By Staff – September 5, 2024
Today the Crescent City Harbor District held a special meeting to discuss two significant topics; the banning of fireworks from the harbor’s basin and the dissolution of the Tri-Agency. However, what could have been a routine discussion quickly took an unexpected turn during the public comment period.
The first speaker at the podium was Mrs. Westfall, a local resident and editor of the Crescent City Times. Her appearance wasn’t just to provide commentary to act as a process server. With a serious tone, she addressed the Harbor District Board: “I’m acting in the capacity of process server. I’m not a party to this action but I will say I’m very concerned how our tax dollars are spent. Those of you that are elected to serve and those employed by the Harbor have a fiduciary duty to perform as stewards of public funds; as good stewards of public funds. With that being said you are all now being served.” She then proceeded to serve each board member, along with the Harbormaster Tim Petrick, with legal documents for a peremptory Writ of Mandate. The Plaintiff behind this legal action was none other than local harbor candidate, Linda Sutter.
Sutter’s legal case centers on the California Public Records Act and Article 1 section3(b)(1) of the California Constitution, which asserts the public’s right to access information regarding the conduct of public business. Since August 6, 2024, Sutter has been attempting to access the Crescent City Harbor District’s credit card receipts spanning the last 7 months. However, she claims her requests were denied on multiple occasions during regular business hours without any lawful reason for denial.
Ruben Duran, legal counsel for the Harbor District, reportedly spent an entire week justifying the expenses instead of simply providing the receipts. For a Harbor District already struggling financially, this expenditure of time and resources has raised eyebrows.
The Harbor’s financial instability has been under scrutiny, especially following a Grand Jury interview with Harbormaster Tim Petrick. During the interview, Petrick was questioned about using the district’s credit card to purchase airline tickets for his wife, an issue that has since fueled the public concern.
Further compounding the matter, the Harbor District’s commissioners have been criticized for disregarding laws surrounding expenditures. The district has no formal credit card policy compliant with government codes, and there are no clear policies regarding reimbursement or document retention.
