TRP1030

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Re-elect

SERVING DEL NORTE COUNTY SINCE 1879

LORI COWAN

Del Norte County Supervisor LET’S KEEP MOVING FORWARD! Paid for by Cowan for DNC supervisor district 2, 2020 ID #1420947

www.triplicate.com

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2020

Crescent City, CA

Staff defends actions in wake of allegations By David Hayes The Triplicate

The Del Norte County Supervisor’s meeting Oct. 27 veered off the scheduled agenda when a resident levied an accusation the county improperly used public money and resources to promote its proposed sales tax increase. During public comment, county resident Jeff L. McHadden detailed his allegations against County Adminstrative Officer Jay Sarina and Emergency Services Manager Kymmie Scott. McHadden alleged Sarina

entered into a $40,000 contract to advertise Measure R and Scott used her department title to try to sway voters in favor of the tax increase when she lent her voice to a robocall last week to voters. “Our county’s financial resources must not be used to sway votes during an election,” McHadden wrote. “Not only did the county use public funds to sway an election, but it was done surreptitiously. Mr. Sarina and whoever signed for the Board of Supervisors must be held accountable and reimburse the county the full amount paid for

these advertisements.” If passed, Measure R would generate about $1.2 million that would go toward repairing potholes and streets, maintaining emergency dispatch services and mitigating blight and public nuisances. Although he did not comment during the public input period Tuesday, District 1 Supervisor Roger Gitlin had voiced his concerns about the robocalls over the weekend on his Facebook page. “My understanding is the Office of Emergency Services has

launched this robocall campaign. An aggressive postcard campaign has also been launched,” Gitlin wrote on Facebook. “Emergency Services??? Is this a fire or flood issue this community faces? What is emergency about the County engaging in political activity?” Sarina vehemently denied the charges by both McHadden and Gitlin. “The allegations are clearly not correct,” Sarina told The Triplicate Wendesday. “I have an expenditure authority as the purchasing agent of up to $50,000.”

Citing authority granted by government code 25502.3 on purchasing agents, Sarina said he signed a contract with Oakland-based Clifford Moss, not to exceed $40,000, to dissemeninate informaiton about Measure R. That included mailers and phone calls to voters thorugh a third-party service Clifford Moss chose. Sarina said the county’s Everbridge service it uses for its Community Alert System was never used for the robocalls. “We would never use the Everbridge system for such a Please see Allegations, Page A3

COVID-19 frustrations boil over school board meeting Trustees direct superintendent to seek additional state help By David Hayes The Triplicate

By David Hayes

Tedd Ward, Del Norte County Solid Waste Management Authority director, replaces a no trespassing sign that has been shot up by vandals, on a fence along Heights Access Road leading to the former Crescent City Landfill.

Waste management director assault leads to charges, changes at landfill By David Hayes The Triplicate

The 167-acre county owned property that contains the former Crescent City Landfill has become an increasingly unsafe location for solid waste employees. The Del Norte Solid Waste Management Authority was forced to address security concerns and legal actions at its Oct. 20 meeting, two weeks after its director Tedd Ward was assaulted on the property. At Ward’s request, DNSWMA commissioners asked their legal counsel, Martha Rice, to pursue a workplace violence restraining order against his alleged assailant, Sparky-Lee Wyatt Phillips. Del Norte County Undersheriff Randy Waltz said Phillips, 25,

Sparky-Lee Wyatt Phillips was arrested at his residence Oct. 10 on Old Mill Road. According to Waltz, Phillips faces several charges related to the assault and others from previous outstanding warrants, including assault with a deadly weapon with great bodily

injury, robbery, battery with serious bodily injury, force or assault with a deadly weapon that’s not a firearm, failure to appear after a written promise, obstruction and resisting, and possession of controlled substance paraphernalia. Rice said at the commissioner’s meeting that since Ward’s assault is one example in a series of incidents that jeopardized the safety of other staff members, a restraining order can apply to all authority employees. Ward said in his report to Del Norte County Sheriff’s office that he was off work and taking a stroll along Heights Access Road, Oct. 8. When he heard ATV engines, Ward began filming on his cell phone then spotted Phillips emerge from an adjacent trail on an ATV. Ward called 911 and when Phillips saw

him, he and a second, unknown suspect, accelerated at him, narrowly missing. Phillips then dismounted his ATV and, when Ward would not relinquish his phone, he allegedly assaulted Ward. Ward said he received 4050 punches, eventually suffering a broken rib and collapsed lung. Ward said the narrow lane provides little escape from a determined assault, as it’s lined by a barbed wire fence. He was able to eventually duck through the fence and escape into the brush. He would spend that night in surgery at Sutter Coast Hospital. “It’s very disappointing,” Ward told The Triplicate. “This is a bad situation we have to deal with. We have a lot of challenges in our agency, recycling work, trying to recover organics, to try Please see Assault, Page A3

Coastal Cleanup nets two tons of trash By David Hayes The Triplicate

The Marszal family picked a beautiful day to take an outing to Crescent City’s south beach Oct. 17. Only this particular cloudless day, instead of a casual stroll, Jeff and Cassandra brought their kids Luca, 3 and Nova, 4 months, to get dirty, picking up discarded garbage in the Smith River Alliance’s annual Del Norte Coastal Cleanup. “We’re just trying to do the right thing clean up some garbage,” Jeff said about volunteering for cleanup for their first time ever. “We thought it was the right time to come out and contribute to the effort. Also, we thought it would be a good learning oppor-

INDEX Crosswords..............................................A5 Crossword Answers..................................B3 Classifieds................................................B1

tunity for our son. We’re really glad they’re doing it.” The Marszals were among nearly 50 volunteers in SRA’s cleanup team for an event that overcame multiple challenges to remove two tons of trash. With coronavirus concerns and nearby wildfires causing evacuations and hazardous breathing conditions, organizers and project partners chose to reschedule what is normally a September event. Dates were pushed back, air quality monitored and a series of precautions adopted to assure participant safety. The outcome was a successful fourth year of SRA coordinating the Coastal Cleanup.

Please see Cleanup, Page A3

By David Hayes

Luca Marszal, 3, hands a piece of trash he picked up to place in a trash bag his mom, Cassandra, is holding along with his sibling Nova, 4 months. They participated in the Smith River Alliance’s annual Coastal Cleanup Oct. 17 at Crescent City’s south beach.

Frustrated with the consequences students are facing amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, board members directed the superintendent to reach out to state officials expressing Del Norte County has reached a boiling point. At their Oct. 22 meeting, the Del Norte Unified School District Board of Trustees directed Superintendent Jeff Harris to concentrate the message toward better testing, rather than a petition for fully reopening. “I cannot in good conscious support a letter that says let us open our schools,” said Trustee Charlaine Mazzei. “I can support a letter that says if you want us to open our schools, this is what we need and this is how much it’s going to cost. That kind of a letter would be helpful and would be something that we can let the state know, ‘hey, us rural communities need testing too.’” The trustees asked Harris to create a resolution and a letter outlining the need for a more robust testing protocol in rural communities, including statistics to illustrate Del Norte County’s challenges that predate the COVID-19 pandemic — mental health, child abuse and domestic violence. “This is not a criticism of teachers, not a criticism of parents, it’s the lack of that comprehensive education that our kids are experiencing at this point simply because of where we are with the virus and the restrictions,” Harris explained. “It really is kind of an exhortation to give us what we need as we move ahead — not to hold us back and not to have us be second fiddle as they provide resources and support to other areas and leave us to fend for ourselves.” Trustees shared parents’ frustration levels in messages they’ve received. Jamie Forkner said some are still struggling to wrap their heads around digital applications students need to get through their lessons while others worry about burdensome level of homework they have to assist their child with after a long day at work. Angela Greenough spoke of attendance concerns, as parents have told her they have to fight with their child just to contact their teacher. But the check-in time, which can take up to 10 Please see COVID, Page A3

FORECAST TIDES

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SATURDAY

69 48

70 49

SUNDAY

72 49

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Friday Saturday Sunday 11:30 AM 12:19 AM 12:59 AM 5:22 AM 5:52 AM 5:22 AM -- -- -- -- 11:55 PM 11:20 PM 6:04 PM 6:36 PM -0:08 PM

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