Launching Transparent Humboldt: Why Local Government Accountability Matters

We Built This Because Nobody Else Would

For decades, Humboldt County residents have had to navigate a maze of bureaucracy just to understand how their tax dollars are spent. Meeting minutes buried in PDFs. Budget documents that require an accounting degree to parse. Contract awards announced with minimal public notice.

The Transparent Humboldt Coalition exists to change that.

What We Do

We monitor, collect, organize, and publish government data that should already be accessible to every resident of Humboldt County. Our work includes:

Financial Monitoring: Tracking county budgets, expenditures, and contract awards in real time
Meeting Coverage: Attending and documenting Board of Supervisors meetings, planning commission sessions, and committee hearings
FOIA Requests: Filing public records requests and publishing the results for everyone
Data Infrastructure: Building tools that make raw government data searchable and understandable

Why This Matters Now

Local government decisions directly shape the lives of Humboldt County residents, from housing policy to environmental protections to law enforcement oversight. When these decisions happen behind closed doors or are buried in impenetrable bureaucratic processes, accountability disappears.

We’ve seen what happens when nobody watches:

Contracts awarded without competitive bidding
Budget line items that grow year over year with no public explanation
Committee meetings held with inadequate public notice
Public records requests delayed or denied without legal basis

Our Principles

Nonpartisan, evidence-based accountability. We don’t pick sides in elections or endorse candidates. We follow the data wherever it leads.

Raw data first. We publish source documents alongside our analysis so you can verify our work and draw your own conclusions.

Open by default. Our tools, data, and methodologies are public. Transparency applies to us too.

Community-powered. We’re volunteers and concerned residents, not paid lobbyists. Our loyalty is to the public interest.

What’s Next

In the coming weeks, we’ll be publishing:

Our first comprehensive analysis of county contract awards for FY 2023-2024
A searchable database of public meeting agendas and minutes
Guides for filing your own public records requests
Tools for tracking how your supervisors vote on key issues

Get Involved

This work is only possible with community support. Whether you can volunteer time, share expertise, or simply spread the word, there’s a role for you in building a more transparent Humboldt County.

The Transparent Humboldt Coalition is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to government transparency and public accountability in Humboldt County, California.