Among the items discussed at Tuesday’s Del Norte County Board of Supervisors meeting: Mavris To Work With DA’s Office: Local attorney George Mavris will take on cases for the Del Norte County District Attorney, county supervisors decided Tuesday. The vote on the consent agenda item was unanimous, but it prompted District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey to ask for an update on the county’s progress on creating a public defender’s department. “Currently there are four public defenders,” she said, adding that Karen Olson and Keith Morris are no longer providing those services. Mavris had been handling “the overflow of felony cases” as well as contract cases at Pelican Bay State Prison. “While there is still one person for the Pelican Bay contract cases, what I would like to hear is an update from staff with regard to how we are sharing that workload given the vacancies that are happening,” Starkey said. In her staff report to the Board, District Attorney Katherine Micks asked to contract with Mavris due to a vacant deputy district attorney position she was unable to fill. Micks said Mavris would be assigned specific cases at her direction. Under the terms of the county’s proposed contract with Mavris, he would be paid an hourly fee of $100 per hour with his total compensation not to exceed $100,000 per fiscal year. The two-year contract will be up for automatic renewal on June 30, 2027. On Tuesday, County Counsel Jacqueline Roberts said Mavris wasn’t working under a public defender contract with Del Norte, though he had been taking cases for Pelican Bay State Prison on a separate contract. Mavris also had private clients, Roberts said. Roberts also advised supervisors to hold off on seeking an update on the public defender’s office since the county is currently in contract negotiations. “They’re sharing the caseload and we’re working out the new contracts,” she said of the remaining attorneys in the public defender’s office. “We’re going back and forth right now. That’s where we are. That’s the update that would be given. Once we have some solid information it would definitely be brought to the Board.” Roberts couldn’t say when that information would be available, but she said that Toni Self who is negotiating those public defender contracts on behalf of the county could be available at the Board’s next meeting. Title III Funding Requests: The Del Norte County Office of Emergency Services and the Gasquet Fire Protection District will receive federal Title III for purchases that would enhance public safety, particularly from wildfire, within the Six Rivers National Forest. Del Norte OES requested $61,355 to purchase an all-wheel-drive sport utility vehicle while the Gasquet Fire Protection District is using $254,506 to purchase a Type VI wildland fire engine. According to a staff report from Community Development Director Heidi Kunstal, OES plans to use the SUV to support emergency responders and conduct outreach both on and off federal lands. The vehicle is expected to cost a total of $87,650 with $26,295 being paid for with non Title III dollars. Meanwhile the Gasquet Fire Protection District’s Type VI wildland fire engine is designed for rugged terrain and narrow roads giving firefighters access to more remote areas. Part of the Secure Rural Schools Act, Title III provides funding to counties for projects that enhance public safety and reduce wildfire risk in communities adjacent to national forest lands. According to Kunstal’s staff report, though Del Norte had a grand total of $414,633 in Title III dollars available, after the current vote on the OES and Gasquet Fire projects as well as an allocation of $99,485 to Del Norte County Search & Rescue, there will be a negative balance of $712.37. However, a fourth-quarter interest payment has not been posted yet, which is expected to bring a positive balance back to the county’s Title III fund. Del Norte County has until Sept. 30 to begin these Title III projects. Money that isn't spent by Sept. 30, 2026 must be returned to the United States Treasury. County Seeks Tribal Support on Jail Rehab: Del Norte County supervisors authorized staff to seek letters of support from the community’s tribal partners as they seek to modernize the jail. In addition to asking the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation, Elk Valley Rancheria and Yurok Tribe for support, the county will also seek help from Crescent City officials as well. Each letter identifies state and federal funding sources, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Office of Justice Services, CalOES public safety grants, the Board of State and Community Corrections’ Tribal Grant Program as well as potential public safety grants through CalOES and Congressional appropriations. “The letters request that each entity work collaboratively with the county and the sheriff’s office to explore joint planning, grant alignment and advocacy strategies to secure additional project funding,” a staff report from Assistant County Administrative Officer Randy Hooper stated. Del Norte County has secured about $5 million in state and federal dollars for the project. Those funding sources include a Congressionally Designated Spending allocation courtesy of the late U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, AB 109 Realignment dollars as well as CalAIM’s Providing Access and Transforming Health Initiatives program. A total of about $10 million is needed to complete the project. Though supervisors authorized county staff to use capital improvement and Measure R dollars to make up the difference, the Board also urged them to seek outside funding sources, according to Hooper’s staff report. The item appeared on the consent agenda and was approved without comment.