City Council Recap, Feb. 17, 2026

February 19, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{Thumbnail photo: A canoe node is part of the Tolowa Cultural Trail at Beachfront Park. City Councilors approved an additional $50,800 to complete design work for the expansion. | Image courtesy of Crescent City.}

Councilman Jason Greenough was absent. Among the items discussed at Tuesday’s Crescent City Council meeting:

Utility Box Art Project: City councilors gave their blessing to a Dirt & Glitter endeavor to paint murals on roughly 10 utility boxes within the city limits. Funded through a Klamath Promise Neighborhood grant, the art project is for local youth ages 14-24, Crescent City Manager Eric Wier said.

The City Council approved an agreement with Dirt & Glitter, which establishes rules and guidelines for the project — according to Wier, the murals have to have seascape, redwoods or historical themes and must go before the Planning Commission for approval.

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Agriculture, Articles, Economy, Environment, Science, Smith River

(Updated) Water Board Seeks Comment On Proposed Easter Lily Bulb Order, Public Workshop Set For Today

February 17, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{Thumbnail photo: Ninety-five percent of the world’s Easter lily bulbs are produced in the Smith River area. | Photo courtesy of the North Coast Water Quality Control Board}

Updated at 8:02 a.m. Wednesday to correct the workshop location. The workshop will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Elk Valley Rancheria Sam Lopez Community Center, 2332 Howland Hill Road in Crescent City.

State water quality scientists are seeking public comment on proposed regulations aimed at controlling waste discharge from the Easter lily bulb industry into the lower Smith River basin.

North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board representatives will hold a public workshop Wednesday focusing on Draft General Waste Discharge Requirements for Commercial Lily Bulb operations in the Smith River Plain.

Also known as the Lily Bulb Order, draft discharge requirements seek to “protect and restore beneficial uses, such as cold freshwater habitat in the Smith River Plain,” according to the state agency’s Feb. 5 news release.

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Community News

The Volunteers of Del Norte’s 2026 Point in Time Count

February 17, 2026 Monique Camarena Leave a comment

_{Photos and video by Monique Camarena}

On one windy day in January, Del Norte Health and Human Services and local organizations came together to gather data, provide support, and spread love to Del Norte’s homeless community at the county’s annual Point In Time Count.

This year’s PIT count was held in the Del Norte County Fairgrounds Main Building on Jan. 27, where those considered unhoused could take a 5-minute anonymous survey and receive free meals, backpacks, clothes, showers and many more resources. Even free haircuts!

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Articles, Education, Youth

Cal Poly Humboldt Offers Direct Admission to Del Norte Students, Promises Greater Presence At Local High Schools

February 17, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{Thumbnail photo by Jaradpetroske via Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons License}

Cal Poly Humboldt representatives promised a greater presence at Del Norte County’s high schools in an effort to offer a clear path for those seeking a college education.

As part of a statewide initiative to streamline the college admissions process for students and families, the Arcata-based California State University entered into a memorandum of understanding with Del Norte Unified School District about two weeks ago.

According to Dr. Chrissy Holliday, Cal Poly’s vice president of enrollment management and student success, the university will work with DNUSD staff to enact any special programs or supports that will make the choice to go to college easier, especially for first-generation students.

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Articles, Economy, Infrastructure, Local Government, Transportation

Del Norte Airport Officials Say Flights To Portland May Boost Use, But Will Advanced Air Agree?

February 13, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{Thumbnail photo by James Brooks}

With another runway project pending, more passengers need to fly into and out of Crescent City for the Del Norte County Regional Airport to be sure of the federal dollars needed to make that happen, Director Sean Rosenthal said.

The Federal Aviation Administration provides grant funding every year for capital improvement projects, Rosenthal told Redwood Voice Community News on Thursday. Increasing the number of enplanements from 7,485 to 10,000 annually could not only speed up the process, it could convince the FAA that the airport needs a longer runway.

Convincing Advanced Air, the airline that serves Crescent City, to offer flights to Portland is a viable option for boosting those numbers, the airport authority director says. But there are caveats.

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Articles, CC Harbor, Infrastructure

Crescent City Harbor To Pursue 2026 MARAD Grant To Complete Citizens Dock Project

February 12, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

*_{The preferred alternative among six options Harbor commissioners chose for the Citizens Dock project in 2024. | Image courtesy of Moffatt & Nichol}*

_{Thumbnail photo courtesy of Andrew Goff}

Federal officials are urging the Crescent City Harbor District to pursue the grant dollars needed to finish the Citizens Dock reconstruction.

The U.S. Maritime Administration is offering about $11.25 million in 2026 Port Infrastructure Development Program dollars, Community System Solutions CEO Mike Bahr told harbor commissioners on Wednesday. Bahr, who manages the Harbor District’s grants, said he and Harbormaster Mike Rademaker are nearly finished with the new application and will have to go before commissioners before submitting it.

If the Harbor District is successful, that money would pay for the second dock the Citizens Dock reconstruction project calls for, Bahr said.

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Articles, CC Harbor, Law, Local Government

Municipal Law Attorney Says CCHD’s Insurance Policy Satisfies Faithful Performance Bond Requirement

February 12, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{Thumbnail photo by Gavin Van Alstine}

Harbor commissioners thought the word of a highly credentialed attorney would put the faithful performance bond issue to bed.

But while Michael Colantuono, who has practiced municipal law since 1989, pulled back the covers and plumped up the pillow, at least one commissioner and two members of the public weren’t quite ready for sleep.

Commissioner Annie Nehmer, who obtained an individual faithful performance bond and filed it with the county in December, said she had been asking to see proof that the Crescent City Harbor District has protection against crime and fraud for its elected officials for months.

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Articles, Emergencies, Infrastructure

Del Norte Teams Up With CalOES, Crescent City On Tsunami Education Kiosks For Visitors

February 11, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

*_{Tsunami information kiosks like this one will be at seven locations popular with visitors throughout Del Norte. | Image courtesy of Del Norte County Office of Emergency Services}*

_{Thumbnail photo: H Dock damage at the Crescent City Harbor from the July 30, 2025 Kamchatka tsunami. The harbor will host one of seven tsunami information kiosks throughout Del Norte. | Photo courtesy of Mike Rademaker}

Del Norte County is stepping up its tsunami preparedness efforts, focusing on visitors who may not be aware that they’re in a hazardous location or how to evacuate.

Seven kiosks will be installed in areas popular with visitors. They will highlight the natural warning signs that a tsunami is imminent, the immediate actions to take as well as a simplified evacuation map leading folks to a safer spot, Emergency Services Coordinator Jessica Seaman said Tuesday.

“Each evacuation map will be site specific and developed with assistance from the subject matter experts to ensure accuracy and clarity for the exact location,” she told the Board of Supervisors. “The kiosks will also include a QR code that links directly to Know Your Zone and Prepare Del Norte (which has) additional preparedness information.”

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Articles, Infrastructure, Local Government

Del Norte County Board of Supervisors Recap For Feb. 10, 2026

February 10, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz}

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

Boat Ramp Access: Despite skepticism from a member of the public, District 1 Darrin Short said he and his colleagues did have public safety in mind when directing the county to do repairs on the public access road to Saxton’s Boat Ramp in Smith River.

Supervisors unanimously approved allocating an additional $1,922.11 to the project, which, Short says, is necessary for the sheriff’s office to be able to deploy its rescue boat. This allocation brings the project cost to $8,900 in funds the Board of Supervisors had set aside to make repairs to non-maintained county roads.

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Articles, CC Harbor, Local Government

Harbor Critic Takes Bond Complaint To State; CCHD To Revisit Issue Today

February 10, 2026 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz}

Linda Sutter says she has taken her concerns that a majority of the Crescent City Harbor commissioners are unlawfully occupying their seat to the California attorney general.

Sutter, a recent participant at public meetings whose 2024 run for the Crescent City Harbor board was unsuccessful, told Del Norte County supervisors on Tuesday that she has filed a quo warranto complaint with the California Attorney General’s Office. Her filing comes ahead of a renewed discussion scheduled for Wednesday’s Crescent City Harbor District meeting on a proposed resolution affirming that the district’s insurance coverage complies with a state requirement that each individual commissioner hold a $5,000 faithful performance bond.

Sutter told county supervisors that evoking the legal proceeding challenging an elected officials’ right to hold public office is the last lawful mechanism she has to “address what is happening at the Crescent City Harbor District.”

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