Tag Archives: del norte county news

Alerts, Environment, Local Government, Tribal Affairs

Del Norte Supervisors Weigh In On Assembly Bill That Recognizes Tribal Stewardship On State Conservation Lands

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Thumbnail photo: Rosa Laucci, Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation marine program manager, led a hike down the Sweetwater Creek Trail during a 2023 celebration commemorating the reclamation of place names at Tolowa Dunes State Park. | Photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Three months after he opposed a proposal to transfer Tolowa Dunes State Park to the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation, Del Norte County District 3 Supervisor Chris Howard has his sights set on another assembly bill penned by the same author.

Authored by San Bernardino Assemblyman James Ramos, Assembly Bill 53 would allow federally recognized tribes to receive grants, awards and loans from the Wildlife Conservation Board’s California Riparian Habitat Conservation Program and Inlands Wetlands Conservation Program.

It would also allow federally-recognized tribes the ability to enter into contracts or agreements with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to manage “certain lands.” 

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Articles, Environment

Federal Assessment of California’s Coastal Policies Prompt Starkey, Borges To Call For Offshore Oil Drilling Opposition Letter

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Thumbnail photo: Oil platforms off the coast of Seal Beach, Calif. | Photo by Mike Peel via Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons License

Del Norte County Supervisors on Tuesday decided to put their opposition to offshore oil drilling in writing. But whether they’ll send their letter to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officials assessing the California Coastal Management Program remains to be seen.

District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey pushed for the opposition letter, reminding her colleagues that lease sales may be under consideration in three years. 

Though he went along with his colleagues in approving the letter, District 3 representative Chris Howard said he still thinks Del Norte County shouldn’t get involved in a political butting of heads between Gavin Newsom and the Trump administration.

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Articles, CC Harbor, Infrastructure

Del Norte Supervisors Accept Harbor District’s Facilities Plan, Enabling It To Use Measure C Dollars For Maintenance

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Thumbnail photo: The federally-funded reconstruction of Citizens Dock is one of the projects the Crescent City Harbor District’s facility plan lists. | Photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Del Norte County supervisors accepted the Crescent City Harbor District’s facilities plan on Tuesday.

A necessary step for the Harbor District to be able to use Measure C tax revenue for maintenance, Board Chairman Joey Borges noted that the previous iteration CCHD officials presented to them in December “lacked a few items.” 

The revised version, completed in May, includes a list of potential projects as well as costs and timeframes by which Harbor District officials would like to see them accomplished, Borges said.

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Articles, Local Government

Del Norte Supervisors Initiate Hiring Freeze, Though Starkey Says It Won’t Be Enough to Close $9.6 Million Budget Deficit

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Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

Three weeks after supervisors approved a recommended budget that included a $9.6 million deficit, Del Norte County’s top administrative officials proposed a temporary freeze in hiring for general fund positions.

It’s a step the Board unanimously agreed to on Tuesday, but District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey said it won’t be enough to close the budget gap. 

Starkey referenced the staff report County Administrative Officer Neal Lopez submitted, which stated that there were 31 vacant positions within the general fund, each yielding about $81,000 in savings per pay period. She noted that if the hiring freeze lasted for a year, Del Norte County would still have a $7.4 million budget deficit.

Continue reading Del Norte Supervisors Initiate Hiring Freeze, Though Starkey Says It Won’t Be Enough to Close $9.6 Million Budget Deficit →
Articles, CC Harbor, Crescent City, Economy, Local Government

‘By Spring, You Will Not Recognize This Place’; CCHD Board Approves RV Park Lease With Developer Daniel Dahan

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Thumbnail photo: Bayside RV Park is one of two RV parks that the Crescent City Harbor District is looking to lease to Daniel Dahan, investment manager for BSD Property Management. | Photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Before Crescent City Harbor commissioners approved leasing Redwood Harbor Village to him, Daniel Dahan outlined a timeline that included upgrading the electric system, redoing the parking lot and bringing in homes on wheels.

It will take several months, the developer said, adding that winter rains will likely make installing the septic system impossible. Eight to 10 months will pass before the revitalized RV park is ready to accept visitors, but, Dahan said, his investors are committed to making it a success.

“I promise you that by this spring, you will not recognize this place,” he told commissioners at their meeting June 24.

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Articles, Community News, Health, Housing, Local Government

‘A Warm Dry Bed’: Del Norte Opens Its Emergency Homeless Shelter, Micro Village

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Del Norte County celebrated the opening of its first emergency homeless shelter and micro village on June 9. | Photos by Aisling Bludworth

From the ashes of the old mental health building the emergency shelter and micro village was revealed to the public last week.

Community members came to celebrate the hard work that brought it to fruition.

“It’s really not every day that your career comes full circle, and you literally find yourself helping make plans to burn down your [old] office.” said Shiann Hogan, deputy director for Del Norte County’s Behavioral Health Branch during the June 17 ribbon cutting at the facility on 200 Williams Drive. 

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Articles, Economy, Local Government

Del Norte CAO Calls General Fund Deficit ‘One Of The Largest In My Career’; Starkey Points Out Budget Errors

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Del Norte County’s top administrative official admitted that finding $9.6 million to balance the fiscal year 2026-27 general fund budget was an arduous task that goes beyond sharpening pencils.

County Administrative Officer Neal Lopez affirmed concerns District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey raised Tuesday. But, according to him and according to at least one of Starkey’s colleagues, the “huge deficit for the general fund, one of the largest I’ve seen in my career” can be traced to the Board’s actions in the fall to increase the county’s ability to be market competitive.

When the Board of Supervisors raised wages and approved the county’s new salary structure across all bargaining units in December, retirements increased too, Lopez said. Still, he reminded supervisors that the county’s 2026-27 budget is still preliminary and all the accruals from the current fiscal year that ends June 30 have not yet been realized.

“A lot of the prior year’s revenue will increase the revenue from the general fund side of things so we won’t be $9.5 million out,” Lopez said. “I don’t know where it’s going to land, it’s too early in the process, but the bottomline is we have to have a balanced budget so we will have a balanced budget.”

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Articles, Infrastructure, Local Government

DN Board of Supervisors Recap, June 23, 2026

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District 3 Supervisor Chris Howard was absent. Among the items discussed at Tuesday’s Del Norte County Board of Supervisors meeting:

DelNorteCounty.gov? County supervisors authorized Information Technology Director Dan McCorckle to apply for a new delnortecounty.gov web address.

McCorckle’s recommendation to transition to a .gov or a .ca.gov domain name will allow Del Norte to comply with California Assembly Bill 1637, which requires all local agencies to use verified domain names for their public-facing websites and employee email addresses by Jan. 1, 2029. Signed into law in October 2023, AB 1637 aims to prevent “malicious actors” from impersonating county services, according to McCorckle’s staff report.

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Articles, Traffic, Transportation

Two-Vehicle Collision in Smith River Results In Overturned Semi

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of the California Highway Patrol

California Highway Patrol officers are investigating a two-vehicle collision that resulted in a tractor-trailer overturning on U.S. 101 in Smith River at about 4:05 p.m. Monday.

Dominic Russell Haseltine, of Brookings, was making a left turn onto the highway from Xaa-wan’-k’wvt RV Park when his Kia Sportage collided with a Babich Trucking semi tractor-trailer driven by Coos Bay resident Michael Craig Sanford. According to a CHP news release, the front of the tractor-trailer collided with the front of the Kia resulting in the semi overturning. Both drivers were taken to Sutter Coast Hospital with injuries, according to the release.

The collision is still under investigation. Drugs or alcohol do not appear to be a factor, the CHP reports. The Smith River Fire Protection District, CalFIRE and Del Norte Ambulance also responded to the scene. Those with information are asked to call the CHP’s Crescent City office at (707) 218-2000.

Articles, Community News, Health, Housing, Infrastructure

Del Norte To Cut The Ribbon On Long-Awaited Emergency Shelter, Micro Village

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Thumbnail image courtesy of the Del Norte County Department of Health and Human Services

Ranell Brown says she’s expecting a large turnout to cut the ribbon at Del Norte County’s new emergency shelter and micro village on Wednesday.

The result of a collaboration with the county, Del Norte Mission Possible and True North Organizing Network, the shelter’s grand opening comes about a year after the Point in Time Count identified 482 individuals as homeless, according to a Department of Health and Human Services press release.

The campus needs a handful of finishing touches, but Brown, who directs DHHS, said the shelter will begin accepting clients within 30 days of the ribbon cutting.

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