u/TrinityFoodForest

**(FFD NOT FPD )**Humboldt County keeps saying the problem is a lack of funding, but the record shows the real issue is how emergency funding is handled once it arrives.The County’s own audit shows that the Fortuna Fire Protection District failed to submit required FEMA disaster‑funding reports, which meant the County couldn’t properly track or claim federal reimbursement. Millions in FEMA receivables went unrecorded because the documentation simply wasn’t provided. This isn’t speculation — it’s documented in the County’s Single Audit Report: https://humboldtgov.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/1569. (2022 we just got this audit report a few months ago please forgive me that these reports came to the public's awareness late)

The audit goes even further. It states: “During our audit, we noted that the Fortuna Fire Protection District, a discretely presented component unit, excluded the Volunteer Fire Department, a blended component of the district, from its financial statements. In addition, the District reported its financial statements on the modified cash basis of accounting. We have thus issued an adverse opinion on the presentation of the Fortuna Fire Protection District as it relates to the County.” When a district receives an adverse opinion for excluding required financial units and using an improper accounting basis, that is not a funding shortage. That is a failure to meet basic financial reporting standards. It directly undermines the County’s ability to manage FEMA disaster funds and puts future federal funding at risk. ARE WE CONSIDERED HIGH RISK NOW?

At the same time, local agencies have shown they are willing to accept money from less‑than‑reputable sources, including surveillance‑aligned donor funding a reminder that Cellbrite is an Israeli owned surveillance company and they can read your cellphone data without a warrant. Howard Buffett literally is waging his own border war and essentially has funded our entire cannabis eradication efforts.Howard Buffett's Border War: A Billionaire's Son Is Spending Millions in Cochise County .Howard Buffett's Border War: A Billionaire's Son Is Spending Millions in Cochise County When an agency cannot manage FEMA disaster funds but is perfectly willing to take money from questionable channels, it raises serious questions about priorities and judgment. These choices erode public trust far more than any budget shortfall ever could.

The public has been clear about what it wants: transparency, accountability, and responsible stewardship of emergency funding. Instead, we keep seeing mismanagement, missing reports, adverse audit opinions, and a willingness to rely on funding sources that do not align with community values. That is a breach of trust. No one should be asking the public for more money until they can demonstrate they are capable of managing the money they already receive. No more funding without transparency. No more funding without accountability. And no more funding until agencies start honoring the will of the public they are supposed to serve.Local Law Enforcement Agencies Lack Sufficient Funding and Personnel to Respond to Disasters, Civil Grand Jury Concludes | Lost Coast Outpost | Humboldt County News

with activity that isn’t budgeted, isn’t visible to the Board during the year, and requires manual fixes just to keep the books from double‑counting. That alone is a structural failure. But when you combine that with the independent governance report showing the County failed to record $3.1 million in cash receipts this year ,on top of last year’s multimillion‑dollar misstatements ,you’re looking at a financial system where money can move through off‑ledger accounts without real‑time oversight. This isn’t about politics or personalities. It’s about the fact that independent auditors keep finding the same pattern: too many off‑book funds, too many manual adjustments, and cash that isn’t being recorded on time. No other county in California operates like this, and the public deserves to know why Humboldt is still doing it.

“The County is currently maintaining more than 120 governmental trust funds to track activity benefitting the General Fund and other primary operating funds of the County.”

“Finally, as the County does not budget for any activity in several of these governmental trust funds, any deviations from the adopted budget are not apparent until after the end of the fiscal year and thus cannot be addressed when they occur.”

The independent auditors’ report is here: https://humboldtgov.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/1583

Final Signed Managment Letter (County of Humboldt AUD 6/30/2025) Here is the link to the archive center for you Archive Center • Annual Financial Reports

which means that money never showed up in the financial reports the Board of Supervisors relies on. Last year, an independent finding showed another $7.56 million in misstatements tied to unrecorded receivables and settlement activity. When millions in incoming cash never hit the books on time, it creates a blind spot where oversight is impossible and fraud risk skyrockets because unrecorded money can be delayed, diverted, or misclassified without anyone at the policy level knowing. The Supervisors can’t provide oversight if the financial reports they’re given are missing millions of dollars. This is a pattern now, not a one‑off mistake, and the public deserves transparency about why basic cash‑handling controls still aren’t working. (This is from 2025 so they pretty much don't give a fuck and are in the open not reporting CASH payments)

file:///C:/Users/Owner/Downloads/2025%20Humboldt%20County%20Governance%20Communication%20(PDF).pdf

...and I'm just getting started

SACRAMENTO – State Controller Betty T. Yee today published her team’s detailed review of Humboldt County’s internal financial controls, which found a backlog of journal entries and lack of bank reconciliations contributed to the county’s inability to complete timely financial reports — compounded by insufficient staffing, inadequate training, and a lack of updated policies and procedures.

Established in 1853, Humboldt County covers more than 4,000 square miles of California’s North Coast and had a population of more than 136,000 at the last census. Among the State Controller’s most significant findings:

• The county does not reconcile its bank balances and the county treasurer’s accounting records, nor does it reconcile cash and investment accounts pursuant to GC 26905. Timely reconciliations allow an entity to ensure cash transactions have been recorded properly, assist in monitoring cash flows, and detect errors and fraud.....Press Releases