Category Archives: Local Government

Articles, CC Harbor, Local Government

RV Park Proposals Spark Discussion Over Harbormaster’s Living Situation

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Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

Crescent City Harbor commissioners rejected proposals from two Orange County developers eager to revitalize Bayside and Redwood Harbor Village RV parks, Chairman Rick Shepherd announced Wednesday.

The Board’s rejection of proposals from Sean McGraw and Scott Lawhon doesn’t mean that further negotiations couldn’t be had with either developer, according to Harbormaster Mike Rademaker. For now, a request for proposals commissioners approved in August is still active, he told Redwood Voice Community News on Thursday.

“Not much has been stated publicly after several closed session deliberations over several months,” Rademaker said, calling the move cautious. “This public statement reflects the Board’s conclusion that, after sufficient review, the proposals were not yet close to terms the district could accept.”

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Articles, Infrastructure, Local Government

Del Norte County BOS Roundup, Jan. 13, 2026

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Thumbnail photos: District 1 Supervisor Darrin Short and District 2 Supervisor Joey Borges. Borges and Short will serve another year as chair and vice chair of the Board of Supervisors.

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

Borges, Short ‘Keep It Going’: District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey ended the long pause that followed Chris Howard’s nomination of Joey Borges for another year as Board chairman.

Howard, who represents Del Norte County District 3, praised Borges’ efficiency in running county meetings, saying he’s done a “wonderful job” over the past 12 months. Though she has yet to serve in the chair position since she first took her seat in 2021, Starkey said she couldn’t think of a reason why Borges shouldn’t continue in the role. Her initial plan was to nominate District 1 Supervisor Darrin Short to the chair position since he’s been the vice chair for the past year, but decided to second Howard’s original motion.

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Activism, Articles, Local Government

Del Norte Fair Board Calls For Review Of Its ‘First Amendment Expression’ Policy; Rally Set For MLK Day

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Fairgrounds CEO Kim Floyd sent this map to Del Norte Democratic Committee Chairman Kevin Hendrick ahead of a rally in April asking that demonstrators park in the north parking lot.

Thumbnail photo: Nearly 1,000 demonstrators showed up for the No Kings Rally at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds in October. | Photo by Heather Polen

Three months after the No Kings Rally brought nearly 1,000 demonstrators to their front yard, officials at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds are calling for a review of its First Amendment Expression policy.

At a meeting of the 41st District Agriculture Association Board of Directors on Monday, Board President Kara Miller said she wanted to make sure demonstrators aren’t disturbing businesses or people renting buildings on fairgrounds property. 

Meanwhile, 41st DAA CEO Kim Floyd said she wanted to make sure the fair is protected from liability. She pointed to a confrontation that she said occurred during the No Kings Rally in October between someone who had pulled into the parking lot and a demonstrator.

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Articles, Local Government

‘LA Times’ Lists Del Norte Fair Among Others Plagued With Scandal After State Audit Raises Nepotism, Credit Card Misuse Concerns

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Thumbnail photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

A month after the Los Angeles Times listed the Del Norte County Fairgrounds as one of 26 fairs in California struggling with misfortune CEO Kim Floyd offered minimal information on how things would change in the future.

In her Dec. 11 rundown, the Times reporter Jessica Garrison cited a state audit from 2019 that found that Del Norte County fair officials improperly spent more than $1,200 on alcohol in violation of state rules and allowed a manager to employ a close family member. 

Garrison also cited a state audit from 2025 that found additional violations of the state’s nepotism policy as well as $34,637 in credit card charges without receipts. The audit cited $11,903 in credit card charges for food and drink without receipts.

Continue reading ‘LA Times’ Lists Del Norte Fair Among Others Plagued With Scandal After State Audit Raises Nepotism, Credit Card Misuse Concerns →
Articles, Infrastructure, Local Government

Crescent City Planning Commission To Consider 14-Unit Townhome Project

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Thumbnail photo: This image shows a 14-unit townhome development proposed for an area near J and 7th streets in Crescent City. | Image courtesy of Crescent City

Sam Schauerman, the developer behind Roosevelt Estates, is seeking to build another housing development in Crescent City, this one closer to the downtown area.

Schauerman, owner of Elk Creek Builders LLC, will go before the Planning Commission on Thursday for an architectural review of a 14-unit townhome project proposed for 708 J Street. According to City Manager Eric Wier, when they are finished, the units will be available to rent at the market rate.

“They’re townhome styles with garages and separations between the different driveways,” Wier told the City Council on Monday, “so it’ll be a little bit different style than some of the other developments.”

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Articles, CC Harbor, Infrastructure, Local Government

CC Harbor Seeks Funding To Determine If Dredge Material Can Be Deposited Near Whaler Island

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Thumbnail photo: Crescent City Harbor officials are seeking funding for a project to determine whether its dredge materials can be used for beach enhancement. | File photo by Gavin Van Alstine

Crescent City Harbor officials are pursuing a grant they say may turn a dredging dilemma into a valuable resource for projects like wetland restoration and beach enhancement.

The Harbor District is seeking $500,000 in California Regional Investment Initiative grant dollars for its beneficial reuse project. This project involves depositing about 10,000 cubic yards of dredge material along the beach near Whaler Island and assessing the ecological impacts. 

If there are no adverse impacts, the Harbor District may have an answer to a challenge that’s been plaguing it for years, according to Harbormaster Mike Rademaker.

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Articles, Local Government

City Council Recap, Jan. 5, 2026: Measure S Appointments, Cannabis Regs, Council Appointments

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

Measure S Oversight Committee: Crescent City’s newest city councilor objected to volunteer firefighter Dana Reno’s continued appointment to the Measure S Oversight Committee.

Steve Shamblin, who had been on the oversight committee before he was appointed to the City Council, said he felt it was a conflict of interest for Reno to be involved in both the committee and Crescent City Fire and Rescue. The oversight committee is tasked with ensuring Measure S tax revenue is spent appropriately, which includes partially funding Crescent City Fire and Rescue — a concern Shamblin raised on Monday.

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Articles, CC Harbor, Local Government

Linda Sutter Files Federal Complaint Against Crescent City Harbor, Says CCHD Commissioners Violated Her Constitutional Rights

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Thumbnail photo: Linda Sutter spoke with KFUG Community Radio as a candidate for Crescent City Harbor commissioner in October 2024. | Photo by Amanda Dockter

Local activist Linda Sutter has filed another court complaint against the Crescent City Harbor District, this time accusing officials of violating her First and Fourteenth Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution.

Filed in the Eureka-McKinleyville Division of the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California on Dec. 14, Sutter’s complaint included Harbormaster Mike Rademaker and commissioners Rick Shepherd, John Evans and Gerhard Weber as individual defendants. In her complaint, she accuses them of attempting to silence her when she speaks at public meetings and states that not responding to her requests for information under the California Public Records Act interferes with her “First Amendment news gathering rights.”

Sutter also states that Weber, who was chairman for much of 2025, used his position to suppress the speech of other women, namely Stephanie Abrams, Alicia Williams and Donna Westfall.

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Articles, Law, Local Government

Del Norte Sheriff May Ask Supervisors to Unfreeze Positions Previously Frozen To Increase Staff Salaries

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A move to freeze positions in his office to increase salaries and retain deputies has been effective. 

But now that a compensation study and structural analysis of all positions in the county is completed, Del Norte County Sheriff Garrett Scott said he’ll be asking the Board of Supervisors to reverse that decision, probably around March.

“My goal is to ask for the funding to unfreeze those positions so I can put more than just two deputies per shift out there and I can start working on more narcotic enforcement and search warrants, things like that,” the sheriff told Redwood Voice Community News on Friday. “The public, Del Norte County, deserves to have more than two deputies on a shift. I know we’re not a rich county and that ask is not just a simple fix, but I think our Board does want that.”

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Articles, CC Harbor, Infrastructure, Local Government

After County Supervisors’ Rejection, Harbor Commissioners Opt To Re-Work Facilities Plan

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Thumbnail photo: The Crescent City Harbor District is working on paying back a $5.5 million U.S. Department of Agriculture loan that rebuilt the inner boat basin following tsunamis in 2006 and 2011. | Photo by Gavin Van Alstine

A week after county supervisors rejected a Crescent City Harbor Facilities Plan, its harbormaster argued that voters didn’t want the agency to wait 40 years before it began using Measure C tax dollars to make needed repairs.

The transiency occupancy tax measure voters approved in 2018 wasn’t specific about the repairs and maintenance the generated revenue would pay for, Harbor District CEO Mike Rademaker told commissioners at a special meeting Wednesday. 

In addition to being used to pay back a $5 million U.S. Department of Agriculture loan, Measure C revenue should also fund repairs and maintenance of harbor facilities. Rademaker cited legal advice he received from CCHD attorney Ryan Plotz, who said that could mean “anything that involves repair and maintenance.”

Continue reading After County Supervisors’ Rejection, Harbor Commissioners Opt To Re-Work Facilities Plan →