February 11, 2019 — The Board of Supervisors voted 4-1, with Supervisor John Haschak dissenting, to hire an assistant District Attorney for as long as the current DA, David Eyster, continues in the position. Dale Trigg, who is the former elected DA of Del Norte County, will earn $135,000 a year in base pay. With retirement and medical benefits, his employment package will come out to about $203,000 a year.
According to Transparent California, Trigg made $137,686 in total pay and benefits as District Attorney in Del Norte County in 2016. He resigned in 2017, citing the unfairness of his assistant DA earning more than he did, according to news reports at the time.
Eyster believes Trigg is eminently qualified to serve as Mendocino County’s assistant DA, while Haschak argued that he could not support high pay for high-ranking county employees without line workers getting a raise, too.