4th District Supervisor Dan Gjerde resigns
MENDOCINO CO., 11/6/24 — Mendocino County 4th District Supervisor Dan Gjerde announced his resignation from the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. His resignation goes into effect Friday.
Gjerde did not run for reelection in March and was set to finish his term at the end of December, at which time Fort Bragg Mayor Bernie Norvell would take over the 4th District seat. Gjerde explained that he had gotten a job as a planner with Caltrans, and that his start date is next Tuesday.
In a letter to the board Gjerde said, “As I was not seeking a fourth term and looking to close out my 26 years as an elected representative, I started the process of seeking an opportunity to continue working in planning and transportation, possibly in civil service with the State of California. Recently, a transportation planning job with the North Coast Caltrans District Office opened for recruitment and seemed a perfect fit.”
Gjerde completed the normal civil service application process and was selected for the position. “As soon as I receive confirmation of a start date, I will be resigning from my position as Fourth District Supervisor, possibly by the end of this week,” the letter continued.
In an interview Wednesday morning, Gjerde said the selection process led to a job offer on one of Caltrans’ teams out of the Eureka office, a job that may no longer exist if he did not accept the offer. He will work two days a week in Eureka and three days in Mendocino County. As a supervisor, he has been splitting his time between Fort Bragg and Ukiah, where his wife lives.
Gjerde contacted the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom and asked the governor to appoint Fort Bragg Mayor Bernie Norvell to the seat. Norvell was elected to the seat in March, winning more than 80 percent of the vote. Norvell was expected to be sworn in at the first supervisors meeting in January, until Gjerde announced his resignation.
“It’s unfortunate that during the final weeks of 2024 the board might not have a full complement of members, so upon resignation I will be formally asking the Governor’s Secretary of Appointments to act quickly and recommend Governor Newsom fill the vacancy with the appointment of incoming Fourth District Supervisor Bernie Norvell” Gjerde wrote in a letter to the board.
Gjerde said the process of a gubernatorial appointment normally takes a long time so there is no guarantee that it will happen before Norvell would be sworn in during the normal course of business. Still, Gjerde is hopeful it can happen quickly. He found out that Norvell can’t be seated early for the job he won at the polls until Gjerde leaves. “There is no way for him to [come in] early, if he wanted to do so,” said Gjerde.
Unofficial election results show Noyo Harbor businessman Scott Hockett leading over three candidates for the City Council seat Norvell occupied.
Lindy Peters is also likely to be reelected to the council.
Contacted Wednesday morning, Norvell was asked if the council would appoint Hockett to take the board seat early if Norvell left to take the supervisor’s seat.
“A lot has to happen for me to be appointed by the governor,” Norvell said. “If that were to happen, I would schedule my departure around city business. The remaining council members would have the choice of appointing or waiting on the new candidate. The newly seated council in the first meeting of December will decide [who is] mayor and vice mayor.”
In his letter, Gjerde wrote, “It’s been an honor and a privilege to represent my neighbors as their voice in local government for these past 26 years, first as a member of the Fort Bragg City Council and then as a member of the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors.”
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