MENDOCINO Co., 1/24/23 — Mendocino County District 4 Supervisor Dan Gjerde announced that he will not be seeking reelection when his term expires, and so will not be running in the 2024 election.
Gjerde made the announcement during the regular reports from each supervisor during today’s Board of Supervisors meeting. Gjerde, who has been the supervisor for District 4 since January 2013, previously served on the Fort Bragg City Council for 14 years, and said the timing of his announcement was to allow potential candidates to have time to prepare a campaign.
“With the early campaign schedule prompted by California’s early presidential primary election, I feel it is in the best interest of fourth district residents that I announce today that I will not be seeking a fourth term,” he said, noting that “candidates may be filing papers as early as September of this year” and that he hoped the timing of his announcement would allow any potential candidates to “have proper notice” so they could study the issues facing the county and decide if the job is a good fit.
In the webpage that the county maintains for each supervisor, Gjerde is quoted as saying, ““Why do I care so much? Simple. This is my home.” The page notes he is a sixth generation Mendocino resident, and includes a list of the committees on which he has served as well as other accomplishments since becoming supervisor.
In response, Chair Glenn McGourty thanked Gjerde for making the board aware of such a “significant” announcement. District 3 Supervisor John Haschak expressed shock and thanked Gjerde for his service, noting he would still be serving as supervisor for nearly another year.
You can watch the full supervisors meeting for January 24, 2023 here: