Who Rules Humboldt County?
A recall campaign has been launched against the Humboldt County District Attorney (DA) Paul Gallegos. This recall is the latest chapter in a resource-related crisis that has been dividing this Northern California county for decades. Pacific Lumber Company, taken over by Maxxam Corporation in 1986, has been a key employer in the county for 130 years. There has been a longstanding battle over how the county’s resources should be managed. This debate is often framed as a community rift between loggers and environmentalists; but who is really benefiting from a divide and conquer portrayal? In March of 2002 Paul Gallegos ousted twenty-year incumbent DA Terry Farmer, and a month later filed a suit against Pacific Lumber. Shortly thereafter a recall campaign was launched against him. Democracy Unlimited offers the following article as a way to reframe the ongoing environmental and economic crisis in terms of a focus on democratic power. Understanding that the conflict is a struggle for sovere
