Humboldt County has a new County Counsel: Jeffrey Blanck

The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors hired a new County Counsel yesterday.

I saw First District Supervisor Rex Bohn later this morning after I posted the news. "He was an unanimous choice. He was highly recommended for his morals and straightforwardness. He is a good family man and a good addition to our community."

Board Chair and Second District Supervisor said, "I think Jeff Blanck will be a good fit for Humboldt County. He has a good professional background in many of the areas important to us. He and his family seem genuinely excited to join us here on the North Coast and we look forward to welcoming them to their new home sometime in early June. Mr. DeMarco is our Consultant Interim County Counsel and will be with us at least up until Memorial Day. Ms. Ruth continues as Assistant County Counsel."

CAO's press release:

Board Appoints Jeffrey Blanck to Position of County Counsel

The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday announced the appointment of Jeffrey S. Blanck to the position of County Counsel.

For the past 11 years, Blanck has run his own law firm in Reno, Nevada, practicing in the areas of civil rights, education, employment law and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filings. Prior to that, he served as general counsel for Washoe County School District (WCSD) from 1998 to 2004. An attorney for more than 25 years, Blanck has extensive experience with public agencies and land-use issues.

While with WCSD, Blanck was able to control costs for the district by keeping much of the legal work in-house, as opposed to hiring outside counsel. He accomplished this while working as the sole in-house attorney for the second-largest school district in Nevada, which consisted of 7,000 employees. In addition, as agency counsel with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, which regulates development around Lake Tahoe, Blanck brought the departments of transportation for California and Nevada, respectively, in to compliance with its runoff regulations. Blanck also has experience as a teacher and trainer, and for a year brought attorneys from the former Soviet Union to the United States and trained them on environmental law and advocacy.

“Mr. Blanck has a very well-rounded background and I think he’ll be a very good fit for Humboldt County,” said Estelle Fennell, Chair of the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors. “I’m very happy to have him on board. I think he and his family will love it here.”

Some of Blanck’s education includes bachelor’s degrees in agricultural ecology (UC Davis in 1975) and Russian language and literature (George Washington University in 1980). He earned his juris doctorate from Hastings College of the Law in 1984. Blanck is scheduled to begin work with the county in early June.

“I am really looking forward to being the County Counsel and living in Humboldt County,” said Blanck. “Humboldt is a beautiful place and I’m excited about becoming part of the community.”