_{Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz}

District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey joined her colleagues in approving the creation of a narcotics enforcement position at the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office.

But after questioning County Administrative Officer Neal Lopez and Human Resources Director Kerri Vue about the cost and how it will be paid for, Starkey noted that there’s no guarantee the position will be permanent after the three year funding commitment was up.

“I think they were going to do a year-by-year assessment to see the benefits of this particular position,” Starkey said Tuesday, referring to the Community Corrections Partnership.

The Community Corrections Partnership Executive Committee recommended the allocation of Assembly Bill 109 dollars to fund the narcotics enforcement position for three years, according to Vue’s staff report. 

Starkey said she hoped the Board could continue to fund the position if AB 109 funding isn’t available, but there’s no guarantee.

“There is only so much money in a budget and I think this is a valuable option,” Starkey said, noting that the position is new. “I appreciate the CCP committee (wanting) to address this and putting this funding forward, but I also sometimes find it very difficult to continue on something in the general fund when we haven’t had it established.”

Starkey and three of her colleagues approved a request from the sheriff’s office to reclassify a full-time deputy-coroner position to a narcotics enforcement deputy. District 3 Supervisor Chris Howard was absent.

The approval also includes moving the job classification to a higher position within the salary schedule. According to Lopez, the total annual cost for the position would be $132,000. Since the Board’s approval for the narcotics enforcement deputy comes in October, the cost this fiscal year would be about $120,000. 

According to Vue, the narcotics enforcement deputy would share duties with a patrol deputy, while being focused on narcotics investigations. 

The Community Corrections Partnership was originally created in 2009 through State Senate Bill 678, which was focused on reducing the state prison population. When AB 109 went into effect in 2011, it required counties to establish a Community Corrections Partnership Executive Committee. 

In Del Norte County, Probation Chief Lonnie Reyman chairs that committee. Its members include the sheriff, the district attorney, the public defender, the Crescent City chief of police and the Health and Human Services director, Reyman said. 

The committee is tasked with creating a plan for how it will use AB 109 funding. This year Del Norte County received about $1.7 million, Reyman said.

“The planned budget for the year typically ends up with about a third or so going to the probation department to support mandatory supervision and some of the stuff we’re doing,” Reyman said. “Another third goes to the sheriff’s office to help offset the cost of custody, so it’s going to support jail operations, and then the other third typically gets parsed out between DHHS to support programs or things they’re doing.” 

The District Attorney and the Public Defenders’ office also gets AB 109 funding, Reyman said. 

According to Lopez, the Board of Supervisors approves CCP committee’s recommendations for AB 109 funding allocation. The CCP committee could also make budget adjustments as well.

According to Lopez, the cost for the position may increase next fiscal year to about $135,000.

District 1 Darrin Short mentioned the sheriff, who did not attend Tuesday’s meeting, saying that Del Norte had a dedicated drug task force.

“I believe we need a dedicated narcotics enforcement entity at the sheriff’s office,” Short said.

In other matters before the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday:

Norma Williams’ farewell: Norma Williams received a standing ovation from elected officials, colleagues and members of the community for 33 years of service to Del Norte County. 

Williams began working for the Public Health Branch as an intake worker in 1993. In 1996, Williams started as an intake worker for the California Children’s Services Program and, over the next 30 years, helped children with special healthcare needs and their families obtain medical care, services and support. In 2024, became the first public health program specialist in Del Norte County.

“These children, my kids, changed me in ways I never expected,” she said. “I witnessed families face unimaginable challenges with courage and grace. I watched a pediatric specialty medical network come together united in its commitment to give these children every opportunity for healthier fuller lives.”

Williams said she was grateful to be part of an entire medical village, and as CCS representative she had a powerful voice as an advocate. 

She thanked her current colleagues for their dedication, compassion and service to their community and praised their work, especially during the pandemic. 

Members of the Del Norte County Employees Association SEIU 1021 also recognized Williams for her service as its president and her tenacity in fighting for her fellow county employees.

ICE Concerns: Pointing to the detention of an individual by Immigration Customs Enforcement in Brookings over the weekend, Amy Lafreniere reminded county supervisors that she and her colleagues were promised an ICE policy in July.

“We were told it was close to being issued and we would like to have one in place so as employees we know what we’re supposed to do,” said Lafreniere, president of the Del Norte County Employees Association SEIU 1021. “We want to know what we’re supposed to do if ICE comes into our facilities and also what we’re supposed to do if one of our coworkers is apprehended.”

Lafreniere’s colleague, SEIU 1021 at large member Carlos Jimenez also urged the county to adopt a policy to protect residents from “unconstitutional actions” by federal agencies. He asked supervisors to develop emergency protocols for employees and residents under the Workplace Know Your Rights Act that are detained. This includes establishing designated emergency contacts and developing a memorandum of understanding specifying employee protections and rapid locator support for individuals detained in Del Norte County. 

Jimenez also asked the county to develop a strict oversight ordinance.

“We must prohibit our local law enforcement from sharing automated data with federal agencies without a judicial warrant, implement a 24 hour maximum data deletion policy for non-target citizens and explicitly ban the county from purchasing or utilizing predatory commercial location data brokers,” he said. 

Jimenez’s statement came after Del Norte County Sheriff Garrett Scott, California Highway Patrol Lt. Franco Castro and Crescent City Police Chief Richard Griffin spoke about automated license plate readers at a town hall meeting Thursday.