Tag Archives: del norte

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, Community News, Infrastructure

Tsunamis, Marches, Government Shutdowns, or 2025 in Del Norte County

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Thumbnail photo: Del Norters participated in the People’s March on Jan. 18, two days before Donald Trump was inaugurated to his second term as president. | Photo by Jessica Andrews

Two weeks after the calendar ticked over to 2025, more than 100 Del Norte residents gathered at the Cultural Center in Crescent City.

Waving signs preaching “love not hate” and “united we stand,” they vowed to safeguard the rights of the vulnerable ahead of what they believed to be a dangerous presidential administration.

“Let us be on the right side of history,” Troy Lea said in a statement read aloud during the People’s March on Jan. 18, the first of several demonstrations Del Norters would take part in during 2025. “For our people, our nation and future generations whose lives will be shaped by the work we do here today.”

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Articles, Education, Emergencies

Del Norte Unified, Office of Ed Launches Emergency Communications Protocol

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Thumbnail image courtesy of the Del Norte County Office of Education

Del Norte education officials are launching a new communications protocol officials say will present a “united and effective approach” to their messaging during emergencies.

Del Norte Unified School District and the Del Norte County Office of Education have adopted the Standard Response Protocol (SRP). Developed by the “I Love U Guys” Foundation, the platform will use shared language and procedures for communicating with students, staff, families and first responders at all of its campuses during an emergency.

Staff will begin practicing the new protocol starting Jan. 5, DNUSD spokesman Michael Hawkins said Monday. The public launch will be held Jan. 9, according to the district’s SRP web page. 

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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.”

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Articles, CC Harbor, Local Government

Crescent City Harbor District Needs Another Lawyer To Resolve Bond Dilemma With The County

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Thumbnail photo by Amanda Dockter

A week after the question over whether they have faithful performance bonds in place reached the Board of Supervisors, Crescent City Harbor Commissioners learned they would need a different attorney to resolve the issue.

County officials have raised a conflict of interest objection stating that the firm the Harbor District’s attorney works for also represents Del Norte, Harbormaster Mike Rademaker told commissioners at a special meeting Wednesday. 

Rademaker, who had spoken with Ryan Plotz, the district’s legal advisor, said the attorney had found a provision in California Government Code, 1481(b), that supersedes the Harbors and Navigation Code.

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Articles, CC Harbor, Infrastructure, Local Government

CCHD Recap: Lighted Boat Parade Canceled; Update on RV Park Leases; Harbor Receives Grant To Clean Up Derelict Vessels

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Thumbnail photo: Bayside RV Park in June 2023. | File photo by Jessica C. Andrews

Harbor Commissioner Dan Schmidt was absent. Among the items discussed at the Crescent City Harbor District’s special meeting Wednesday:

No Lighted Boat Parade This Year: With harsh weather in the forecast and only nine vessels participating so far, CCHD Board Chairman Rick Shepherd said the lighted boat parade will be canceled.

This decision came after fiscal officer Sandy Moreno volunteered to organize the parade at the Board’s Dec. 3 meeting. Moreno had proposed holding the parade this Saturday and commissioners agreed to offer a $25 utility credit to participants.

Continue reading CCHD Recap: Lighted Boat Parade Canceled; Update on RV Park Leases; Harbor Receives Grant To Clean Up Derelict Vessels →
Articles, Community News, Health

Aegis’s New Crescent City MAT Unit Will Save A Daily Humboldt Trip For Del Norters Battling Opioid Addiction

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Thumbnail photo: Rx Safe Del Norte and the Department of Health and Human Services celebrate those recovering from addiction during an Addiction Recovery Awareness Walk in September. | Photo courtesy of Jermaine Brubaker

Patient Navigator Melissa Nelson described a tree in the lobby of Aegis Treatment Center’s Eureka clinic to illustrate an important facet of the care it provides.

Every patient that celebrates a milestone on their journey to be free of opioid addiction adds a leaf. It’s a reminder that someone cares about them, is available and will show up, Nelson said. That can mean a lot to someone in the throes of addiction.

“When you’re in the lobby, if you’re just waiting, you can look over and see what different patients have to say in that process of being celebrated,” Nelson told Redwood Voice Community News. “Maybe we’ll have a whale or something in Crescent City.”

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Articles, Education, Health, Youth

Trillium Offers ‘Third Space’ For Teens In A Community Where Accessing Mental Health Support Is A Challenge

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Thumbnail Image Courtesy of Trillium Teen Center

Trillium Teen Center didn’t plant the idea for a youth-centered program focusing on online safety, but it did allow Annaliese Carrillo space to think it up.

Annaliese, an eighth-grader at Smith River School, said it was through a summer program at the Trillum Teen Center that she realized sextortion was a problem for kids. She was able to interview Ted Talk speaker Jesse Leon and is working on a program called Cyber Bite to educate families about online safety.

“Trillium feels like a place that can connect us to opportunities and resources like that and help us make our community safer,” Annaliese told Del Norte County supervisors on Dec. 9.

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Articles, Education, Local Government

DNUSD’s Budget Shortfall Shrank Since June, Cost Reductions Still Needed, Assistant Superintendent Says

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Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

Del Norte Unified School District is in a better place financially than it was in June when trustees adopted its 2025-26 budget.

But, though he said DNUSD’s budget deficit decreased 20% from about $4.6 million on June 30 to $3.4 million as of Thursday, Assistant Superintendent of Business Greg Bowen said reducing the district’s overall costs need to continue. This includes a potential “reduction in force” as well as an ongoing “hiring frost” this year, Bowen said in his first interim financial report to the Board of Trustees.

This recommendation prompted DNUSD Board President Charlaine Mazzei to call for more transparency about what reductions need to be made and when.

Continue reading DNUSD’s Budget Shortfall Shrank Since June, Cost Reductions Still Needed, Assistant Superintendent Says →
Articles, Local Government

Del Norte Employees Association Rep Applauds New Salary Structure; Changes Take Effect Countywide Dec. 19

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Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

Admitting to initial skepticism in the process, Norma Williams congratulated county administrators and supervisors Tuesday on being able to compromise with the union and employees she represents.

Williams, president of the Del Norte County Employees Association SEIU 1021, said that a side letter agreement implementing recommendations of a recently-completed compensation analysis isn’t perfect, but it’s a first step in making the county competitive and attractive to new applicants.

“Twenty-five years and several salary studies later, you actually heard our message and decided to implement a salary schedule that addresses the chronic low wages, inequity and compaction that has plagued our county employees and departments for decades,” she said. “Is it perfect? Some may say it is not, however the majority of SEIU members agree that it’s definitely better than what’s been the norm for far too long.”

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