Board of Supervisors Meeting | 10.6.2026

by | Oct 7, 2026 | Get Involved, Stay Informed, Your Opinion Matters

Sharing Information | Encouraging Engagement

This meeting opened with three presentations — a proclamation for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a Human Response Network presentation on secondhand smoke in outdoor spaces, and an update from the U.S. Forest Service — followed by public comment and reports from our CAO and each member of the Board of Supervisors. The board approved all items on the Consent Calendar except one, which was pulled for discussion and then approved as presented. The meeting closed with two items in closed session.

A. PRESENTATIONS

A.1. Adopt a proclamation supporting Human Response Network’s Candlelight Walk for Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

  • HRN presented in recognition of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, reminding us that behind every statistic is a person — a neighbor, a co-worker, a family member — with a story, a future, and the right to live free from violence.
  • During the past grant year (October 2025 through September 2026), HRN’s Empowerment Team served 135 survivors, 31 of them children who represent the future of Trinity County.
  • HRN was founded 45 years ago, in 1980, and the Candlelight Walk — held this year on October 23rd — brings the community together to honor survivors, remember those whose lives have been lost, and stand in solidarity.
  • The board adopted the proclamation, and members offered heartfelt thanks for HRN’s work and its focus on both awareness and education.

A.2. Receive a presentation from Human Response Network regarding secondhand smoke in outdoor spaces, to build awareness for a possible update to our County Code.

  • Building on a presentation from a couple of years ago, HRN shared new local data and was joined by students from Trinity High School’s Friday Night Live program, who spoke to their own experiences with secondhand smoke and vaping in our parks and downtown.
  • The dangers are real and local. The presentation highlighted the health risks of vaping aerosols, the fire risk of discarded cigarettes, and the fact that Trinity County continues to have among the highest rates of tobacco-related illness and death in California — related in part to how many tobacco retailers we have relative to our population.
  • Local evidence. In recent surveys, about two-thirds of local respondents reported secondhand smoke or vape exposure in the prior two weeks (well above the statewide figure); tobacco-related litter in our parks and playgrounds has climbed; and nicotine was detected drifting into downtown Weaverville businesses from outdoor smoking.
  • Policy options. The General Plan’s community health element already encourages smoke-free, vape-free, and cannabis-free public spaces, and that can be carried into the zoning code. Options range from updating the county’s existing smoking ordinance (Chapter 9.10) with current definitions to adopting a more comprehensive ordinance.
  • Board direction — the board gave staff direction to work with the Planning Commission to bring forward a smoke-free environment policy in the most effective and timely way, with attention to consistency with the upcoming General Plan and zoning code updates.

A.3. Receive an update from U.S. Forest Service representatives regarding matters of interest in Trinity County.

  • Deputy District Ranger Troy Hudson reported that the Shasta-Trinity lifted fire restrictions on October 2nd, and that the Weaverville Community Forest annual public meeting would be held October 7th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Trinity Congregational Church Fellowship Hall.
  • Crews are planning significant fall fuels work — hand and machine pile burning and understory burning across the Weaverville, Big Bar, and Yolla Bolla areas — all weather- and window-dependent, with normal notifications before any ignition.
  • The Forest Service offered appreciation for the opportunity to take part in the 9/11 commemoration event.
B. PUBLIC COMMENT
  • Smoke-free environments — a representative from the Partnership for Health Equity and Inclusion (PHEI) shared information on its work supporting smoke-free outdoor areas in Trinity County, including survey results showing strong community support; and a community member offered support for the initiative, noting her son’s sensitivity to smoke.
  • Flock cameras — a commenter raised concerns about the use of these cameras in the county, questioning the lack of public engagement and the funding, maintenance, and purpose behind them, and feeling their use is unconstitutional.
  • Board engagement — a commenter shared his view that the board is too focused on proceeding as it sees fit rather than actively seeking public input, suggested some meetings be held outside of working hours, echoed the Flock camera concerns, and recounted his frustration dealing with the county after his property was damaged in the Carr Fire.
  • County Fair — a commenter encouraged recognition of county fairs and the people who make them possible, suggested the board consider spearheading a national day of recognition for county fairs, and asked the board to consider a proclamation honoring our own fair and its staff and volunteers.
C. REPORTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS

C.1. Report from Department Heads — no in-person reports; department heads provide written updates to the board and post updates on their department web pages.

C.2. Report from County Administrative Officer

  • Budget adoption — appreciation to the board and staff for the work that went into adopting the final FY 2026/27 budget.
  • Litigation — the settlement agreement in the Mandolfo matter is now fully completed.
  • Board chair evaluation — the CSAC survey is due October 9th; supervisors were asked to complete it.
  • Trindell / PRISM insurance — property claims remain the main driver across the Trindell counties; the county’s risk manager received valuable training, and our annual risk audit scored 93.27%, earning roughly $60,000 plus an additional $2,500 that can be put toward further reducing risk.
  • Post Mountain electrification — the grant application was submitted on September 30th with Trinity County as a co-applicant, after the governance-structure agreement was finalized and signed.
  • General Plan & EIR — adoption remains on track for the end of the year, with Planning Commission hearings on October 8th and 22nd and board hearings on November 3rd and 30th. Our draft EIR drew the most public comment our consultants have seen in 40 years; that volume will require a forthcoming budget adjustment.
  • Assessment appeal hearings — scheduled for the third week of November; the board agreed to voluntary in-person training from County Counsel at the November 3rd meeting.

C.3. Reports from Members of the Board of Supervisors

  • District 1 | Ric Leutwyler
    • Airport Advisory Committee — participated briefly, due to a scheduling conflict.
    • NoRTEC — the search for a new Executive Director continued, including a trip to Chico for in-person interviews of two candidates and a final hiring-committee meeting; the executive committee meets next to prepare for the full board meeting later this month.
    • PSA2 Area Agency on Aging — participated virtually.
    • Budget Hearing & Approval — took part in the budget hearing and joined the special meeting to adopt the budget via Zoom, due to a scheduling conflict with NoRTEC.
    • Arts, Recreation & Tourism Cohort — participated in this virtual workshop and learned about valuable resources available to support the arts.
    • North State Jobs First — joined more than 80 people in Anderson for “Setting the Foundation for Long-Term Resilience,” focused on building on the progress and connections made to date.
    • Fall Economic Summit — attended the Redwood Region Economic Summit in Arcata, where Evergreen Love of Ah Home Chocolate shared her experience running a small business here, and I spoke about our community-development work. Economist Dr. Robert Eyler gave a forecast and agreed to review the results of our trails economic-impact study.
    • Women Entrepreneurs — we now have 152 nominees, 62 women featured on the site, 51 who have shared rich stories, more than 3,200 unique visitors, and over 9,600 page views.
  • District 2 | Jill Cox
    • Airport Advisory Committee — a longer-than-usual meeting, reflecting strong public engagement, and appreciation for staff’s commitment.
    • RCRC Annual Convention — the recruitment-and-retention ad hoc’s findings are being compiled; the auction gift basket raised $3,250; she connected with Senator Megan Dahle and with USDA Rural Development State Director Brian Angianno, who accepted an invitation to visit Trinity County.
    • CalTrans / Main Street trees — obtaining the community-selected trees has been difficult; Naomi Goulette of the Trinity Nursery is assisting.
  • District 3 | Liam Gogan
    • County Fair — thanks to those driving the fairgrounds effort forward; he is planning monthly town hall and fairgrounds meetings and sees this as a multi-year marathon.
    • Hmong New Year — attended the celebration again this year.
    • North Coast Resource Partnership — will attend a two-day meeting next week in Ukiah.
  • District 4 | Heidi Carpenter-Harris
    • County Fair — appreciation for all the efforts underway.
    • Meetings — the North Coast Air Quality meeting was rescheduled to the 22nd; she will attend the NACo Rural Action Caucus virtually and the Native Wellness Coalition.
    • CHP — gratitude for CHP’s presence along Highway 299 near Sawyers Bar, with hope for a reduced speed limit, and thanks to those who prepare and deliver meals to homebound seniors.
  • District 5 | Julia Brownfield
    • Hmong New Year — honored to attend the celebration and to share in the community’s culture.
    • Land use — participated in a joint Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District and Ruth Lake CSD meeting on land-use possibilities.
    • Appreciation — thanks to the fair volunteers, to our loggers facing steep fuel prices, and to our volunteer fire departments.

C.4. Reports from Ad Hocs

  • Tourism Funding — staff emailed invitations to apply for the $70,000 the board set aside for tourism-related initiatives to the organizations funded over the last two years. Applications ask about the initiative, anticipated results, and plans to continue with fewer county dollars over time; the committee hopes to bring recommendations to the board in November.
  • Strategic Plan — Supervisor Carpenter-Harris, CAO Tuthill, and I are reviewing a plan to refine the Strategic Plan — creating stronger focus and alignment on priorities and a more effective way to plan and measure progress. Department heads will be consulted, and our goal is to present findings to the board in December.
D. CONSENT CALENDAR
  • The board approved all items on the Consent Calendar as presented, with the exception of Item D.2, which was pulled for discussion. The approved items included a budget adjustment for the EMS Hospital fund; approval of the September 15th regular meeting minutes, September 22nd budget hearing minutes, and September 28th special meeting minutes; ratification of a letter supporting Trinity High School’s 2026 Homecoming Parade; Health and Human Services agreements for the LEAPS database and for Dos Rios Continuum of Care and Homeless Management Information System services; a resolution authorizing federal Homeland Security financial assistance through the Office of Emergency Services; a Solid Waste contract with Clean Harbors Environmental Services; engineering contracts for the Little Creek, Potato Creek, and Price Creek bridge replacement projects (funded through the Federal Highway Bridge Program); and amendments to the Megabyte Property Tax System agreement.
  • Item D.2 — an amendment to the agreement with California Safety Company, Inc. for miscellaneous fire, security, and surveillance services- was pulled after public comment raised concerns about “surveillance.” CAO Tuthill clarified that the work is predominantly fire-alarm and system maintenance, and that the “surveillance” referenced is two infrared motion sensors, with the full detail available in the published agenda packet. The board approved the item as presented ($3,200 from the Road Department, with no additional impact to the General Fund).
E. CLOSED SESSION

E.1. Government Code Section 54956.95 — Liability Claim (Claimant: M. Mandolfo).

E.2. Government Code Section 54954.5(e) — Public Employee Evaluation: County Counsel.

ADJOURN

Sharing Information | Encouraging Engagement