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Though the number of people inside the room will be limited, the Crescent City Harbor District Board of Commissioners’ next meeting will be both in-person and via Zoom.

The Board unanimously approved the hybrid meeting structure Tuesday after Harbormaster Tim Petrick said only 25 percent of the room’s maximum occupancy would be allowed to attend an in-person meeting.

Since the room’s maximum capacity at the Harbor District office is 16, only six people would be allowed to attend, Petrick told commissioners.

“We could do a hybrid model where we have commissioners in person and still broadcast over Zoom,” he said.

Petrick’s announcement prompted a discussion among harbor commissioners over the possibility of moving the meeting’s venue from the Harbor District office to the Flynn Center to allow more people to attend in person.

They also discussed changing the time of the meeting to later in the day to allow more people to attend.

However, it appeared Petrick was basing his information on California’s tiered-based Blueprint for a Safer Economy, which expired June 15. According to the harbor district’s attorney, Ruben Duran, in-person gatherings are permissible, though those who aren’t vaccinated are required to wear a mask.

Duran noted the tier-based system has been lifted for other agencies he works with in Central and Southern California. He also noted that there are rules employers have to abide by, which include providing N95 masks to their employees if requested.

“The general rule right now is in-person gatherings are OK inside for vaccinated people,” he said. “Unvaccinated people must remain masked at all times inside.”

District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey said returning to in-person meetings at the Flynn Center is something she and her colleagues will discuss soon. She also noted that the California Occupational Safety and Hazards Administration, Cal/OSHA, released guidelines June 17 over employees who are required to wear masks.

Employees that aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19 are required to wear masks, Starkey said, citing Cal/OSHA guidance.

“I don’t know how this will play out with public meetings, but we’re no longer in a tier system,” she said. “Whatever you guys decide to do with it is fine, I just wanted to let you know from our end what we’re contemplating ourselves.”

One person, former county supervisor Roger Gitlin argued against a hybrid format, calling the “Zoom protocol” cumbersome. He noted that many people have trouble submitting public comments via Zoom and some don’t have access to a computer. Gitlin urged commissioners to conduct their meetings in person even if it was on a limited basis.

“There’s a real issue of transparency,” he said. “And it’s incumbent on this board to vote for some public access even if we have to wait outside. I wouldn’t mind doing that so I can have my comments read.”

After the Board of Commissioners approved the hybrid meeting format, Board President Brian Stone said this will go into effect at the district’s next meeting.

Duran said the meeting format will be based upon health authority guidelines at the time.

The Harbor District meets the first and third Tuesdays of the month.

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