🌊 Del Norte County
Where the Klamath meets the Pacific — and fishing families fight to survive
Del Norte is California’s forgotten corner. It sits at the very top of the state, where the Klamath River empties into the Pacific and the redwoods tower over Crescent City. The Yurok Tribe — the largest federally recognized tribe in California — has fished these waters since time beyond memory. But today, salmon seasons keep getting canceled. Timber mills closed decades ago. Healthcare options are among the worst in the state. And your congressman’s office is hundreds of miles away. Gregory Burgess has drafted real legislation to change that.
🎣 The Fishing Crisis
URGENTCrescent City’s fishing port was once the backbone of Del Norte’s economy. Today, salmon fisheries face unprecedented closures — multiple consecutive years with no commercial season. The Dungeness crab fishery faces season delays from domoic acid and whale entanglement rules. Kelp forests have lost roughly 95% of their bull kelp. These aren’t just numbers. They are families losing their boats, their income, and their way of life.
The federal government has the power to declare fishery disasters and fund recovery. But disaster payments are slow, and there’s no long-term plan to rebuild the fisheries or help fishing families transition to new marine industries like kelp farming and sustainable aquaculture.
🌲 Timber Jobs Are Gone — Nothing Replaced Them
ECONOMICDel Norte was built on timber. When the mills closed, nothing came to take their place. The county still has vast forests, but they’re overgrown and fire-prone. Meanwhile, mass timber and cross-laminated timber (CLT) are booming industries elsewhere. Del Norte has the trees, the workforce history, and the need — what it doesn’t have is a congressman who has written legislation to make it happen.
🏥 Healthcare: Too Far, Too Few, Too Expensive
DAILY LIFEDel Norte has some of the worst health outcomes in California. Specialty care means driving hours. Recruiting doctors to a remote county is nearly impossible without loan forgiveness and housing support. When Medicaid gets cut, Del Norte doesn’t just lose a program — it loses its healthcare system.
📜 Bills That Fight for Del Norte
🎣 Pacific Coast Fisheries Resilience Act
This bill is a lifeline for Crescent City. Del Norte is named as part of the North Coast Fisheries Pilot Region. Here’s what it does:
- Salmon disaster payments to fishing families during closures — faster and more reliable than current federal disaster processes
- Crab fleet support during domoic acid delays and whale entanglement restrictions
- Fisher-to-Kelp-Farmer transition program — helping fishing families move into kelp restoration and sustainable aquaculture
- Working waterfront protection to keep Crescent City’s port infrastructure from being sold off to developers
- Kelp forest restoration funding to rebuild the 95% of bull kelp that’s been lost
🌲 American Forest Resilience and Timber Economy Act
Del Norte is designated as a Forestry Resilience Zone. That means real investment:
- Employment credits for timber and forestry workers: starting at $4,000/year and reaching $10,000/year by Year 5 — rewarding companies that hire and keep local workers
- 100% equipment tax exclusion for timber processing equipment in Del Norte
- Mass timber and CLT manufacturing investment — turning Del Norte’s forests into a modern industry
- Tri-Zonal Forest Management: Zone 1 protects old-growth. Zone 2 thins the fire-prone areas near homes. Zone 3 creates jobs through restoration harvest. Conservation AND jobs — not one or the other
- Indigenous cultural burning recognized as a sovereign right — honoring Yurok and Tolowa Dee-ni’ fire knowledge
🏠 Redwood Country Rural Prosperity Act
Built for counties exactly like Del Norte — remote, timber-dependent, and underserved:
- Economic diversification grants for new industries beyond timber and fishing
- Workforce development through community colleges and apprenticeship programs
- Broadband infrastructure — because you can’t run a modern business or access telehealth on dial-up
- Value-added wood products funding — turning raw timber into finished products in Del Norte, not shipping logs out of state
⚠️ What Has Your Congressman Done?
Congressman Huffman championed Klamath dam removal — which benefits salmon restoration at the river’s mouth in Del Norte. That was a real achievement. But he fought much harder for dam removal than he did for the water security guarantees that Siskiyou County farmers were promised in the original deal. And he overrode the Hoopa Valley Tribe, one of his own constituent tribes, which opposed the restructured agreement. Meanwhile, has he introduced comprehensive fisheries legislation for Crescent City? A timber economy bill for Del Norte? A rural healthcare recruitment plan? The answer is no. Gregory Burgess has written all three. Read them for yourself.
🦁 Restore Our American Republic
"Del Norte sits at the edge of California, and sometimes it feels like the edge of the country. But being far from Washington doesn’t mean you should be forgotten by it. Restore Our American Republic means every community — no matter how remote — gets a representative who does the work."
Read Every Word. Hold Me Accountable.
These aren’t campaign promises. They are drafted bills — real legislation you can read, challenge, and improve. That’s what representation looks like.
See All Bills for Del Norte →