay, so it's pretty small.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: It's bigger… It's smaller than McKinleyville.
Debra Garnes: Oh, yes. Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: Oh, wait, this is… I'm gonna jump into my map right away. I never get to do this this early in my show. Over here, Nick. Whoa. Get my cords all… Okay. So Rio Dell sits right over here just south of
Scott Hammond: Fortuna-
Debra Garnes: Yes
Scott Hammond: … on the Eel River-
Debra Garnes: On the Eel River across-
Scott Hammond: Which is in Humboldt County.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: Which is in California it turns out.
Debra Garnes: Yes. And it is just across from, um, what was one of the last company towns in America, Scotia, and-
Scott Hammond: Scotia
Debra Garnes: … the bridge between us-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … is the shortest unmarked bridge in the state of California.
Scott Hammond: Wow. What does unmarked mean?
Debra Garnes: It means it isn't, like, a highway sign that- that's, you know… It- it's, it's kind of like a business loop, uh,
Debra Garnes: as far as-
Scott Hammond: Okay
Debra Garnes: … getting off the highway and getting to Rio Dell-
Scott Hammond: Sure
Debra Garnes: … from the south d- southern direction-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Debra Garnes: … or the s- southern end.
Scott Hammond: Right.
Debra Garnes: But, um, it just doesn't have the big, you know, highway
Debra Garnes: marker-
Scott Hammond: Or all the stuff
Debra Garnes: … it, and all the stuff. Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: And a name. Does it have a name? I w- wonder if there's a-
Debra Garnes: It's, uh, the Eagle Prairie Bridge.
Scott Hammond: Oh, wow. Go figure.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: Okay. Yeah, so I, I think you've elevated Rio Dell, what little I know, and I know you're gonna tell us more. Uh, you guys have been elevating pretty, pretty hardcore of late.
Scott Hammond: So-
Debra Garnes: We are trying
Scott Hammond: … so good job. I, um, I liked, I liked what I put, I, I pulled this up. I cheat on this a little bit. So my AI report says, um, uh, mayor's responsibilities, preside over city councils-
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm
Scott Hammond: … I imagine.
Debra Garnes: Absolutely.
Scott Hammond: You represent the city in official capacities, and we'll talk about that 'cause I know you're reported by, uh, uh, reported… You were appointed
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm
Scott Hammond: … by Gavin Newsom. Hopefully he, he hasn't reported you.
Debra Garnes: No, hopefully not.
Scott Hammond: And then policymaking, so you're part of that and, uh-
Debra Garnes: That body. Mm-hmm
Scott Hammond: … and that number four community engagement, which is I think wonderful for a small town America. So, um, tell us about, uh, the Debra story. Where'd you come from? Uh, give us the long version.
Debra Garnes: The, the the short version, the long version, and-
Scott Hammond: Give me the long one
Debra Garnes: … born and raised in Detroit, Michigan.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Debra Garnes: Um, went to Northern Michigan University in s- um, uh, Marquette, Michigan.
Scott Hammond: Uh-huh.
Debra Garnes: I came home, um, when my father passed away when I was 19, and so I, I came back home-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … um, hung out with my mom for a bit, and then I joined the
Debra Garnes: Navy.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Debra Garnes: Um, I went to Pearl Harbor is where I was stationed-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … on a ship-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Debra Garnes: … for four years. Um, we got to go, you know, we did a, a, a couple WESTPACs, so went as far as-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Debra Garnes: … I think as far as Madagascar to the west of Hawaii.
Scott Hammond: Right.
Debra Garnes: Yes.
Scott Hammond: Right. Yeah.
Debra Garnes: So, uh, Madagascar and Las Comoras.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: Um, and we went to Japan and, um, a, a sh- little ways into China.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: Yeah. Um, and a little ways into India. And then after my stint in the Navy, uh, moved to Sacramento.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: I worked, um, for Sacramento Municipal Utility District-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … otherwise known as SMUD.
Scott Hammond: Know those guys, yep.
Debra Garnes: Um, yeah, I worked as a contractor for two years I think, and then, um, I got hired on at SMUD.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: So I worked there for 15 years. SMUD's a great company-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … so you can go… Uh, uh, there was one person we al- you can always use as an example of how great a company SMUD is. He went from utility clerk to
Debra Garnes: AGM-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Debra Garnes: … assistant general manager.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Debra Garnes: Um, he, he might have gone to GM actually.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, I think he did actually go to GM.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Debra Garnes: So, um, SMUD is that kind of company where you can promote from
Debra Garnes: within.
Scott Hammond: Incredible.
Debra Garnes: Um, that, to that end, that's kind of what I did. I started out, um, just as a, um, a office person.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And then, um, they paid for my schooling.
Scott Hammond: Good.
Debra Garnes: I, I went, uh, to school. I went to, uh, UC Berkeley Extension to get, um, qualified as lead and asbestos, uh, s- uh, every discipline in those dis- in that, uh, those categories.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And, um,
Debra Garnes: then they allowed me to move up. Then they, um, uh, to a position where I was, um, actually working with engineers to, uh, when we were going into decommissioning.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And decommissioning the cooling towers and getting rid of the asbestos and
Debra Garnes: working-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Debra Garnes: … with, um, the engineers, uh, to get
Debra Garnes: that,
Debra Garnes: that done.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: Then, um-Back to school I went to get, um, qualified as a-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Debra Garnes: … hazardous materials specialist-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … which SMUD paid for.
Scott Hammond: Oh, nice.
Debra Garnes: And then they allowed me then to move into the hazardous materials, uh, field.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And so that's, that's where I was. That's how I, I finished my career at SMUD-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Debra Garnes: … was a hazardous materials tech.
Scott Hammond: Then came up here.
Debra Garnes: And then, yes. And so we owned a, an espresso bar, Elizabeth
Debra Garnes: and I.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: Owned an espresso bar, and we, um,
Debra Garnes: sold that.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: Two of our customers, um, Pat and Bruce, owned property in Zenia.
Scott Hammond: Ah.
Debra Garnes: 100 acres and a cabin.
Scott Hammond: Where?
Debra Garnes: Yeah, right. Um-
Scott Hammond: Let me show you where that is.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, show where Ze- So Zenia is, if you're in Garberville, you go to Alder Point, you keep going past Alder Point.
Scott Hammond: It's over there on the right to your right.
Debra Garnes: Yes. And then you g- get past Alder Point, and you get to Zenia before you get to Kettenpom.
Scott Hammond: I bet it's pretty out there.
Debra Garnes: It's beautiful out there.
Scott Hammond: I bet Zenia's cool.
Debra Garnes: Yeah. It was very… I mean, it was very n- n- not a lot of people, but very, very cool.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: And, um, it was 100 acres.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Debra Garnes: I think there were five or six waterfalls.
Debra Garnes: They-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Debra Garnes: … they couldn't be there during the week because Pat was still working.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: So I had some health issues, had to leave SMUD. That's why I left SMUD-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … because I had health issues that made me have to leave.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And, um, I could no longer do my job. It needed to be clearer. It was, it was I became the hazard versus- … you know? I couldn't hold on to things.
Scott Hammond: You gotta go.
Debra Garnes: Well, yeah, I, I had to leave.
Debra Garnes: So, um, so they, we had visited them so many times and learned their entire, uh, off-grid system.
Scott Hammond: Nice.
Debra Garnes: And so they offered to let us be there-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Debra Garnes: … because we were wanting to move to Humboldt, but it was too difficult to go from Humboldt, Sacramento to Humboldt to find a place to live.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Debra Garnes: So we lived there,
Debra Garnes: um, for y- about, about 11 months.
Scott Hammond: On the land.
Debra Garnes: On the land.
Scott Hammond: Rad.
Debra Garnes: Off-grid.
Scott Hammond: Mm.
Debra Garnes: It was an amazing, amazing experience.
Scott Hammond: Nice.
Debra Garnes: And, um, from there we started, you know, we would come into Humboldt on a regular basis-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … look around, look for somewhere, some home to purchase.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And then finally, um-
Scott Hammond: Let me guess
Debra Garnes: … actually we found one in Rio Dell.
Scott Hammond: I was gonna say the answer is Rio Dell.
Debra Garnes: The answer, we drive by on 101 going, "Wonder what they do in that town. Wonder what they do in that town."
Scott Hammond: Let's go check it out.
Debra Garnes: Let's go check it out.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Debra Garnes: And we did, and we found a beautiful home. And with the, the view of the bluffs.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Debra Garnes: I think we, we got the last home before the pendulum swung up to ridiculous prices.
Scott Hammond: Crazy. What year was that?
Debra Garnes: So 2003.
Scott Hammond: '03.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: So you've been here a little bit. Yeah.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, yeah.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Debra Garnes: So yeah.
Scott Hammond: So from-
Debra Garnes: So that's pretty much-
Scott Hammond: From homeowner to mayor.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: That's pretty good. That's kind of a SMUD-
Debra Garnes: Well, I w-
Scott Hammond: … SMUD thing.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, right. I was, you know, I was on the council for six years, I think, before-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Debra Garnes: … I became mayor, though.
Scott Hammond: Nice.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: So you served first.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: Let's go back to Detroit.
Debra Garnes: Okay.
Scott Hammond: So, uh, Detroit has Motown, it's got rock and roll.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: Um, did you grow up with all the, that music-
Debra Garnes: I did
Scott Hammond: … culture and all that happening?
Debra Garnes: Yeah, I did. I grew up with all of that. My brother, um, was, you know, in a musical group and-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … um, uh, he was friends… Like for example, one day w- I'm with him in his car, he pulls up and stops and is talking to this guy, and it's Smokey Robinson. It, it who-
Scott Hammond: Of course, yes. Hey, Smokey
Debra Garnes: … before he was apparently Smokey Rob-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Debra Garnes: … I mean, like really, truly Smokey Robinson.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: But yeah, um, so I grew up in that culture. I grew up, um,
Debra Garnes: around m- my brother's always, you know, doing the, the group
Debra Garnes: thing.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And, um, uh, it was, it was interesting.
Debra Garnes: I was, you know, pretty, I wouldn't, I don't know if sheltered is the word, but you know, I, I wasn't out and about doing crazy things, you know?
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Debra Garnes: So I don't think I experienced as much of Detroit as people think when they think-
Scott Hammond: Sure
Debra Garnes: … you're from Detroit.
Scott Hammond: Yeah. Definitely got the music scene, though.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: Absolutely.
Scott Hammond: For sure.
Debra Garnes: Music and church.
Scott Hammond: And then, and, and church, yeah.
Debra Garnes: And church music.
Scott Hammond: Lots of church.
Scott Hammond: Aretha.
Debra Garnes: Right.
Scott Hammond: Yeah. She started in church, like a lot of people.
Debra Garnes: Right, right, right.
Scott Hammond: So, so the Navy, so you went on how many, two WESTPACs?
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: Three?
Debra Garnes: Two.
Scott Hammond: Nice. How many years-
Debra Garnes: Two WESTPACs and then a nice long trip to Long Beach.
Scott Hammond: Nice. Yeah. Big, big harbor there.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: I'm from San Diego, so I understand-
Debra Garnes: Oh, okay
Scott Hammond: … the Navy.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: We used to drink beer with all the Navy guys.
Debra Garnes: Okay.
Scott Hammond: Before we were 21, if you could believe that. Um, so h- how many years in the Navy?
Debra Garnes: Just four.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Debra Garnes: Which is enough.
Scott Hammond: Thank you for your service.
Debra Garnes: I mean, absolutely.
Scott Hammond: Pretty cool.
Debra Garnes: It was, it was absolutely… It, I, I think everyone should, I almost think everyone should have to do it, but that seems a bit extreme.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: But I think you grow up so much, you learn so much-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … you see so much.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: You, it expands your mind-
Scott Hammond: Big time
Debra Garnes: … because you see different cultures, different ways of life.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And you see two things, the difference in cultures-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … and the sameness in cultures.
Scott Hammond: It's good. I like it.
Debra Garnes: And so it really, I, I think-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … it's an experience that I am very thankful that I had.
Scott Hammond: Nice. We have a son in, we have nine kids. Our second oldest is in Amsterdam.
Debra Garnes: Oh, wow. Nice.
Scott Hammond: U- Utrecht. I got to say it right. And going back there twice now, it's, it's a trip going to, on mass transit. Everything's rail.
Debra Garnes: Oh, yeah.
Scott Hammond: And the people are all beautiful and tall and tr- …
Scott Hammond: and very un- un- ostensibly unfriendly. They're very, like, focused in, but as soon as you engage somebody, they're pretty warm.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: And, and you know, Belgium is different and a little the same. But yeah, you find the similarities and the differences.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: So what did you study at the university?
Debra Garnes: Accounting.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, it was boring.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, I- It, it was easy to let go.
Scott Hammond: Oh. I like that. That was easy to release that.
Debra Garnes: Right.
Scott Hammond: And then so in the Navy, what did, what did, what was your field there?
Debra Garnes: Well, I was a gunner's mate.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Debra Garnes: I was a gunner's mate, guns.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Debra Garnes: I, um-
Scott Hammond: So ordnance and all that?
Debra Garnes: Yes, and yes.
Scott Hammond: Huh.
Debra Garnes: Fun stuff. Um-
Scott Hammond: Well, you've done a little bit of everything.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: On, on the land.
Debra Garnes: That's right.
Scott Hammond: Guns,
Scott Hammond: accounting.
Debra Garnes: Yes, yes.
Scott Hammond: Hazmat. Jack of all trades.
Debra Garnes: I, I know. I, I, I … If I finally did, I settled on, um, um, hazmat, but … And when I look back, I could have made a little, some different decisions.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: Um,
Debra Garnes: I tested, eh, to go in the n- into the Navy. I tested to be a crypto.
Scott Hammond: Oh, really? Okay.
Debra Garnes: Yes, but I was gonna have to wait six months.
Scott Hammond: Huh.
Debra Garnes: And my young brain said, "You're gonna change your mind in six months, and there's not gonna be any way out of it." So-
Scott Hammond: You're stuck then
Debra Garnes: … I just … Yeah, so then I was like, "I'm just gonna go in."
Scott Hammond: So crypto is, is code breaking?
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Gotcha.
Debra Garnes: Yeah. So that would've been super fun.
Debra Garnes: Um-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Debra Garnes: … but I, I just, I knew that in six months I would have wanted to do something that wasn't, you know, the Navy.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: At least I believed that.
Scott Hammond: So what year was that you were in the Navy?
Scott Hammond: Years.
Debra Garnes: Um, from '81 to '85.
Scott Hammond: Okay. So we're the similar age then.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Yeah, go figure.
Scott Hammond: 49?
Debra Garnes: Right.
Scott Hammond: Or, or 50.
Scott Hammond: Hey, yo, Nick's turning, uh, 25 here pretty soon.
Debra Garnes: All right.
Scott Hammond: He's very young. Anyway, so Nick is my fourth wall or the fifth wall.
Debra Garnes: Oh, nice.
Scott Hammond: I just talk over that way.
Debra Garnes: Oh, okay.
Scott Hammond: People think there's a guy.
Scott Hammond: Anyway, so no, that's exciting. So, so the Navy and then you're back at SMUD. D- did you live right in Sac?
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: Nice.
Debra Garnes: I lived in … Well, I, I started out in West Sac actually.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Debra Garnes: And I lived there for seven, six or seven… No, I started out in Sacramento, then moved to West Sac, then moved back to Sacramento. Um, and, um, pro- and I finished living in Sacramento in Sacramento.
Scott Hammond: Wow, okay.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: West Sac, that's got the IKEA store.
Debra Garnes: It does. It wasn't there when I was there.
Scott Hammond: Yeah. Huge.
Debra Garnes: It, um … West Sacramento now is … it's amazing what they've done.
Scott Hammond: Developed, yeah.
Debra Garnes: Oh my goodness, it's … And it's cleaned up.
Debra Garnes: I mean-
Scott Hammond: Was it pretty, pretty dirty at one point?
Debra Garnes: It, it, it was pretty, eh, it … A- away from, away from the highway-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Debra Garnes: … it was nice. It was, n- actually very pretty-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … um, as you get towards the river. But when you're, we're in the, closer to the highway, it was-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … you know, the, the road of 1,000 motel
Debra Garnes: rooms.
Scott Hammond: Right.
Debra Garnes: You know, it wa- And, and that was kind of the road.
Scott Hammond: That road.
Debra Garnes: Yeah. So you know, and, and it was that kind of attitude and environment. But-
Scott Hammond: Demographic
Debra Garnes: … oh, my goodness.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: Yeah. They have … I mean, it's really been-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Debra Garnes: … uh, built up, very, very developed, and a lot of money's actually been put into-
Scott Hammond: Sure
Debra Garnes: … West Sac.
Scott Hammond: That's a big area too.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm. It is.
Scott Hammond: I, I had no idea.
Debra Garnes: It is.
Scott Hammond: So give us the arc of your story in terms of getting, buying the house in '03-
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm
Scott Hammond: … moving into town.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: Off the land.
Debra Garnes: Yeah. Back on the land.
Scott Hammond: Wearing sh- wearing shoes.
Debra Garnes: Exactly.
Scott Hammond: What-
Debra Garnes: Hey, garbage pickup, let me tell you-
Scott Hammond: That's right
Debra Garnes: … that's the big thing.
Scott Hammond: Yeah, right.
Debra Garnes: Once you've lived off grid and you have to, every time you go visit someone, you're showing up with a bag of garbage, you're, you are a happy-
Scott Hammond: It's like luxury to-
Debra Garnes: Yes. Like, you are so happy to see the garbage man.
Scott Hammond: I love our garbage, garbage bin. We live up in McElllerville, so we got a big, big giant garbage bin. We fill it up, and then we have a big re- uh, recycling-
Debra Garnes: Recycle bin. Yeah
Scott Hammond: … I love it, man.
Debra Garnes: I do too.
Scott Hammond: They just make it go away.
Debra Garnes: Exactly, exactly.
Scott Hammond: This is great. And I can hit a button and it, and the heat comes on in my house.
Debra Garnes: Right.
Scott Hammond: Who knew?
Debra Garnes: Well, off grid, okay, they had propane heat.
Scott Hammond: Oh, that's cool.
Debra Garnes: So we could actually … Propane heat. We had to have a generator to have anything, like, um, the washing
Debra Garnes: machine.
Scott Hammond: Right.
Debra Garnes: But, um-
Scott Hammond: But you didn't have to chop wood all the time.
Debra Garnes: Y- n- well, we b- you just bought it.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Debra Garnes: We, I mean, we, you pretty much … 'Cause the propane heater was a wall heater that only heated a smaller
Debra Garnes: area.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Debra Garnes: So definitely we had to buy wood.
Scott Hammond: Some wood heat.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, we'd have it delivered.
Scott Hammond: Did you grow your own food?
Debra Garnes: No.
Scott Hammond: No.
Debra Garnes: Well, actually, that's not true. We grew some of it.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: Not all of it, but yes.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Debra Garnes: There was a big garden.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: Absolutely, that we maintained.
Scott Hammond: It gets warm enough up there.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: So tell us about '03, and then further, you served on the council and-
Debra Garnes: Yeah
Scott Hammond: … your arrival to Rio Dell in the next 15 years.
Scott Hammond: What-
Debra Garnes: Well-
Scott Hammond: … what transpired and how did you become mayor?
Debra Garnes: We got to Ri- we got to Rio Dell. We, you know, I, a small town, my favorite. You know, one of my favorite shows where you can always learn a life l- lesson is Andy Griffith.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Debra Garnes: So I was like, "I'm gonna go to those town meetings." So I go to the-
Scott Hammond: Nice. Nice
Debra Garnes: … city council meetings.
Scott Hammond: Party of five.
Debra Garnes: Right.
Scott Hammond: Ron Howard's there.
Debra Garnes: I'd go there. And, um, and there was some
Debra Garnes: … I, I disagreed with some things.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And I s- had said, you know, "Well, you know, if anyone ever wants me to run, I'll run." You know, or I … You know, something to that effect. And then someone, then the election came around, someone asked me. I believe I should be as good as my word. I wasn't thinking I was gonna run, but I said I would, so I did.
Scott Hammond: Nice.
Debra Garnes: And, um-
Scott Hammond: Did you win?
Debra Garnes: I did not.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Debra Garnes: I did not win. And so, um, uh, I just kind of let that go-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … and just kept going with my life.
Debra Garnes: Um, I can't even … I, I don't even remember what I was doing. Um, I, because of my health, I was not
Debra Garnes: working.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: Um, but I was, um, you know, doing things around the house. Um, uh, we make stained glass, so I, I … W- we made stained glass. Um, Elizabeth worked at the school and, and, um, that kind of thing. But, um-I just kind of, I don't know, meandered through life-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … did, did whatever I was doing.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And, um, it's not, it, there's no great story and no great mystery. I was just living-
Scott Hammond: You were living in Rio Dell
Debra Garnes: … I was just living in Rio Dell.
Scott Hammond: So what was Rio Dell like then? 'Cause it has that whole reputation in the past of-
Debra Garnes: Yeah
Scott Hammond: … of, uh, I… What, what word would you use, Nick?
Debra Garnes: Well,
Scott Hammond: He just, he just, Nick just gave us that.
Debra Garnes: Yes. Well, I can say that-
Scott Hammond: It's post-law-
Debra Garnes: … I took a class-
Scott Hammond: … post-lawyer and, yeah
Debra Garnes: … in, um, at CR.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: That's what I did. I, I went to a lot of school.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Debra Garnes: I went to school.
Scott Hammond: More school.
Debra Garnes: Yes. Um,
Debra Garnes: and um, in my class, you know how you introduce yourself, it kind of goes around and everyone-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … introduces themselves.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Debra Garnes: And so I did, and I said where I was from. And so in '03, I was 43.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And this young man's probably 19.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: Um, when it got to his turn, he goes, "Wow, my mother never let me go to Rio Dell. She said," "… 'Never go there.'" And I was like, "Wow, that's rude."
Scott Hammond: Oh.
Debra Garnes: I was like-
Scott Hammond: He was serious, though
Debra Garnes: … he was serious.
Scott Hammond: He wasn't even joking.
Debra Garnes: I know, right? So, um, but what I never
Debra Garnes: found… It, it was never bad around me.
Scott Hammond: Right.
Debra Garnes: I, I should… That's, that's the one thing I can say is that-
Scott Hammond: Sure
Debra Garnes: … um, I remember even saying one time, I was like, "I just wanna say that I love it here. Just in case something goes wrong."
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: "I just wanna be on record as saying-
Scott Hammond: Up to this point, it's been great
Debra Garnes: … it has been great, and I love it here."
Scott Hammond: Huh.
Debra Garnes: And it has always been great.
Debra Garnes: Um, when you get somewhere and you wonder, you know, like, are people, why are they looking at you like this, or why are they n- not as, you know, responsive as you think?
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: Is it because of this or that? It was, I… What I discovered is it's because I was an outsider. It wasn't, it didn't seem to be because of anything else.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Debra Garnes: And, um, my neighbor, like the, literally the next-door neighbor, we, uh, we were unpacking, and he came over. His name's Freddy, and he just like, "Come on," slaps you on the back and tells you to come on.
Debra Garnes: He takes me-
Scott Hammond: Nice
Debra Garnes: … you know, takes us into his home. He shows us… I, I probably lived 10 years next to my neighbor in Sacramento and never got in their home.
Scott Hammond: Never even met him.
Debra Garnes: You know?
Scott Hammond: Who are they?
Debra Garnes: So yeah, yeah. So you know, so it's that. It was, to me, it was always… People were always friendly to me.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: People were always nice, the majority of people. And the people who were standoffish, I just think it was because I was a stranger. I don't think it was because-
Scott Hammond: You're new to town
Debra Garnes: … yeah, new to town.
Scott Hammond: Yeah, yeah.
Debra Garnes: You know? And so, um, I just went through that. I-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … I reengaged, um, with, you know, uh, the city council kind of situation.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: I r- uh, reengaged with the planning commission and-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … the city council, and, um, there were seats coming open.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And, um, I kind of, I don't wanna say got conned into it,
Debra Garnes: but-
Debra Garnes: … I, I, you know, it was just kind of some things that were said that, you know, I don't know if it was, um, uh, ego massaging. I don't know. Like, "You'd be really good at this," and blah, blah, blah.
Scott Hammond: You probably would really kill it, yeah.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, you know, and so you're listening and, and there were seats that w- there was no one wanting to fill them in that, in that moment. And, um, I think I remember there were two women on the council, and both were stepping
Debra Garnes: away.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And they were like, "There won't be any women on the council.
Debra Garnes: You gotta-"
Scott Hammond: Help us out.
Debra Garnes: Yeah. Exactly.
Scott Hammond: Fuck it up here.
Debra Garnes: Yeah. So I did, and I was successful, and I got on the council. And, um, and so s-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Debra Garnes: … from that point, that was 2014-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … that election, and, um, from that point forward, I've just been doing everything that I can do to help better the city.
Scott Hammond: Involved.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, try and be involved, absolutely.
Scott Hammond: That's cool.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: Good for you.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: And I understand things are, are better, so quantify that for us. So things economically-
Debra Garnes: Economically, things are better.
Scott Hammond: This-
Debra Garnes: Um, we're in a-
Scott Hammond: Main Street looks better
Debra Garnes: … yeah, Main Street. Um, we have… You know, we've applied for grants that we've gotten. We've… You know, really, our city manager and, uh,
Debra Garnes: he- he's very focused on what's out there-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … so that we can bring things to Rio Dell or bring money for, um, improvement.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: You know? So we, um, we've gotten the Clean California Grant, which redid our Main Street-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … with trees. We got over 100 cherry trees that-
Scott Hammond: Beautiful
Debra Garnes: … should be blossoming next year.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: Um, and we have, uh, uh, we… Also the Clean California Grant, we got, um, uh, the Eel River Trail it's going in.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And that's gonna be, uh, from Davis to Edwards along the Eel River, and it'll have, you know, little monuments telling you about
Debra Garnes: the fish-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … and, and that kind of things.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: It's non-motorized.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And-
Scott Hammond: Does that hook up to the trail coming in from Fortuna in that sense?
Debra Garnes: Uh, not yet.
Scott Hammond: Not yet.
Debra Garnes: Not yet.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Debra Garnes: It, it really is pretty Rio Dell
Debra Garnes: specific-
Scott Hammond: Okay
Debra Garnes: … you know. Um, but we're hoping what with Great Redwood Trail-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … that's the goal, is to hook us into all of that.
Scott Hammond: All the puzzle pieces.
Debra Garnes: Ab- absolutely. Absolutely.
Scott Hammond: And, and rumor has it you're on the board of the Great Red- Redwood Trail.
Debra Garnes: I am. I've been appointed to the Great Wood- Redwood
Debra Garnes: Trail board.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: My first meeting will be next Thursday.
Scott Hammond: Congrats.
Debra Garnes: So I'm very, very excited. I was-
Scott Hammond: So many people are excited about that
Debra Garnes: … super excited about it.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: Absolutely.
Scott Hammond: And somebody said at another podcast interview that he probably wouldn't be around to see it finished, but he was pretty glad to get it
Scott Hammond: started.
Debra Garnes: Absolutely.
Scott Hammond: And I'm going, "That's, that's big vision right there."
Debra Garnes: Yeah. That is a huge vision.
Scott Hammond: Yeah. So it's gonna go all the way from, say, Willits all the way through the Eel River Canyon, which was all-
Debra Garnes: Right, and it'll-
Scott Hammond: … rail- railyard
Debra Garnes: … and actually Sonoma. It's gonna go-
Scott Hammond: Oh, it's gonna go all the way.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, it's gonna go all the way, um, from Marin up
Scott Hammond: Rad.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Scott Hammond: So Appalachian Trail, look out.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, it's gonna be 307 miles.
Scott Hammond: Pacific Crest Trail, pfft. Get out of here. We got the Redwood Trail.
Debra Garnes: We got the Redwood-
Scott Hammond: Great Redwood Trail
Debra Garnes: … Great Redwood Trail.
Scott Hammond: That's gonna be cool.
Debra Garnes: And it'll go back inside the, you know, the mountains where the Eel River, if you were to follow the Eel River, and just some of the most beautiful-
Scott Hammond: Oh, that rail bed
Debra Garnes: … uh, sections. Mm-hmm. Yeah, it's gonna follow the rail, so.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: Yeah. It, it'll be beautiful.
Scott Hammond: Yeah. You know, I'd love to have a rail, but i- it's romantic-
Debra Garnes: Right
Scott Hammond: … and all that, but it just doesn't… You know, it finally… They finally got that section from the Skunk Train, right?
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: They, they were trying to do that… Maybe if I get my story right, it'd be okay.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, no, I don't know that-
Scott Hammond: There's a company that wanted-
Debra Garnes: No, 'cause the Skunk Train, yeah, that was trying to get-
Scott Hammond: Sk- skunks got their own thing.
Debra Garnes: Right.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: They have their own thing.
Scott Hammond: And they're great.
Debra Garnes: But, um, yeah, they're trying, um… But just following the actual commercial rail line.
Scott Hammond: Right.
Debra Garnes: And, you know, in order to restore the rail, it would take more money than I think-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Debra Garnes: … uh, the we have, even as a country to take-
Scott Hammond: And then it would sl-
Debra Garnes: … something
Scott Hammond: … and then it would slide out again.
Debra Garnes: And then, then it would slide out.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: So this is just an opportunity that, um, Senator McGuire really s- fought hard for.
Scott Hammond: Mr. Energy, man.
Debra Garnes: Oh my goodness. Uh, he has got so much energy. You know, um, he's like a whirling dervish. I mean, he is just like-
Scott Hammond: He's a wild man
Debra Garnes: … on. Phew.
Scott Hammond: Senator. H- hands up.
Debra Garnes: Right.
Scott Hammond: Shout out to Senator McGuire.
Debra Garnes: Right. Absolutely.
Scott Hammond: I've seen him do so many events.
Debra Garnes: Absolutely.
Scott Hammond: It's like-
Debra Garnes: Yeah
Scott Hammond: … dude, how many Red Bulls did you drink? It's like, we gotta get him on the show. What do you… Have you had him on your show?
Debra Garnes: Absolutely. Absolutely. You, you should have him-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Debra Garnes: … on the show. He's great.
Scott Hammond: He'd be great.
Debra Garnes: Um, he was just here in Rio Dell, um, last month, um, with a big, uh,
Debra Garnes: $12 million check for our, uh, water system-
Scott Hammond: Sweet
Debra Garnes: … for, to redo our water, uh, system.
Debra Garnes: So that-
Scott Hammond: The whole thing
Debra Garnes: … uh, the, to get a, a new tank.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: Big, gigantic-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Debra Garnes: … three, um, is it 350 gallon?
Scott Hammond: Did he secure that money himself?
Scott Hammond: He helped.
Debra Garnes: He helped.
Scott Hammond: He presented the check. Smart guy, this-
Debra Garnes: No, right. No
Scott Hammond: … Mr. McGuire.
Debra Garnes: He, he helped push it through. Um, we had a, we had applied. It was a grant.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: We had applied for the grant.
Debra Garnes: And it, we had been told we were getting it,
Debra Garnes: and then-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … but, you know, things just go so slow, go so slowly.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And then we had the earthquake, and after the earthquake-
Scott Hammond: Let's talk about that
Debra Garnes: … um-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Debra Garnes: … um, um, what's, uh, what's the bridge? Not, it starts with a G. Ghilarducci.
Debra Garnes: Phew.
Scott Hammond: Uh-huh.
Debra Garnes: I don't get in trouble there.
Scott Hammond: Yeah. Don't forget to name it.
Debra Garnes: Um, and he was the, um… At the time, he was the director
Debra Garnes: of OES.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: Uh, between him and Senator McGuire, um, they just helped
Debra Garnes: to push it-
Scott Hammond: And fix it
Debra Garnes: … over the, you know, over the hump where we've just been waiting and waiting and
Debra Garnes: waiting.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. That's cool.
Debra Garnes: So yeah, so it's great.
Scott Hammond: So what year was the earthquake?
Debra Garnes: Uh, '22.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Debra Garnes: Uh, December-
Scott Hammond: It's been a couple
Debra Garnes: … 22nd, '22, and then January-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Debra Garnes: … 1st, '23.
Scott Hammond: Right.
Debra Garnes: Yeah. Those are the two that did the most damage to Rio Dell
Debra Garnes: that-
Scott Hammond: Right
Debra Garnes: … in a long, long time.
Scott Hammond: Houses off the foundations-
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm
Scott Hammond: … and worse.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Do you know Jonathan, um, and his wife? He's the fence doctor.
Scott Hammond: Big guy.
Debra Garnes: I don't know if I know him.
Scott Hammond: I'm gonna think of his last name.
Debra Garnes: Okay.
Scott Hammond: They might be your neighbors.
Debra Garnes: Okay.
Scott Hammond: They live down in Rio Dell.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, okay.
Scott Hammond: They have, they have 10 kids. We only have nine.
Debra Garnes: Oh.
Scott Hammond: They, they're doing great.
Debra Garnes: How did you?
Scott Hammond: Jonathan Welsh.
Debra Garnes: Okay.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: Okay, I kn-
Scott Hammond: And Sarah.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: Well-
Scott Hammond: She's got red hair, and he's, he's, he's a real big guy. Yeah, they're, they're local.
Scott Hammond: But so, so all the earthquake happened-
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm
Scott Hammond: … and you were there.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: And so what, what happened? Was, uh, were there any injuries?
Debra Garnes: Um, there were a few injuries. There were, uh, a couple deaths that they cannot directly-
Scott Hammond: Mm
Debra Garnes: … tie. It wasn't like something fell on them, you know.
Debra Garnes: It was a-
Scott Hammond: Had a heart attack
Debra Garnes: … a heart attack.
Scott Hammond: At that point.
Debra Garnes: Yeah. So you don't know if that was gonna happen.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: And it just ha- you know, coincided.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: Um, but, um, it was the third-most, uh, ex- acceleration in the history of the state of California, and that was the power that came through. And
Debra Garnes: it, it, it did the whole town… It, it hurt the whole town, but there was one section where it just really devastated those homes
Debra Garnes: even more.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Debra Garnes: And, um, it came out of Ferndale, so it was more the north end of town.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And then on January 1st, the one that hit came out of Red Crest, and it
Debra Garnes: just kind of destroyed, not destroyed, but really hurt the south end of
Debra Garnes: town.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Debra Garnes: I live on the south end of town.
Debra Garnes: As horrible as the Jan- uh, the December 22nd one was-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … um, and everything breaking, the one on the, um, the 1st of January, i- in my home, it… So the south s- side of town, it just… It threw the, moved the refrigerator, threw things out-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Debra Garnes: … out of the refrigerator, out of the cabinets-
Scott Hammond: What?
Debra Garnes: … off the sh… I mean, just, um, cracks in our foundation, cracks in our walls. We had a rental, uh, that's about a few blocks, well, uh, y- it's probably a quarter mile away in Rio Dell, though.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And, um, the porch came down.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Debra Garnes: The toilet came, got cracked. The, uh, heater came off the wall.
Scott Hammond: So it just jolts.
Debra Garnes: So that, yeah, so-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … it was just interesting. It was a lower magnitude, the one on the 1st.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: But because of where we were sitting-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … it was physically more damaging-
Scott Hammond: Interesting
Debra Garnes: … than the one on the 22nd, 'cause that, but the north end of town
Debra Garnes: took it.
Scott Hammond: Wow
Debra Garnes: … on the 26th
Scott Hammond: We had Lori Dengler in here talk about earthquakes
Debra Garnes: Yeah. Oh, man, she's amazing
Scott Hammond: She's like-
Debra Garnes: She's, yeah
Scott Hammond: … she is, she's really cool.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: She's got so much-
Debra Garnes: She has got so much information in that head
Scott Hammond: … embedded knowledge.
Debra Garnes: Wow.
Scott Hammond: Yeah. No, she's cool.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, definitely.
Scott Hammond: So how many, what was the dollar amount of damage, and how many homes, and…?
Debra Garnes: Um, probably about, um, 52, I think ultimately about $52 million.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Debra Garnes: Um, sadly, 65 million is FEMA's, um, threshold.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: So we got no federal help.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Debra Garnes: Um, we had 96 or 98, I can't remember now, red-tagged homes.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Debra Garnes: Um, and but within those, there were two multi-unit structures.
Scott Hammond: Oh.
Debra Garnes: So I shouldn't say homes, I should say residences-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … right, um, that were red tagged. And, um, we had a, just a ton of yellow tags.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Debra Garnes: And even the green tags that people were like, "Oh, are you green tagged?" My house was green tagged, and I had a cracked foundation. You know what I mean?
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: You still have dollars-
Scott Hammond: Sure
Debra Garnes: … that, you know, have to go out. But the community was amazing.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Debra Garnes: Every… It was like you were in a bear hug.
Scott Hammond: Huh.
Debra Garnes: It was just like you see on the news when someone says, you know, there was a flood or a fire, and the community just came together, and-
Scott Hammond: They did
Debra Garnes: … it was amazing to see.
Scott Hammond: That's great.
Debra Garnes: I mean, McKinleyville, Trinidad, McKinleyville, um, Arcata, Eureka, Fortuna,
Debra Garnes: Ferndale-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … everyone, Garberville, everyone came to our aid. As far as, uh, oh, Willow Creek, uh, um, Redding-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … she- well, Paradise.
Scott Hammond: Oh.
Debra Garnes: Paradise brought mattresses.
Scott Hammond: Is that right?
Debra Garnes: Uh, and we had water coming from Texas. We had, um, uh, people coming from Windsor with
Debra Garnes: trucks.
Debra Garnes: Um-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Debra Garnes: … Windsor, California.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Debra Garnes: We had, um, inspectors come up over Christmas. They were, they were working-
Scott Hammond: That's amazing
Debra Garnes: … away from their Southern Cal and their, um, l- uh, Los- not Las Vegas, but, uh, Nevada-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: …
Debra Garnes: region-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … coming in to help us-
Scott Hammond: During the holidays
Debra Garnes: … so that we c- yeah, during the holidays.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Debra Garnes: I mean, it was, it was just really amazing, and it really did feel like, um, it just this hug from everyone around you that-
Scott Hammond: Neat
Debra Garnes: … they didn't know you from Adam-
Scott Hammond: Right
Debra Garnes: … but they were there to help.
Scott Hammond: Shout out to the huggers.
Debra Garnes: Yes, absolutely.
Scott Hammond: That's great.
Debra Garnes: Absolute shout out to them.
Scott Hammond: So did you guys, did people live in like, in, uh, gymnasiums and schools at all, or-
Debra Garnes: Um, well, the-
Scott Hammond: … there's shelters
Debra Garnes: … th- we have a school, and the school was actually
Debra Garnes: damaged.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: So that was a, it was red tagged-
Scott Hammond: That's rough. Yeah
Debra Garnes: … the gymnasium. So Fortuna, shout out to Fortuna, opened up their, um, the skating rink.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And that was a congregate shelter.
Scott Hammond: They're in the park?
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm. They're in Rohnert, Rohnert Park. Mm-hmm. So, um, and then the s- the county, they not only gave us money, but they also, or put money in a pot to help.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: They also, um, uh, provided dollars to put people into hotel rooms-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … that were red tagged.
Scott Hammond: Was Estelle the supervisor for a sec-
Debra Garnes: No. Um, she was, she w- had, um, Michelle was by
Debra Garnes: that point.
Scott Hammond: Michelle was. Okay.
Debra Garnes: And Michelle was amazing.
Scott Hammond: She stepped up?
Debra Garnes: Yeah. Oh my goodness, she really did. And if you ever want someone on your side to, that's like…
Scott Hammond: Ah.
Debra Garnes: That's Michelle.
Scott Hammond: That's her.
Debra Garnes: She, she does not like to take anything.
Scott Hammond: Grr.
Debra Garnes: Yeah. She's not taking it. You know, she's gonna fight, and she's gonna be heard.
Scott Hammond: She fought. She fought for you all.
Debra Garnes: She absolutely did. She was-
Scott Hammond: Good job, Michelle
Debra Garnes: … she showed up, I mean, she showed up before I showed up I think, 'cause she doesn't live there. She, she was there on the spot, and so was Rex Bohn.
Scott Hammond: Nice.
Debra Garnes: Once he realized it didn't, this time it didn't affect Ferndale the way it affected Rio Dell, he came down.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: So yeah, it, it was just everyone.
Scott Hammond: That's cool.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, yeah.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: It was-
Scott Hammond: Then it was beyond party lines. It was just everybody hugging.
Debra Garnes: Ex- exactly.
Scott Hammond: Helping.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Love it.
Debra Garnes: And, um, and the board of supervisors, they stood by us. So it was really, for a, a horrific
Debra Garnes: event-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … the response was amazing.
Scott Hammond: I love it.
Debra Garnes: You know? Uh, OES, Ryan Derby, uh, Sheriff Honsal, they were all there.
Debra Garnes: I mean-
Scott Hammond: Billy's, Billy's cool.
Debra Garnes: Yeah. They were all, they all showed up for us.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: And, uh-
Scott Hammond: That's nice
Debra Garnes: … and stood by us through it. I mean, they, there were meetings. There were, you know, um, they stood up, um, oh, I can't remember the name of it now, but a little thing where people could go in and, you know, go from table to table to table to
Debra Garnes: get help-
Scott Hammond: Okay
Debra Garnes: … in whatever areas that they needed-
Scott Hammond: Wow
Debra Garnes: … they needed help in.
Scott Hammond: That's neat.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, so it was, um, it was a community response. And, and the-
Scott Hammond: So sort of a disaster relief tent of-
Debra Garnes: Y- right. Mm-hmm
Scott Hammond: … event. Yeah.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm. And, um, World Kitchen came.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Debra Garnes: And World Kitchen was there for, uh, from, I think, the 23rd of December-
Scott Hammond: Hmm
Debra Garnes: … until February.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Debra Garnes: The first w- uh, I think the 1st of February.
Scott Hammond: Did they just feed families all day long?
Debra Garnes: They fed m- lunch, lunch and dinner.
Scott Hammond: Nice.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Debra Garnes: And we had a volunteer group, which I was a part of, that we had started during COVID,
Debra Garnes: and, um, we, uh, took the meals to the people who couldn't get… seniors, disabled-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … y- who- whoever couldn't get there, they just had to let us know.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: We had a list from COVID times.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: So we just got that list, and then anyone else who needed to be added to it-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … we would take them, we would take the meals to them.
Scott Hammond: I love that part of the love.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: That's really cool.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Yeah, the folks that can't make it.
Debra Garnes: Exactly.
Scott Hammond: Yeah. That's great. So, hey, the fun part of the show. Are you ready?
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: All right, here it goes. Nick, Nick goes, "Oh, no."
Debra Garnes: Not the speed round.
Scott Hammond: What's he gonna do? He already knows what I'm gonna do. So this is the part of the showWhere there's fabulous prizes
Debra Garnes: All right
Scott Hammond: And, uh-
Debra Garnes: Love prizes
Scott Hammond: … kinda your favorite stuff about Humboldt. What do you like? So, um, and it could be anything.
Scott Hammond: It's, uh-
Debra Garnes: Yeah
Scott Hammond: … I'll just start it out with, uh, what, what, what do you like about Humboldt County? I'll, I'll give you the, the general question, then I'll go into the quiz.
Debra Garnes: Well, the thing I love the most about Humboldt County is the nature,
Debra Garnes: the beauty-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … and the ability to get into the forest and just be able to breathe that area-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … to, to be able to get to the ocean-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … to be able to go to a river that's beautiful.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And th- nature is the thing I love the most about Humboldt County.
Scott Hammond: Yeah. Yeah, we live about five minutes from the airport, so we can just go up to Scenic Drive and throw that van open and have a picnic.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: There's, there's Trinidad Head, the ocean, and-
Debra Garnes: Beautiful
Scott Hammond: … it's like-
Debra Garnes: Exactly
Scott Hammond: … date night that's very inexpensive.
Debra Garnes: Score.
Scott Hammond: Score. This is great. Okay, question number one. You can eat anywhere you wanna eat in Humboldt County, where do you, where do you go
Scott Hammond: to eat?
Debra Garnes: Um, Gabriel's.
Scott Hammond: Gabriel's.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Debra Garnes: They have some k- killer five pepper shrimp.
Scott Hammond: Oh, really? Okay.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: And you've traveled the world, so you would have- … perspective. I thought you were gonna say C- CK Market, 'cause his tri-tip-
Debra Garnes: Oh, CC Market?
Scott Hammond: CC.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, well, CC Market, if I was gonna go just… You know, I was thinking going out to dinner, not going to-
Scott Hammond: No, no
Debra Garnes: … pick up dinner.
Scott Hammond: So if you were gonna go in Rio Dell, that's where you'd go, maybe.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, either CC or, um, um, Patron's and Letty's, the two good, uh, Mexican foods.
Scott Hammond: Okay, those are both Mexican.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: Let's go… I'll circle back to what's happening in Rio Dell in just a sec 'cause I, I wanna know about that. The, um… CC, man, he's been Mr. Tri-Tip at-
Debra Garnes: Wow
Scott Hammond: … every banquet, every-
Debra Garnes: Every
Scott Hammond: … catering event, man.
Debra Garnes: Absolutely.
Scott Hammond: The man.
Debra Garnes: They catered the… We, we hosted the League of California Cities,
Debra Garnes: um-
Scott Hammond: Right
Debra Garnes: … division meeting in July or May. In May.
Scott Hammond: He catered, he catered it?
Debra Garnes: They catered it-
Scott Hammond: Was it good?
Debra Garnes: … and it was good.
Scott Hammond: Oh, man.
Debra Garnes: I mean, and so much. I mean, there was so much food of different varieties.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: It, it was really good.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: They are, they are good.
Scott Hammond: He's a nice guy. I mean-
Debra Garnes: Yeah, yeah
Scott Hammond: … he's done a lot of events.
Debra Garnes: Yeah. Wally and Sandra, they are-
Scott Hammond: It's Wally, yeah.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, they're great people.
Scott Hammond: That's cool. Okay, question two. If you got to go hiking today, where would you take a hike?
Debra Garnes: Well, the Unmarked Trail or Swimmer's Delight-
Scott Hammond: Oh
Debra Garnes: … are two of my favorites.
Debra Garnes: Um-
Scott Hammond: Where's Unmarked? I, I… It's unmarked.
Debra Garnes: It's, it's on the Avenue-
Scott Hammond: No one can tell
Debra Garnes: … of the Gi- Exactly. It's, it's on the Avenue of the Giants-
Scott Hammond: Uh-huh
Debra Garnes: … but it isn't… Like, when you look through the book, there's no name of it. So we just call it the Unmarked Trail. Um, it goes down to the river. Y- you walk across. It's where the Star Grove and the Wentworth Groves are.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Debra Garnes: Um, and-
Scott Hammond: Is that close to, say, Burlington, the campground there, or where?
Debra Garnes: It's north, north of it.
Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah.
Debra Garnes: It's like exit 667.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Debra Garnes: That it, it… Somewhere around. Just south of Red-
Scott Hammond: The Unmarked. It sounds like a secret
Debra Garnes: … South… I know. S- that's why I didn't-
Scott Hammond: I like it
Debra Garnes: … I don't wanna tell you exactly.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: But it's south of, um-
Scott Hammond: Joanie Note that. My wife's a hiker. She, she'll, she'll figure that. She's working on that one right now.
Debra Garnes: Okay. South of Red Crest.
Scott Hammond: Okay, yeah.
Debra Garnes: Yeah. And then, of course, Bull Creek is beautiful.
Scott Hammond: Bull Creek.
Debra Garnes: There's so many. I don't even know. I don't even know-
Scott Hammond: Where, where do you start?
Debra Garnes: Yeah, yeah.
Scott Hammond: So tell us about some of the businesses in Rio Dell. Let's, let's cycle back to that. So you… So food-wise, we got CC and-
Debra Garnes: We have CC Market if you want, um… You know, now s- um, Wally and Sandra retired.
Scott Hammond: He's, he's retired.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm, but, um, they, there is still the food section, and they still cater.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: Um, but there's, um, uh, DJ's
Debra Garnes: Burger, DJ's Burgers, great burgers.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: Shot's Coffee, uh, Espresso Bar-
Scott Hammond: Right, right
Debra Garnes: … is there. Uh, Letty's Mexican, Patron's Mexican
Debra Garnes: food.
Scott Hammond: And those are trucks, or are they actual-
Debra Garnes: No, those are actual sit-down restaurants.
Scott Hammond: Locations, okay.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm. And then there's a new sandwich shop, um, inside of Route 101.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Debra Garnes: And they make different sandwiches every day.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: You know, special.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: Specialty. Excuse me. And, um, so I think those are the food places. I'm gonna be in trouble if I forget one, but,
Debra Garnes: but that's-
Scott Hammond: You're fine
Debra Garnes: … you know, the pizza, um-
Scott Hammond: Oh, that's right
Debra Garnes: … factory closed, and that was-
Scott Hammond: Yeah, he was there a long time
Debra Garnes: … that was… He was, and that was a great loss.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: But-
Scott Hammond: You got-
Debra Garnes: Oh, and there's a Pakistani restaurant-
Scott Hammond: No way
Debra Garnes: … that I don't know the name of.
Scott Hammond: In Humboldt?
Debra Garnes: The food looks really good, and it's on the corner of Monument and Wildwood.
Scott Hammond: Wow. Pakistani food.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: Go figure.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Makes me think of the Seinfeld episode.
Debra Garnes: Right.
Scott Hammond: My mind's already out there. But yeah, that sounds good. I would drive for Pakistani.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, yeah.
Scott Hammond: Why not?
Debra Garnes: Let me get down there.
Scott Hammond: And there's Creation Auto Body with Pat, Kevin.
Debra Garnes: Absolutely. Creations is… Man,
Debra Garnes: they've done well. He has done well, I would say.
Scott Hammond: He's a good guy.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm. And so it's… We have, you know, other small… We have a, a liquor store. We have, um, um, the… We have two cannabis dispensaries.
Scott Hammond: Right.
Debra Garnes: Um, E's Element 7
Debra Garnes: and Proper Wellness.
Scott Hammond: I thought I read-
Debra Garnes: And Proper Wellness is really, uh, they're doing really well,
Debra Garnes: for sure.
Scott Hammond: I thought I read that you, you guys are doing good around the cannabis industry there, and I don't-
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm
Scott Hammond: … remember the context. So-
Debra Garnes: Um-
Scott Hammond: … got two dispensaries that are doing okay.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, the dispensaries are doing well.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And then we have, um, just north of the North Bridge-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … um, there is, um, a, basically a, a farm indoor, indoor, um, grow that is very successful.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: Um, and I think there's a few more, ev- all of… Anything that has to do with cultivation-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: Has to be outside of the ci- city proper.
Scott Hammond: Hmm.
Debra Garnes: Right? So you have Up Monument.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: You have north of the bridge.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: Which we, uh, we're h- we, we designated that it's industrially zoned.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: Um, and w- we're hoping more businesses get in there-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … um, because that's w- we designated it as a business park.
Scott Hammond: Gotcha.
Debra Garnes: Um, but we need more businesses in there.
Scott Hammond: More than just cannabis.
Debra Garnes: Yes.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: Or it can all be cannabis, but we just need the-
Scott Hammond: Just-
Debra Garnes: We need the space filled up
Scott Hammond: … some more business.
Debra Garnes: Yes, we need the space filled up.
Scott Hammond: Gotcha. So, uh, you ascended then from in the council-
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm
Scott Hammond: … to mayor.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: So is that a rotation, or do you get elected specifically as-
Debra Garnes: Y- you get elect-
Scott Hammond: … the mayor job?
Debra Garnes: And you don't get d- it's not direct elect.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: It is, uh, you're elected by the council.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And so i- it's your fellow council members-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … who elect you or select you-
Scott Hammond: Gotcha
Debra Garnes: … as mayor.
Scott Hammond: Gotcha. And how long are you mayor for?
Debra Garnes: Um, two years at a time.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And then every two years a- after the election-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … then they re-elect the mayor.
Scott Hammond: How much do you have left on your term?
Debra Garnes: Well, it'll come up… My term term or my
Debra Garnes: mayor part?
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Debra Garnes: Okay. So- Because I, it, because you're elected as a council person.
Scott Hammond: Right, first.
Debra Garnes: Right. So my term expires in, um,
Debra Garnes: 2026.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Debra Garnes: And, um, the next election for mayor will be in December of this year-
Scott Hammond: Okay
Debra Garnes: … after the general election.
Scott Hammond: Can you repeat?
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: Oh, okay.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: Are you gonna run?
Debra Garnes: Well, I-
Scott Hammond: Are you re- you put your hat in in some what?
Debra Garnes: I could put my hat in, absolutely.
Scott Hammond: Okay. Gotcha. You're ready to serve.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: I love it. Good job.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: So y- you've been appointed to a couple things here. So Gavin Newsom appointed you to the Seismic Safety Commission.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm. I am a-
Scott Hammond: What's-
Debra Garnes: … safety commissioner. I'm the vice chair.
Scott Hammond: What's that about?
Debra Garnes: Um, it's about making the state and the citizens of the state earthquake resilient.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: Um, figuring, uh, just revising, for example, the building codes.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: The commercial building codes.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: Um, there's a project right now, um, that where there's, uh… Oh, I wanna, oh, this probably doesn't sound good I, 'cause I can't remember which university.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: I think it is, I think it is USC, but it could be UCLA.
Scott Hammond: Okay.
Debra Garnes: One of those two-
Scott Hammond: Close enough
Debra Garnes: … down in, yeah.
Scott Hammond: It's all LA.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, right.
Scott Hammond: It's down there.
Debra Garnes: Down there. Um, uh, they're working with the Seismic Commission to, um, build a shake table, which, um, is going to be this kind of a big building,
Debra Garnes: and it, it, it, it will show you how buildings, how materials that you use in buildings-
Scott Hammond: Oh
Debra Garnes: … how they react so that you can then, then decide, uh, decisions, I should say, sh- can be made on what materials are best-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … in an earthquake kind of, um, environment that we live in.
Scott Hammond: So they could kinda model an environment and, and shake it and see what it does.
Debra Garnes: Right.
Scott Hammond: That's cool.
Debra Garnes: And, um-
Scott Hammond: Huh
Debra Garnes: … and that way, y- we, y- you know, in the building codes, things can be designed so that-
Scott Hammond: Hmm
Debra Garnes: … once, once everything's in place and now we know certain information that we didn't know-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … we can make buildings more resilient. We can make, uh, people's, um, people's, pretty much their lives if you're, 'cause you're gonna be in a building of some
Debra Garnes: sort-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … a home or a commercial building, more resilient-
Scott Hammond: Hmm
Debra Garnes: … and very, as sound as possible.
Scott Hammond: And safe.
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: As sound and safe as possible.
Scott Hammond: Love it.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: So California, uh, League of Cities, is that-
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm
Scott Hammond: … also, you're on-
Debra Garnes: Yes
Scott Hammond: … on that?
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm. That's Cal Cities.
Scott Hammond: And you brought them up here for their-
Debra Garnes: For their division meet
Scott Hammond: … division?
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm. Um-
Scott Hammond: What are they about? What do they do?
Debra Garnes: They are, they lobby for cities, for local control.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: That is, uh, i- it's one of the more important groups, I would think, in all of the groups- … with regard to just, uh, if you're looking at politics, you're looking at policy and, and how ordinances, rules,
Debra Garnes: regulations-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … the whole deal.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: They lobby for cities and
Debra Garnes: towns and-
Scott Hammond: Hmm
Debra Garnes: … everyone to have local control so that you, the state can't come in and say, "You have to do it this way."
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: "You have…" No. Give it, you know, let us s- because n- it's not a cookie cutter.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: Everyone is different. Every community is different.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Debra Garnes: The needs are different, and so-
Scott Hammond: Hmm
Debra Garnes: … basically, Cal Cities fights for us to be able to look at our own cities-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … and m- design them, model them, r- uh, uh, make the laws and ordinances around them-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … um, such that we can govern and we can-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … control what happens versus the state telling us-
Scott Hammond: Sure
Debra Garnes: … what to do. Because there's a big difference between LA and Rio Dell.
Scott Hammond: And Arcata and Trinidad.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: Absolutely.
Scott Hammond: Yeah. Yeah, 'cause you're on TV once in a while on, uh, Access Humboldt, right?
Debra Garnes: Every now and again.
Scott Hammond: Yeah. Yeah. 'Cause they cover that meeting too, right?
Debra Garnes: Yes, they do.
Scott Hammond: Yeah. I love it. Well, cool. I, I love it. So you're, and, and then we didn't mention, but we'll mention, we did mention it, uh, you're on the board of the Great Redwood
Scott Hammond: Trail.
Debra Garnes: Yes.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: That's gotta be kind of prestigious.
Debra Garnes: Yeah. That's, I mean-
Scott Hammond: It's pretty cool
Debra Garnes: … I'm excited about that.
Scott Hammond: High five, man.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: That's gonna be fun.
Debra Garnes: Yeah. I know. Um, o- one of the things that, you know, if you look back, Rio Dell gets forgotten a lot.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: It, or they used to get forgotten a lot-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … I should say. And if they weren't forgotten, they weren't thought, thought of in a positive way.
Scott Hammond: Right.
Debra Garnes: Um, but W- Rio Dell is t- we're, we're kinda ch- we're changing that i- we're not even kind, we are changing that image.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And we are elevating ourselves, and we want to be a part of Humboldt. We don't want to be an afterthought.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: And so being on this board and ha-And we are. We're one of the cities on the trail.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: The rail goes by us.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: And so we don't wanna be forgotten-
Scott Hammond: Stakeholders, yeah
Debra Garnes: … or, or, you know, left behind and thought of at the, "Oops, we got this gap."
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: And so being on that board means so much to me-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Debra Garnes: … and I hope to my community-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … so, um, such that w- we're, now we're at the
Debra Garnes: table.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: And I think, um, if one of the things that Cal City says more than anything, "If you're not at the table, you're on the table."
Scott Hammond: You're on the table.
Debra Garnes: So
Scott Hammond: I like, I like that one.
Debra Garnes: You're the dinner, so.
Scott Hammond: That's a good- that's a good one.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, yeah, so.
Scott Hammond: I like the… And my guess is that you'll advocate for all the other small communities that-
Debra Garnes: Oh, absolutely
Scott Hammond: … are gonna be part of this thing.
Debra Garnes: Absolutely.
Scott Hammond: And there's probably dozens of them along-
Debra Garnes: Mm-hmm
Scott Hammond: … the trail, right?
Debra Garnes: Yes, there are.
Scott Hammond: That have no idea or have no leadership or have a, a gap and
Scott Hammond: whatever.
Debra Garnes: Right. And because there's a lot of… And then there's a lot of places that are difficult. Rio Dell is actually one of the places that is, is difficult. If you look, you know, the rail's on the sc- on the bluff.
Scott Hammond: It's on the other side, yeah.
Debra Garnes: Right. And that rail, phew, it would take a whole lot to get that stabilized and, you know, uh-
Scott Hammond: And put a trail on it, yeah
Debra Garnes: … usable. So, you know, you come across the bridge from Scotia, then you just go down Edwards to the, to our trail.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: And you follow our trail, and you come up and, you know, you figure out how to get it to connect it to Fortuna.
Scott Hammond: Get that Pakistani food going.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, get
Scott Hammond: CC Market.
Debra Garnes: Right? Right.
Scott Hammond: That tri-tip, oh.
Debra Garnes: Exactly.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: Exactly.
Scott Hammond: So what's your vision for the, for the city going forward and, and the region?
Debra Garnes: W- um-
Scott Hammond: What would you like to see happen?
Debra Garnes: I would like for Rio Dell to, to get to a point where
Debra Garnes: we are just s- strong and self-sufficient w- with regard to, like, uh, business taxes.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: Um, uh, that's one of the things about Rio Dell. We're a bedroom community.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: We don't have a lot of businesses. The, uh, pretty much besides Shell station, Dollar General, those are two-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … high tax, uh, you know, uh, businesses-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … but, or revenue businesses, but we don't have a lot.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: So we cannot compete the same way, um, that, say, Fortuna competes.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And we have, we, um, had the, th- We have an issue with our land, uh, uh, having the land.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: The ability to do commercial business.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: Um, uh, CAL FIRE recently bought a, a big
Debra Garnes: chunk-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … of probably 75% of our commercial available land.
Scott Hammond: Wow.
Debra Garnes: You know, and so, you know, w- we're nervous about
Debra Garnes: that.
Scott Hammond: What are they gonna do with it, put a-
Debra Garnes: Oh, they're gonna put a headquarters. It is… I mean, and, you know, you love, you love CAL FIRE.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: You love working with them. Um, we're happy to have them. We are really hoping, with our fingers crossed, that they share a little bit of that land with us 'cause it is 75% of our commercial land.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: Um, but we do welcome them, and we are… I mean, you know, we could become the CAL FIRE, home of CAL FIRE, you know, you s-
Scott Hammond: That'd be cool
Debra Garnes: … Yeah, that, exactly that.
Scott Hammond: Is that tax gener- or revenue generating, though, not-
Debra Garnes: No, and that's-
Scott Hammond: Not like a Home Depot
Debra Garnes: … exactly.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: And that's… Or, you know, anything. Or, like, anything, uh, you know, a mom-and-pop store.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: It is not tax reve- it is not revenue generating, so that's why we're so hopeful-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Debra Garnes: … that they will share some of that land with us, um, because-
Scott Hammond: Hear that, CAL FIRE
Debra Garnes: … Yeah.
Scott Hammond: So Debra, do you have, do you have space for, like, a Trader Joe's or a-
Debra Garnes: We do
Scott Hammond: … or-
Debra Garnes: We have, we have-
Scott Hammond: How about a-
Debra Garnes: … space for a Trader Joe's
Scott Hammond: … how about a Depot or a Walmart?
Debra Garnes: Um, we have space. I don't know that, um, we can convince anyone that they should be here.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Debra Garnes: Be- I think everyone in Humboldt has tried to convince Trader
Debra Garnes: Joe's.
Scott Hammond: Sure.
Debra Garnes: And, um-
Scott Hammond: Good luck on that
Debra Garnes: … I know. If we could get Trader Joe's here, because of course, then you would have people coming from north, south-
Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah
Debra Garnes: … coming up to Rio Dell, then you'd have people eating at our restaurants and, you know, then we'd have-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Debra Garnes: … So that would, that would be fantastic.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: Um, I don't know that, I don't know that any other big giant store would, would come to Rio Dell-
Scott Hammond: Yeah
Debra Garnes: … um, just because it is, it's somewhat isolated.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: You know, um, but it is also right on the main thoroughfare. It is 101.
Scott Hammond: It's eight minutes-
Debra Garnes: You know
Scott Hammond: … from Fortuna, right?
Debra Garnes: Yeah, yeah.
Scott Hammond: Six minutes? Yeah.
Debra Garnes: You know.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: I told HTA when they, because they have an express route now.
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.
Debra Garnes: And they were like, "But we go past Rio Dell." And we're like, "Okay, Rio Dell is 101."
Debra Garnes: Okay?
Scott Hammond: Right.
Debra Garnes: You, you could just get off, someone could jump on, and you're right back on. You don't even have to make a turn really-
Scott Hammond: That's true
Debra Garnes: … you know. And so that's what I try e- every chance I get to, you know, to say that to them.
Scott Hammond: Did they say yes?
Debra Garnes: It's like, no, they didn't, but they said they, they heard me.
Scott Hammond: They'll look at it.
Debra Garnes: They heard me.
Scott Hammond: They'll come back.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, yeah, and I appreciate that. I appreciate it.
Scott Hammond: So I'm in sales, so no means maybe later.
Debra Garnes: Yeah, exactly.
Scott Hammond: Yeah, so that, we don't know the word no.
Debra Garnes: Exactly.
Scott Hammond: What's that word? So, so last questions, uh, and I, I come as a group of questions. What's your legacy? What do you want them to write on your tombstone? What's your, what are they, w- what are we gonna say at your eulogy?
Debra Garnes: Well-
Scott Hammond: What would you like us to say?
Debra Garnes: I wish to say that she was really fun and really happy and loved to smile and-
Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm
Debra Garnes: … loved to make people happy. Sh- after that, you know, it was… I can't remember his name, but anyway, one thing he, the, he used to be, um, he worked at Wells Fargo, but one of the points that he made to me was you always wanna leave your community better than you found it, and that became the thing that I wanted to do.
Scott Hammond: Your word.
Debra Garnes: I wanted to leave Rio Dell better than I found it. And if that, if those words could be on my tombstone, "She left Rio Dell better than she found it-"
Scott Hammond: I like it
Debra Garnes: … "and she was really a happy, cheerful person-
Scott Hammond: She made people, she made people smile
Debra Garnes: … who liked to make people laugh and smile."
Scott Hammond: I'm smiling. Yeah.
Debra Garnes: Yeah. Then-
Scott Hammond: Love it
Debra Garnes: … I, then I would be good.
Scott Hammond: That's good. I love that. Debra, thanks for coming.
Debra Garnes: Absolutely. Thank you for having me.
Scott Hammond: Appreciate you being here on kinda short notice, too.
Debra Garnes: I know.
Scott Hammond: Yeah.
Debra Garnes: Yeah.
Scott Hammond: All right. Hey, um, wanna hear more, and we'll keep our eye on R- Rio Dell.
Debra Garnes: Okay.
Scott Hammond: All right.
Debra Garnes: Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me.
Scott Hammond: Thanks again. Have a great day.
Debra Garnes: You too.