Human Rights Commission addresses resignations, accepts training offer and appoints interim treasurer

The Humboldt County Human Rights Commission discussed two recent resignations and steps to prevent similar departures, accepted an offer from the Humboldt Area Foundation to explore inclusivity training, and appointed a replacement treasurer.

The chair opened the session by noting two commissioners had resigned and that some of their reasons included safety concerns and perceived insensitivity around pronoun use following earlier Zoom disruptions. Commissioners said one of the incidents involved anonymous, targeted comments that caused a member to leave a meeting and not return. The chair told the commission the resignations had been shared with county staff and that the commission needed to learn from the incidents and improve internal processes.

Members discussed options to address the problem, including adding optional pronoun fields to application materials and normalizing pronoun-sharing during introductions. Several commissioners urged better communication skills and requested training to help the commission better support diverse members.

Rachel Montgomery of the Humboldt Area Foundation offered to explore training and meet with commissioners about options and implementation. The commission scheduled a meeting with Montgomery to discuss what type of training or resources would be appropriate and whether the foundation could assist in recruiting or onboarding future commissioners.

The commission also addressed a vacancy in the treasurer post after Wren resigned. Following a nomination and second, Carol (also spelled Carroll in the record) was appointed to serve as treasurer through the current term (to be revisited in June). The motion passed unanimously; the chair said the minutes will record the vote and the change-of-officer documentation needed for bank signature updates.

Procedural notes: the commission confirmed a bank balance of $614.92 and a county budget account balance of $3,219.64 during the treasurer's report. Commissioners agreed to bring any suggested application-language changes to the next meeting and to follow up with the Humboldt Area Foundation about training logistics.

The chair closed the discussion by asking staff to ensure the minutes reflect the appointments and to coordinate the bank-signature documentation to formalize the treasurer change.