All posts by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Articles, Infrastructure, Tribal Affairs

Del Norte County Board of Supervisors Recap, March 24, 2026

March 25, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{Thumbnail image: The 57-acre “Sand Spit Property” the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation is seeking to acquire. |Image courtesy of the Bureau of Indian Affairs}

District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey was absent. Among the items discussed at Tuesday’s Del Norte County Board of Supervisors meeting:

Trust Acquisition Opposition: County supervisors approved a letter to the Bureau of Indian Affairs opposing the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation’s efforts to acquire 57 acres of undeveloped land just outside its boundaries in Smith River.

Known as the “Sand Spit Property,” the parcel is located on the south side of the Smith River estuary near the river mouth.

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Articles, Emergencies

Earthquake/Tsunami Drill Set For Tomorrow

March 24, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{Thumbnail map courtesy of the Redwood Coast Tsunami Working Group. To find maps for Fort Dick, Smith River and Klamath, click here.}

Del Norters who have opted into the county’s emergency alert system will get a notification between 11 a.m. and noon Wednesday.

Coinciding with Tsunami Preparedness Week, the earthquake and tsunami drill will only involve the county’s Everbridge system, Emergency Services Manager Deborah Otenburg told county supervisors on Tuesday.

“Oftentimes we have community members say we didn’t receive the alert, you do have to be registered to receive that alert,” Otenburg said. “And there will not be sirens. This is not a live-code activation. This is not a National Weather Service putting this out. It’s just us.”

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Articles, Crescent City

Chamber To Move To A Temporary Home Ahead of Cultural Center Project

March 21, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{Thumbnail photo by Persephone Rose}

Crescent City’s transformation of the Cultural Center into a more inviting, easier place for the public to visit will be underway this spring, but for that to happen the local chamber of commerce needs a temporary home.

The Crescent City-Del Norte County Chamber of Commerce is looking to move its gift shop and offices into Suite 2 at the Mason Mall likely by May 1, Executive Director Cindy Vosburg told Redwood Voice Community News on Friday. The organization hopes to be back home some time in November, “but you know how construction is,” she says.

“Nobody likes to move, it’s always a disruption, but this is a good workaround,” Vosburg said, adding that parking is plentiful for visitors at the new location. “And when we get to move back, Front Street will be done and it will be beautiful and even more beneficial for people who come to Del Norte County and Crescent City.”

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Articles, Community News, Crescent City, Infrastructure, Local Government

Crescent City Council Recap, March 16, 2026

March 20, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{Thumbnail photo: Crescent City Council | Photo by James Brooks}

Among the items discussed at Monday’s Crescent City Council meeting:

Digital sign ordinance: Before he ducked out of the meeting early to go to his job, Councilor Jason Greenough cast the sole dissenting vote on new digital sign regulations. They’re unnecessary, counterproductive and “not business friendly,” he said.

Introduced on Feb. 17, the ordinance restricts a digital sign’s size to 32 square feet and states that they are only allowed in the commercial zone along the city’s highway corridor. This includes L and M streets, U.S. 101 from 9th Street north to the city limits and Northcrest Drive and Washington Boulevard. Digital signs must also be 1,750 linear feet apart, according to the new ordinance.

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Articles, Crescent City, Infrastructure, Local Government

Crescent City Area Residents May See Water, Sewer Bills Increase; Rate Studies Cite Increased Costs, Needed Maintenance, Structural Deficits

March 19, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{Thumbnail photo by James Brooks}

Aging infrastructure, increased costs and expenditures outpacing revenues are prompting Crescent City staff to seek a rate increase for water and sewer customers.

Representatives from Rural Community Assistance Corporation and Willdan Financial Services presented study results that reached similar conclusions for both utilities.

On the water side, sales won’t be enough to cover the system’s operating and maintenance costs, RCAC Assistant Field Manager Samantha Ryan told the City Council on Monday.

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Articles, Crescent City, Economy, Local Government

New Housing Developments Spark Controversy; For Some Residents, It’s Too Many Too Fast

March 17, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{Crescent City and Del Norte County residents on Monday spoke both for and against the various housing developments underway within the city limits. | Video and photo by James Brooks}

Megan Miller sought to counter what she said was misinformation concerning the housing developments underway in Crescent City. But few stuck around past the public comment period at Monday’s City Council meeting to hear it.

Miller, Crescent City Housing Authority executive director, specifically spoke to Battery Point Apartments — a 162-unit complex that will house seniors and families — and the narrative that its tenants won’t be from Del Norte County.

“The waiting list for Battery Point Apartments, the senior units… there are 78 applicants on that list (and) there are 40 units,” she said. “Out of those 78, 72 of them are local residents. All 72 applicants are automatically ahead of those six who are from out of the area because anybody with a Del Norte County address steps ahead of somebody without one regardless of the application date.”

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Articles, CC Harbor, Infrastructure

Harbor Commissioners Seek General Contractor, Project Manager For Citizens Dock, Seawall Project

March 16, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{Thumbnail photo courtesy of Andrew Goff; Right: Most recent rendering of Citizens Dock/seawall project. | Image courtesy of the Crescent City Harbor District}

Harbor commissioners gave staff the green light to seek a general contractor, project manager, accounting firm and a grants manager as construction for the seawall and Citizens Dock rebuilds loom.

Commissioners unanimously approved releasing requests for proposals on Tuesday after Mike Bahr, CEO of Community System Solution, gave a rundown of what they and the public can expect over the next roughly two years.

“We’re looking at this as one project,” he said. “These two elements are two separate grants, but it really is one very large construction project that’s all taking place at the same time.”

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Articles, CC Harbor, Local Government

Crescent City Harbor District Recap, March 11, 2026

March 13, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{Thumbnail photo by Gavin Van Alstine}

Among the items discussed at Wednesday’s Crescent City Harbor meeting:

RV Park negotiations: Harbormaster Mike Rademaker will be traveling to Los Angeles this weekend to meet with Orange County developers seeking to lease Bayside and Redwood Harbor Village RV parks. Rademaker said he will be working through the weekend to get a final agreement before the Board of Commissioners and the public.

“I know everyone is so anxious like we all are to close this deal,” he said following a closed session meeting. “Keep in mind it’s potentially a 25-year deal. We are extremely close, we’re working on the finer points of the contract.”

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Articles, Economy

Bang for more buck: July 4th fireworks price is up due to tariffs, Chamber director says

March 12, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{Thumbnail photo courtesy of the Crescent City-Del Norte County Chamber of Commerce}

To some Del Norters, President Trump’s tariffs may be a political talking point, but a representative of the local visitors bureau says they’ve made this year’s July 4th fireworks more expensive.

The price tag for the community’s fireworks increased to $39,800 from last year’s costs of $36,000, according to Crescent City-Del Norte County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Cindy Vosburg. She declined to mention the president’s name, but said after he began implementing tariffs last spring, she contacted Pyro Spectaculars, the family-owned San Francisco-based company that’s created the local professional display for the past 25 years.

“For many years it was $30,000 and then three years ago they had to increase their prices,” Vosburg told Redwood Voice Community News, adding that the cost rose to about $36,000. “But then this year, it was a 10% increase because of the tariffs.”

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Articles, Infrastructure, Local Government

Del Norte County Board of Supervisors Recap, March 10, 2026

March 12, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

Among the items discussed at Tuesday’s Del Norte County Board of Supervisors meeting:

Funding for EOC:

Del Norte County staff plans to seek $2 million in fiscal year 2027 Congressionally Directed Spending money to establish an emergency operations center, Assistant County Administrative Officer Randy Hooper said.

County staff is looking at converting the manual arts building near the Flynn Administrative Center, according to Hooper, and would renovate the former gymnasium into a “hardened purpose-built EOC.” It would also house the Del Norte County Office of Emergency Services as well as be a “public safety answering point” or dispatch center, according to Hooper’s staff report.

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