Less than three weeks after launching her reelection campaign, Arcata City Councilmember and former Mayor Meredith Matthews today abandoned that bid via a surprise announcement on her official Facebook page. In the post, which you can read in full below, Matthews describes the move as “one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made” and offers her endorsement of Arcata City Council candidates Abigail Strickland and Genevieve Serna. Matthews was appointed to the Arcata City Council in July of 2021 to fill the vacancy left by former councilmember Sofia Pereira, who had accepted a position as Humboldt County’s director of public health. In recent weeks, Matthews has been the target of anonymous social media campaigns criticizing her support for Israel and her criticisms of local pro-Palestinian activists. Dozens of emails obtained from her official city council account have been reproduced online with highlighted passages in which she addresses the hot-button topic.