PREVIOUSLY: In the Wake of Bongio Controversy, Supes to Consider Changes to the Planning Commission

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On Tuesday the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors considered reducing the number of members on the Planning Commission from seven to five but wound up thinking better of it, keeping the body at seven people while changing the method by which a commissioner can be removed.

The board also adopted a code of conduct and ethics by which the commission must now abide. The lack of such a code has become an issue recently after former Commission Chair Alan Bongio made racist comments at an Aug. 18 hearing.

Staff had recommended reducing the size of the commission to just five members after surveying 21 other counties and finding that 18 of them have five-member planning commissions.

“So, while having seven we’re not necessarily a unicorn, we are not in a field of like beings with that makeup,” County Administrative Officer Elishia Hayes said. 

But the supervisors weren’t keen on the suggestion.

“I think that seven gives us a diversity [and] helps us meet quorum,” Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone said. “I think it’s a positive thing. And I think when we have problems it’s easy to take a knee-jerk reaction and think, ‘Okay, here’s how we solve this problem.’” 

This appeared to be a reference to the Bongio controversy. “But really, I think you need to go after the problem directly rather than trying to just reduce numbers,” Madrone said.

Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell disagreed initially, saying she doesn’t consider this a knee-jerk response but would like to reduce the size of the commission to five. She also said she supports a staff recommendation to require a four-fifths vote of the county supervisors to remove a member of the Planning Commission, and later in the meeting she said this whole conversation was initiated before the Bongio controversy.

In the current setup, each supervisor appoints one member to the Planning Commission and that supervisor is solely responsible for removing their appointee, should the occasion arise. A majority of the board must approve the appointment of each at-large member, of which there are two. 

Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson said he was initially in favor of reducing the commission to five, plus including one active alternate who could step in when another member is missing. But he said that after learning that quite a few other counties in the state do have seven-member commissions he changed his mind and would like to see Humboldt’s remain that size. 

First District Supervisor Rex Bohn said he likes seven, too, as well as the suggested four-fifths vote requirement for removal. 

Turning to the matter of his own appointee (Bongio), Bohn said, “I’ll address the elephant in the room. I’ve had a lot of talks with my planning commissioner and everybody says that I shouldn’t put friendship into this, and sorry, you’re wrong. I have friends and I have friends because I respect them.”

Somewhat cryptically, he added, “And going forward, we’ll address it. But it’s mine to address and I’ll wear that.”

Board Chair and Fourth District Supervisor Virginia Bass said she, too, likes having a seven-member commission. Madrone later made a motion to keep it that way and to implement the four-fifths provision for removal.

Bushnell then brought up the matter of commissioners holding “incompatible offices,” a clear reference to At-Large Commissioner Melanie McCavour, whom the supervisors considered removing late last year over conflict-of-interest concerns. McCavour is employed as the tribal historic preservation officer of the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria, a role that has required her to recuse herself from a few planning commission deliberations, including the one that’s been the source of such controversy of late.

The Wiyot Tribe recently submitted a letter to the county objecting not only to Bongio’s remarks but to McCavour’s dual roles, which the tribe argued gives her a privileged position for communicating with her fellow commissioners and county staff.

Bushnell said she’d support the board majority’s preference for a seven-member commission, “but I want those seven members to be able to participate and not have to recuse continually.” 

She said people thought she was “picking on someone” when she brought up McCavour’s potential conflict last year. “I was not. I am not now,” Bushnell said. “I want to ensure that our Planning Commission works well and does its job.”

Madrone agreed that the issue needs to be discussed, but the board agreed to bring it back at a later date. 

The board also indicated that it would like to change the length of appointments for the two at-large Planning Commission members, reducing their terms from four years to two and staggering those terms so one at-large commissioner will be up for renewal each year. However, that arrangement wasn’t finalized. The board will consider options at a later date.