Minimum quorum at the Board of Supervisors and Council meetings on November 11 and 17, respectively.
All business conducted and passed must have three votes for a quorum.

By ROGER GITLIN
Del Norte County

With Supervisors Chris Howard and Darrin Short absent from the rescheduled Wednesday, November 13 meeting, the minimum quorum of three supervisors ensured the meeting would proceed. Present were Second District Supervisor Valerie Starkey, Fifth District Supervisor Dean Wilson, and Fourth District Supervisor and Board Chairman Joey Borges.

Here’s the wrap-up of the meeting:

Emergency Agenda Items

Emergency items were added to the agenda. The City requested Board support for two Letters of Support:

• Redwood Highway’s Multi-Modal Land Use Plan, submitted prior to the November 18 deadline.
• A second Letter of Support for the City’s Coastal Resiliency Plan, also due November 18.

Both letters were approved for discussion later in the meeting and ultimately adopted.

Supervisor Reports

Supervisor Starkey delivered an eight-minute report. Starkey is, inarguably, one of the most ubiquitous and hardworking elected officials in Del Norte County. The two-week hiatus between meetings was no different.

She recognized more than a dozen programs addressing additional meals and funding over the Thanksgiving holiday, identifying ongoing food insecurity in Del Norte. She credited Pacific Pantry, the DNUSD School Nutrition Program, and thanked the City for unloading a food trailer. She underscored that no child should go hungry.

Starkey also helped update the Chamber of Commerce’s outdated bylaws and policies, noting two noteworthy items that were missing. She added a gender-exclusive comment—“Go Girl”—in reference to recently-censured Harbor Commissioner Annie Nehmer and her past pronouncements, stating Starkey represents her entire district.

However, Second District Supervisor Starkey failed to recognize and invite her constituency at DNHS to the forming of the Turning Point: America (Charlie Kirk) chapter on campus.

Supervisor Dean Wilson

In his report, Supervisor Wilson shared that he met with the Planning Department to discuss progress on blight in and around Waldo Street and to explore additional funding for cleanup efforts. Wilson also attended the Homeless Shelter meeting and reported the 50-plus-bed building north of the Fairgrounds is expected to open next month, pending cooperative weather.

Wilson expressed approval that Del Norters rejected Proposition 50. Without announcing a position of support, he summarized the Smith River Alliance’s 420-acre Elk River Project development. Wilson also enjoyed attending the Veterans Parade.

Consent Agenda

The routine Consent Agenda was unanimously approved, including a brief explanation regarding $150,000 in funding for out-of-county psychiatric services.

A public speaker expressed concerns about potential abuse of the Consent Agenda. When Chairman Borges pulled the item for clarification, DHHS Director Rannel Brown, along with Supervisors Starkey, Wilson, and Borges, engaged in a vigorous discussion on mental health. The consensus was that more Consent Agenda items should be pulled for discussion when they involve the acceptance of state-funded services, for greater public transparency.

City Council

• The City voted to apply for a CalTrans grant for a program costing just under $445,000, with approximately $11,000 coming from City funds. The grant would improve safety and aesthetics for multi-modal transportation—pedestrian, bicycle, and motor vehicle ingress/egress—addressing safety issues entering from Highway 101 South.City Manager Eric Wier presented challenges related to safely navigating the highway corridor and accessing destinations for each mode of travel. CalTrans encouraged Crescent City to apply for the grant to complete its own plan.
• Installation of a redundant water well was discussed.
• The City was unable to provide staff direction regarding digital signage on Highway 101 South near the Tsunami Lanes. With only three councilors present, no direction was given to the City Manager on whether to retain the 32 sq. ft. digital sign currently in service.