Articles, Curry, Local Government

Curry County DA Announces Resignation; Joshua Spansail Says His Last Day is Nov. 17

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Thumbnail photo: Curry County District Attorney Joshua Spansail announces his resignation to the Board of Commissioners on Wednesday. | screenshot

Curry County’s district attorney announced his resignation on Wednesday, telling the Board of Commissioners that he made the “bittersweet decision” for his family’s sake and his last day will be Nov. 17.

“I’ve been here going on 10 years now either as a deputy DA or the elected DA, but this is a family decision,” Joshua Spansail told commissioners Lynn Coker and Patrick Hollinger. “I have just had my third child and my wife and I made the decision that with a growing family and aging parents, it’s time to get closer to them, so we are going to be moving on.”

Board Chairman Jay Trost was absent.

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Articles, CC Harbor, Local Government

Former Fashion Blacksmith Owner Airs Concerns About Boat Yard Assessment, Outlines History With Crescent City Harbor

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Thumbnail photo: Former Fashion Blacksmith building at the Crescent City Harbor. | File photo by Gavin Van Alstine

More than a year after he closed his doors, Fashion Blacksmith owner Ted Long said there were data gaps in a recent environmental assessment the Crescent City Harbor District had commissioned of the site.

Long also questioned the need for a structural inspection of the boat yard building itself. He told commissioners on Sept. 24 that a 60-page report detailing the findings of a civil engineer he hired in 2022 was included as an exhibit in an arbitration that led to a settlement agreement between the two parties.

“All of these exhibits from our arbitration are on file with BBK and Del Norte Superior Court,” Long said, referring to the Harbor District’s former legal counsel, Best, Best and Krieger. “They are in fact public record. In good faith and to save scarce dollars for the Harbor District, even if it’s grant money, and for immediate access to current Board members, I would be willing to share the three exhibits from Western Wood Structures exactly as they were filed in the arbitration record. This includes the full 60-page inspection report and the proposed repair plan with all the estimates.”

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Articles, Community News, Crescent City, Just For Fun

Start Your Engines: Sea Cruise Rolls Into Town Friday, Saturday

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Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

Bayside resident Alan Billinger took home the Best of Show and Best Paint for his 1940 Mercury convertible at last year’s Sea Cruise Car Show. | Photo courtesy of the Crescent City-Del Norte County Chamber of Commerce

Those looking for a quiet stroll along the water with shorebirds for company should steer clear of Crescent City on Saturday.

Hundreds of hot rods, rat rods, muscle cars, trucks, Mustangs, Corvettes and motorcycles will dot Beachfront Park and at noon, they’ll wake up.

“We’re going to let the town know we’re here,” Crescent City-Del Norte County Executive Director Cindy Vosburg said. “You’ll have 200 to 300 vehicles start at once, revving their engines.”

The Rumble at Noon is a new feature of the 34th annual Sea Cruise Outdoor Car Show. Del Norte’s tribute to chrome, rubber and community starts with the Show & Shine and a sanctioned two-way cruise on Friday in Downtown Crescent City.

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Articles, Curry, Local Government

Internal Investigation Clears Curry County Operations Director of Misconduct Against Assessor; Wegner Says ‘It’s Not Over’

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Wegner | Courtesy of LinkedIn

An independent investigation found no evidence that Curry County Director of Operations Ted Fitzgerald engaged in gender discrimination, harassment or retaliation against County Assessor and Tax Collector Kylie Wegner.

Even so, Wegner’s tort claim notice, sent to the Board of Commissioners on April 8, puts them on notice that she could take further legal action against the county and against Fitzgerald individually. On Monday — after the county announced the findings of the investigation — Wegner said she’s yet not at liberty to say what her next steps will be, but told Redwood Voice Community News that “it’s not over.”

“They are not denying they read these things that (Fitzgerald) sent me and they are saying they don’t have an issue with those types of messages being sent to an elected official,” she said. “Don’t I deserve respect? No employee or elected official should have to work in an environment like that.”

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Articles, CC Harbor, Elections, Local Government

Gitlin Unveils Recall Petitions Against Harbor Commissioners Schmidt, Nehmer; Special Recall Election Could Cost CCHD Up To $130,000, Del Norte Clerk-Recorder Says

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Thumbnail photo: Roger Gitlin, former Del Norte Triplicate editor, speaks at a Crescent City Council meeting in June. | Screenshot

Former Del Norte Triplicate editor Roger Gitlin announced that he has begun the process to recall Crescent City Harbor commissioners Dan Schmidt and Annie Nehmer, though he’s not sure if the recall election will take place next June or November.

Gitlin announced his intentions before Nehmer and her colleagues Rick Shepherd and Gerhard Weber on Wednesday. He accused Nehmer of costing the Harbor District about $55,000 in legal fees and Schmidt of trying to persuade the Board of Commissioners to give his brother an executive role at the port.

“These breaches undermine the district’s ability to protect taxpayer funds in litigation and have collectively eroded public trust in (Schmidt’s) capacity to fulfill his duty,” Gitlin said. “Collectively they warrant recall. I have begun the process and will be seeking the intention to recall both of these commissioners in the foreseeable future.”

Continue reading Gitlin Unveils Recall Petitions Against Harbor Commissioners Schmidt, Nehmer; Special Recall Election Could Cost CCHD Up To $130,000, Del Norte Clerk-Recorder Says →
Articles, CC Harbor, Infrastructure

(Updated) CCHD Officials Negotiating Lower Loan Payment With USDA, Say Docks Need To Be Insured

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Thumbnail photo by Gavin Van Alstine

Updated at 1:52 p.m. to correct an error about the Harbor District’s loan status with the USDA. According to CCHD financial advisor Sandy Moreno, the agency has 120 days to make a loan payment to the agency or it runs the risk of defaulting on the loan.

Crescent City Harbor’s financial advisor said the agency has 120 days to make a loan payment to the U.S. Department of Agriculture or it runs the risk of defaulting on its loan.

Crescent City Harbor’s financial advisor said the agency has 120 days to reinstate property insurance for its inner boat basin or its loan with the U.S. Department of Agriculture will be considered delinquent.

Reporting to the Harbor District Board following a meeting with USDA officials last week, Sandy Moreno said she and Harbormaster Mike Rademaker hope to get the district’s loan payments reduced, which would improve cash flow. 

But if the marina isn’t insured within 120 days doesn’t make a payment within four months, the USDA will accelerate the claim to the U.S. Department of Treasury “for action,” Moreno told commissioners Wednesday.

Continue reading (Updated) CCHD Officials Negotiating Lower Loan Payment With USDA, Say Docks Need To Be Insured →
Articles, Infrastructure, Local Government

Del Norte County Finalizes Line of Credit to Airport Authority; Elk Valley Rancheria Chairman Defends Joint Powers Authority Model

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Thumbnail image courtesy of flycrescentcity.com

Del Norte County supervisors approved an agreement that extends a line of credit to the local airport authority, enabling it to weather a cash flow emergency as it completes three grant-funded projects.

The Board of Supervisors’ decision comes after they authorized staff to draft an agreement with the Border Coast Regional Airport Authority in August. 

The agreement also comes after BCRAA members at a meeting earlier this month were dismayed to hear District 4 Supervisor Joey Borges question the effectiveness of the joint powers authority model to operate the Del Norte County Airport, his District 3 colleague Chris Howard told Redwood Voice Community News on Tuesday.

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Articles, Local Government

Del Norte Supervisors Discuss Budget, Challenges of Providing State-Mandated Services, Charlie Kirk

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Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

District 1 Supervisor Darrin Short was absent. Among the items discussed at Tuesday’s Del Norte County Board of Supervisors meeting:

Board Approves 2025-26 Final Budget: Four county supervisors approved Del Norte County’s 2025-26 final recommended budget about two weeks after they learned that 25% of its positions are vacant and overall base salaries are 10% under market median.

The final step in a process that included a 14-day public hearing window and two budget workshops, the total 2025-26 recommended budget is $249,475,247 with a general fund budget of $45,460,804, according to a staff report from County Administrative Officer Neal Lopez and Auditor-Controller Clinton Schaad.

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Articles, Law, Youth

DN Probation Chief Asks Supervisors To Oppose Proposed Limit on Probation Period for Juvenile Offenders

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of Del Norte County Probation

Calling it a solution looking for a problem, Lonnie Reyman urged Del Norte County supervisors to oppose a bill that seeks to place a 12-month limit on the probation period for juvenile offenders.

The chief probation officer asked the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to send a letter to California Gov. Gavin Newsom requesting his veto on Assembly Bill 1376. The state’s juvenile justice system is already tailored to the youths’ individual needs, Reyman argued, and a judge determines how long they’ll be on probation.

“As stated in the letter, this takes away that authority for the court to determine what is in the best interest of that youth given all the information they receive,” he said, “both from my department, other agencies involved in the crime that occurred and any other entities and agencies that have input on the length of that probation and what that probation looks like.”

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Elections, In Media Res, Tribal Affairs

‘Voting As One Of The Solutions’; One Yurok Tribal Member’s Take On Candidates Forum

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Thumbnail photo: Candidates for Yurok Tribal Chair from left to right: Edward ‘Horse’ Aubrey, Susan Masten, Jewel Frank, Joseph L. James, Thomas P. O’Rourke Sr., Phillip L. Williams | Courtesy of True North Organizing Network

By Tamara Brooks

Disclaimer: I am a Yurok Tribal member, a Yurok Tribal employee, and a Leader with True North and one of the organizers of this event. All opinions expressed are my own, and not affiliated with any agency, organization, or employment. 

I firmly believe that participation in the process of politics is not just a right that we are afforded but is vital. I have organized a few candidates’ forums, canvassed, volunteered in campaigns, a California poll worker, and am currently a trustee on the Del Norte County Library Board. 

As a family when we got our ballots we would sit around the table and discuss the candidates and the referendums, we would discuss the whys of our vote, and I have continued that tradition with my child: Voting as a family event; voting as an ongoing discussion of what we see to be the challenges and the strengths within the system; and voting as one of the solutions to the ongoing struggles that we see in our community, our tribe, our state, our country. 

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Telling the untold stories of Del Norte and Tribal Lands through amplified youth voices.