In honor of the USA’s upcoming Independence Day, we thought it appropriate to provide a status update on Expose Trinity County’s most recent Public Records Requests. #FreedomofInformation. We anticipate submitting oodles of PRA requests in the coming days, months and years. This is just the start.
Trinity Public Utilities District (TPUD)
On June 15, ETC sent a list of 10 record requests to TPUD (previous requests had been submitted in error to County Counsel). On June 26, we received a response that several items will be made available on or before August 4, 2023. As things tend to go missing, we will keep the specifics of these requests under the red, white and blue wraps for now.
-Requests for information between Jim Underwood (TPUD lawyer) and Paul Hauser regarding the handling of illegal cannabis grows: This request was denied, as “such documents are exempt from disclosure as they are subject to the attorney-client privilege and/or attorney work product doctrine”. Commentary; this smells like BS.
-Request for information regarding TPUD termination settlements 2018-present. Per TPUD, “since 2018, only one employee accepted a severance agreement in lieu of termination. The date of this agreement was October 27, 2022. The disclosure of additional information regarding this matter would contain information identifying or relating to a third party, where that third party’s reasonable expectation of privacy outweighs the public interest in disclosure”. Commentary; Hmmmm we wonder who that could be…
Planning Department
-County Counsel stated in a letter to ETC that some items will be available by June 30, 2023. We will keep the specific nature of these requests under red, white & blue wraps for the time being.
-Request for emails between Jill Cox and Ed Prestley: Not Found. Commentary; Seriously? Cox has never reached out to the Interim Planning Director? Exactly.
-Request for emails between Supervisor Jill Cox and Sean Connell. Not found. Commentary; Perhaps any communication to the former (and first) TC Cannabis Director was made by way of Supervisor Cox’s church. As you may remember, Outpost Church sent Sean Connell a gift basket. Apparently Connell’s refusal to meet with community members, report out on the state of the cannabis program during PC and BOS meetings and his hair-trigger temper were cries for baked goods and fellowship.
-Request for emails between Daniel Marvel (Code Compliance, TC Cannabis Division) and Nathaniel Trujillo (Sheriff’s Department). Not found. Commentary; perhaps any collusion was done over lunch…
Trinity County Board of Supervisors BOS
-Request for emails between Supervisor Ric Leutwyler and Nancy Anderson (TAA President). ETC received one email chain concerning the Dos Santos Appeal: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11hqaFVjnaXYUc63GuFEfaWs_FlzZWSzf/view . ETC should receive any additional communication by June 30, 2023.
-Request for emails between Supervisor Jill Cox and Nancy Anderson. One email chain was received: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11hqaFVjnaXYUc63GuFEfaWs_FlzZWSzf/view .
-Request for emails between Jill Cox and Tim Saxon. Not found per County Counsel. Commentary; puh-lease.
-Request for emails between Jill Cox and Paul Hauser. Not found. Commentary; a separate request was made to TPUD directly and those communications should be received in August.