Del Norte Art Notes ............................ A9
Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation takes stand against MMIP ......................... A11
SERVING DEL NORTE COUNTY SINCE 1879 www.triplicate.com
FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2022
Crescent City, CA
Berkowitz, supervisor and businessman, passes away By DAVID RUPKALVIS The Triplicate
Del Norte County Supervisor Bob Berkowitz died March 2, the county announced. Berkowitz, who represented District 5 since 2017, has missed supervisors’ meetings for the last few months, before the county announced his passing. Bob served the citizens of Del Norte County with great
dedication for many years and his contributions to making our community a better place will be sorely missed,” the county wrote in a press release. “The county extends our heartfelt condolences to his wife Bonnie, his family, friends, and all those who worked with him over the years.” Berkowitz was also a wellknown businessman in Del Norte County and is credited with bringing the first FM radio
station to Del Norte County. During the board of supervisors meeting this week, Board Chair Gerry Hemmingsen asked the community to keep Berkowitz and his family in their thoughts and prayers before the board took a moment of silence. Long before becoming a county supervisor, Berkowitz was active politically. He served as a field representative for Congressman Frank Riggs and
was a school board member in Del Norte County. He was first elected as supervisor in 2017 and re-elected in 2021. His term was to expire at the end of 2024. His replacement on the board of supervisors will be selected by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Del Norte County said the remaining four supervisors will be available to offer assistance to those living in District 5 until a new supervisor is named.
Supervisors call for special election to fill vacant seat By DAVID RUPKALVIS The Triplicate
had attempted to avoid wildlife officers at the dock and had possibly dumped a load of short crabs. One of the cited violators had been recently warned by wildlife officers for possession of short crabs. A slightly different type of Dungeness crab violation also occurred in December 2021 involving an anonymous citizen tip that a Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessel would be using
The Del Norte County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to call for a special election to fill the seat of Supervisor Bob Berkowitz, who died last week. The vote gives those interested in running for the District 5 seat only days to collect signatures to get their names on the ballot. Due to state law, to be on the June primary election, signatures must be collected and all paperwork turned in by March 16. By state law, Gov. Gavin Newsom will appoint a replacement to fill the vacant seat, and that could still happen. The person who wins the special election will take over once a final decision has been made by voters and will serve through the remainder of Berkowitz’s term, which expires at the end of 2024. To make things a little more confusing, the special election will be in the existing boundaries District 5, not the new boundaries recently adopted by supervisors. County Counsel Joel Campbell-Blair told supervisors he was worked diligently to put together a resolution they could adopt. He said a special election would give voters a say in the fastest way. It is the earliest available time for people in District 5 to choose their own supervisor and shorten the amount of time for an appointment of the state to serve,” Campbell-Blair said. He explained if a candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in the June primary, that person could take the seat as soon as supervisor’s approve the vote count. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote in June, the top two vote getters would advance to the November 8 general election, after which the winner would be season. During public comment, four speakers voiced their views on the issue, two saying they supported the idea of a special election and two others saying they were opposed to a rushed vote. But the three supervisors at the meeting said they have heard overwhelmingly that the people want to decide who will take the seat. “I’ve personally been bombarded with folks in District 5 who want to have this decision and not leave it up to the governor,” Supervisor Chris Howard said. Howard also said the vote Tuesday was not rushed. “I’m not sure how rushed it’s been,” he said. “It’s been on our radars for months, given the frequency of Supervisor Berkowitz’ missing meetings. I know there’s a lot of interest out there.” Howard also said when discussing the issue with State Sen. Mike McGuire’s office, he learned the governor often takes quite a while before making an appointment.
Please see CRABBING, Page A2
Please see ELECTION, Page A2
Contributed Photo
Starting March 12th schools will no longer be requiring masks to be worn in class.
Mask mandate to be lifted in Del Norte schools By DAVID RUPKALVIS The Triplicate
Del Norte County Public Health announced last week it was lifting mask mandates in schools beginning March 12. The move was the third time in a month that mask mandates have been eased as the threat of COVID-19 continues to ease in the county. On Feb. 16, California and Del Norte County lifted the indoor mask mandate for vaccinated people, but the masking requirement remained in effect for those not vaccinated as well as those in schools. On March 1, California eased the mandate even more, with
the unvaccinated no longer required to wear masks indoors. Last week, Dr. Aaron Stutz, the county’s public health officer, announced the mask mandate in schools would come to an end March 12, meaning when students return to school Monday, masks will be optional but not required. “Our goal at Del Norte County Public Health has always been to keep our community safe and healthy,” the health department wrote in a letter to the community. “We know masks aren’t always comfortable, but to keep our county safe, we continue to recommend masking, especially in times of high transmission in our community.”
Even with the easing mandates, masks will still be required in public transit, healthcare settings, emergency shelters, correctional facilities, homeless shelters and long-term care facilities. At Del Norte County schools, the school board voted 3-2 to retain the mask requirement until March 14, but changed the policy from exclusion to education. Superintendent Jeff Harris explained that the vote means students are still required to wear masks. Those who choose not to wear a mask will be offered one in class. Those who refuse, can stay in class, but information will be sent home to their family notifying them that their child
refused to wear a mask. Beginning March 14, the district’s policy will change with the district recommending students wear masks, but the mandate will be fully removed. Harris said he understands some families will be concerned about sending students to school without masks. If you have concerns, Harris said you can reach out to your child’s school or the district office at 464-6141. “Thank you, in advance, for supporting our students and our staff as we navigate this transition,” Harris said. “We all look forward to classrooms and interactions that help all of our students feel better connected and engaged.”
Commercial crab fishing violations on the rise Wildlife officers from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Marine Enforcement Division have noticed an uptick in the number of commercial Dungeness crab cases in North Coast waters since December 2021. Since December 9, 2021, there have been five cases out of Crescent City and two out of Eureka regarding possession of undersize crabs by commercial crab fishermen. The most common violation during this period has been commercial harvest of
undersized crabs. Commercial Dungeness crab fishermen are expected to measure their entire catch and keep only crabs that are equal to or greater than 6 ¼ inches, which is slightly more than the required 5 ¾ width required of recreational crabbers. There is a provision in the law to authorize possession of no more than one percent of the catch to be undersize. In all seven cases, citations were written, the loads were seized and the proceeds from the
sales of the crab were directed to the Wildlife Preservation Fund until the cases can be adjudicated in court. Collectively in the seven cases, there were 575 undersized crab discovered during inspections in the past few months. The illegal loads seized have ranged from 8 to 24 percent undersized, making them gross violations of the one percent undersized Dungeness crab allowance. During the investigations, wildlife officers discovered evidence that some boat crews
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Obituaries.................................... A2 Crossword................................... A3 Classifieds................................... A5 Crossword Answers.................... A6 Weather..................................... A10
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