Assemblyman Jim Wood is expected to pay a visit to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

Along with a presentation from Assemblyman Jim Wood, the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday is expected to revisit a conversation about expanding zoning for cannabis retail and manufacturing.

Supervisors will also discuss potentially acquiring roughly 26 tax- defaulted properties in the Pacific Shores subdivision.

After hearing from representatives in the cannabis retail industry in September that the county’s existing zones were too restrictive, the Board of Supervisors will hear a presentation on the topic from Deputy County Counsel Joel Campbell-Blair.

Meanwhile, the potential acquisition of tax-defaulted properties in Pacific Shores comes after the county was approached by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Wildlife Conservation Board. According to the county’s staff report, if the Board of Supervisors approves the acquisition, the Wildlife Conservation Board would buy those properties from the county.

Pacific Shores is a mosaic of parcels currently owned by the state, county, Border Coast Regional Airport Authority and private parties. It’s situated between Lakes Earl and Tolowa near Tolowa Dunes State Park and the Lake Earl Wildlife Area.

In an Oct. 2 article, CDFW Lands and Wildlife Program Supervisor Shawn Fresz told the Wild Rivers Outpost that the department hopes to make the area safer for the public to enjoy. Fresz had met with District 4 Supervisor Gerry Hemmingsen and representatives of the Tolowa Nation earlier this summer to discuss the issue.

According to the staff report for Tuesday’s meeting, the process the supervisors are being asked to approve is similar to when the county acquired and sold Pacific Shores parcels to the Border Coast Regional Airport Authority as mitigation for projects at the airport. The full process is expected to take roughly 12 months to finish.

On Tuesday, Wood is expected to speak before county supervisors at 10:45 a.m. He will also make an appearance at Del Norte High School where he will address students in the school’s Health Foundations class, said Barbara Browning, chief operations officer for the California Center for Rural Policy at Humboldt State University.

The class is part of the Health Career Pathways program, Browning told the Wild Rivers Outpost on Monday.

“It’s been ongoing since 2016,” Browning said of the program. “Our overarching goal is to be able to grow our own health workforce from within because of the shortage of healthcare providers up there.”

Wood, who was a dentist before he entered politics, is expected to speak to high schoolers about the value of a career in the health industry, Browning said.

Sutter Coast Hospital, the Del Norte County Department of Health and Human Services, Open Door Clinic and United Indian Health Services are involved in the Health Career Pathways program, Browning said. They provide guest speakers and learning opportunities to K12 students.

They also offer financial incentives, education and other supports for existing healthcare industry employees, Browning told WRO.

The Del Norte County Board of Supervisors meets at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Flynn Center, 981 H Street in Crescent City. Click here for an agenda.

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