Humboldt County Board appoints interim library director after closed session

The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to appoint Humboldt County Library Operations Manager Sean Hinman as interim director of library services, effective May 8, 2026, the board's counsel reported after the meeting.

County counsel told the board it had met in closed session "pursuant to California Government Code sections 54954.5 and 54957 to consider the public employee appointment for the position of the director" and to discuss exposure to litigation concerning email correspondence submitted by Jeff Wills on behalf of All Points Advertising Inc. Counsel reported the appointment and said there was "no reportable action taken with regard to item D2." The council's formal statement read in part: "With regards to item D1, the board voted unanimously to appoint Humboldt County Library Operations Manager, Sean Hinman, as the interim director of library services effective 05/08/2026." (Counsel)

The chair solicited public comment before the closed session and none was offered online or in the room, the minutes show. The meeting record notes that Supervisor Bone attended remotely pursuant to the applicable remote-attendance code provision.

The board did not provide additional public details about the potential litigation referenced by counsel beyond the identification of the submission by Jeff Wills on behalf of All Points Advertising Inc. The counsel's report characterized the personnel action as an appointment effective May 8, 2026, and did not indicate any further board directions or follow-up tasks during the open session report-back.

After counsel's announcement the chair adjourned the meeting.