All posts by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Articles, CC Harbor, Local Government

Faithful Performance Bonds: CCHD Attorney Says Harbor Is Covered, BOS Approval Is Missing Puzzle Piece

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Thumbnail photo by Amanda Dockter

Despite statements made to the contrary at Tuesday’s Del Norte County Board of Supervisors meeting, Crescent City Harbor commissioners do have faithful performance bonds in place, the Harbor District’s legal counsel said Wednesday.

Those bonds have been issued since 2012 and meet requirements set by the California Harbor and Navigations Code, according to Mitchell Law Firm attorney Ryan Plotz. The Board of Supervisors’ approval is the one missing puzzle piece, he said, but that approval doesn’t negate the bond’s coverage.

“We are working with county staff in order to complete that final step,” Plotz told harbor commissioners. “The issue now is we need to provide the county (with) the bond in a format so that it can be recorded and that primarily means the original issued with compliant signatures.”

Continue reading Faithful Performance Bonds: CCHD Attorney Says Harbor Is Covered, BOS Approval Is Missing Puzzle Piece →
Articles, Crescent City, Local Government

Steve Shamblin Appointed To Vacant Crescent City Council Seat

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Thumbnail photo: The Crescent City Council appointed Planning Commission Chair Steve Shamblin to the seat Daran Dooley left behind in October. | screenshot

Three of the four remaining Crescent City councilors on Tuesday chose the chairman of the city planning commission over a former fire captain to fill the seat Daran Dooley vacated in October.

With Mayor Pro Tem Candace Tinkler praising his resume, the Council appointed Steve Shamblin to serve through the certification of the November 2026 General Election.

“I did read Mr. Shamblin’s resume and I have worked with him in previous committees so I do agree that he really does his homework,” Tinkler said. “He didn’t mention this, but I know from his resume that he also has education in urban planning, which I think is very useful.”

Continue reading Steve Shamblin Appointed To Vacant Crescent City Council Seat →
Articles, CC Harbor, Infrastructure, Local Government

Del Norte Supervisors Reject Harbor’s Facilities Plan, Are Wary Of CCHD Proposal To Negotiate Loan Payments With USDA

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Thumbnail photo by Gavin Van Alstine

County supervisors sent a facilities plan back to the Crescent City Harbor District, criticizing its vagueness and stating that the agency hadn’t yet met the plan’s first stated priority — making this year’s U.S. Department of Agriculture loan payment.

The Board was also skeptical that the USDA would agree to a Harbor District proposal to accept 10% of CCHD’s annual $260,000 payment for three years with the remainder of the funds going toward maintenance and being put into a reserve account. 

District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey said she and her colleagues have a legal obligation to voters to ensure that the stipulations of the transiency occupancy tax measure, Measure C, they approved in 2018 were being met. 

“My concerns are you don’t have an agreement with the USDA, you’ve had a conversation. That is all you’ve had,” Starkey told CCHD Fiscal Officer Sandy Moreno who assured supervisors that the federal agency was receptive to the Harbor District’s proposal. “I heard you say at the last (Harbor District) meeting that you need to have $262,000 in a restricted fund, you don’t have that. You don’t have your insurance and you have money this county has collected to pay a loan. I believe that that needs to be paid. That’s the guarantee that we gave this community.”

Continue reading Del Norte Supervisors Reject Harbor’s Facilities Plan, Are Wary Of CCHD Proposal To Negotiate Loan Payments With USDA →
Community News

Citizens Dock, Sea Wall Projects Clear Environmental Hurdle, Harbor District On Track For May 2026 Construction

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Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

Projects to reconstruct Citizens Dock and replace an adjacent seawall have cleared environmental hurdles and are on track to begin in May, according to the Crescent City Harbor District’s grants consultant.

At a special meeting Friday, Community System Solutions CEO Mike Bahr told the Harbor Board that they can expect to see a contract from the U.S. Maritime Administration on their Wednesday agenda. This contract is associated with the 2022 Port Infrastructure Development Program grant that’s paying for the seawall replacement project.

It will be about 30 more days before the Harbor District Board sees the contract for the 2024 PIDP grant that’s paying for the Citizens Dock reconstruction, Bahr said. The Board of Commissioners has to officially commit to meeting match requirements for both grant programs in order for MARAD to release those funds, he said.

Continue reading Citizens Dock, Sea Wall Projects Clear Environmental Hurdle, Harbor District On Track For May 2026 Construction →
Articles, Arts & Culture, Just For Fun

CCHD Financial Officer Says She’ll Make Lighted Boat Parade Happen

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Thumbnail photo: The Jennifer Anne received participated in the lighted boat parade at the Crescent City Harbor in 2023. | Photo courtesy of Mike Bahr

Four members of the Crescent City Harbor District gave their blessing to Sandy Moreno to hold a lighted boat parade, though the date she is shooting for was about two weeks away.

Moreno, the Harbor District’s financial officer, told commissioners Friday that while staff told her that holding a festival this late in the season would be a heavy lift, she was sure she could pull it together for 5-7 p.m. Dec. 20 — the Saturday before Christmas.

“We need a positive thing to happen,” Moreno said, adding that she would work with former commissioner Harry Adams, owner of Stella’s Adventures charter boat tours. “A light show would be great for the community and I’ll make it happen. You say let’s do it and I’ll make something happen.”

Continue reading CCHD Financial Officer Says She’ll Make Lighted Boat Parade Happen →
Articles, Community News, Infrastructure, Local Government

Beachfront Park’s Wheelchair Swing May Be An ADA Violation, Disability Rights Advocate Warns

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Thumbnail photo: A local disability rights advocate Crescent City is violating the Americans With Disabilities Act by locking its wheelchair swing and requiring users to get a key. | Photo courtesy of Crescent City

Steven Jackson isn’t looking to sue Crescent City, but, he says, a lawsuit could happen if a lock and chain aren’t removed from a swing designed for wheelchairs at Beachfront Park.

Jackson, who has worked with adults with developmental disabilities in Del Norte County for about 20 years, warned the City Council on Monday that requiring people to get a key to be able to use the swing violates the Americans With Disabilities Act.

“I’m not here to propose a lawsuit on you guys,” he said. “But I’m letting you know that the city is really looking at a lawsuit for anybody who tries to go down and access that equipment when it’s not available. What’s that showing to people who come into our community that think we are an inclusive community?”

Continue reading Beachfront Park’s Wheelchair Swing May Be An ADA Violation, Disability Rights Advocate Warns →
Articles, Law

Inmate Dies at the Del Norte County Jail

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An investigation is underway into the death of an inmate who died at the Del Norte County Jail on Thursday.

Tyrel Grant, 31, was pronounced deceased by sheriff’s deputy coroners despite receiving medical assistance from corrections staff and medical personnel, according to a Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office post on Facebook. Corrections staff were notified that Grant was having a medical emergency at about 6:30 a.m. Paramedics also responded to the jail to administer medical aid, according to the sheriff’s office.

Grant had been in custody at the jail since Nov. 17, DNSO Capt. Kyle Stevens told Redwood Voice Community News. He was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery and a post-release community supervision violation. 

Continue reading Inmate Dies at the Del Norte County Jail →
Community News

Crescent City Council Loans State Grant Dollars To Downtown Housing Project; Developer Plans To Demolish Old Daly’s Building

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The Redwood Downtown, a mixed-use development proposed by Community System Solutions, would include residential and retail units. The developer said he plans to demolish the old Daly’s building to make way for the project. | Images courtesy of Community System Solutions

City Manager Eric Wier said plans to demolish the old Daly’s building and replace it with a development that includes affordable housing could be the key to revitalizing Crescent City’s downtown.

Councilors were enthusiastic about the proposal, especially when the developer, Community System Solutions CEO Mike Bahr assured them that the city would be protected should it not materialize and the state asks for its grant dollars back.

Bahr said construction would start on The Redwood Downtown development at 3rd and J streets in March or April 2027. His goal is to have a ribbon cutting about a year later. Bahr also assured councilors that the complex would align with its downtown masterplan.

Continue reading Crescent City Council Loans State Grant Dollars To Downtown Housing Project; Developer Plans To Demolish Old Daly’s Building →
Articles, Local Government

Greenough Asks If Limiting Cannabis Retailers Is Necessary, Votes Yes On Updated Regulations

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Thumbnail photo by Jennifer Martin via Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons License.

Despite opposing Crescent City’s commercial cannabis ordinance five years ago, Councilor Jason Greenough argued that limiting the number of businesses selling it was unnecessary.

“It seems like the market is regulating itself,” he said Monday. “We’re not being inundated with cannabis shops on every corner, so I’m confused why this is even before the Council again.”

Greenough, who was absent when his colleagues first considered a Planning Commission recommendation on Nov. 17 to make changes to the city’s cannabis regulations, urged the City Council to remove the proposed limitation. 

Continue reading Greenough Asks If Limiting Cannabis Retailers Is Necessary, Votes Yes On Updated Regulations →
Articles, Community News, Local Government

Mary Dorman Wins Crescent City’s ‘Service Above Self’ Award; Measure S Paving Project is Under Way; Councilors Approve ADU Update

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Thumbnail photo: Mary Dorman, community volunteer liaison with the American Red Cross’s Northern California chapter, received Crescent City’s Service Above Self award on Monday. | Screenshot

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

Service Above Self:

City Manager Eric Wier applauded Mary Dorman’s readiness to assist Del Norters with everyday disasters, saying she best exemplifies former fire chief Steve Wakefield’s personal motto of service above self.

Dorman, community volunteer leader with the American Red Cross’s Northern California chapter, often acts as a liaison between that organization and the Del Norte Emergency Operations Center, Wier said. 

Continue reading Mary Dorman Wins Crescent City’s ‘Service Above Self’ Award; Measure S Paving Project is Under Way; Councilors Approve ADU Update →