Shasta County · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Shasta County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Election Results Delay
Shasta County’s election results are running hours late because the clerk’s office is short-staffed, with preliminary numbers now expected around 10:30 tonight. If you’re waiting to see who won local races, you’ll have to wait longer. It’s a timing problem, not a signal that something went wrong with the vote count.
Election Ballot Counting Delays
Shasta County is dead last in California for finishing its ballot count after Election Day, and the Registrar says short staffing and a tabulation tagging error are to blame. That means local race results are dragging out far longer than elsewhere, so voters here have to wait to know who won.
City Council Election Fundraising
Three Redding City Council candidates—Wenham, Audette, and Prosperi—have pulled in almost 90% of all campaign cash in the race. That money advantage can buy ads, mailers, and attention, so the donation list is a pretty good preview of who may shape city policy.
Campaign Finance Violation
A Shasta County candidate, Authur Gorman, is under scrutiny after campaign funds went to his wife—a payment that may violate California campaign finance law. Nothing’s proven yet, but it’s a test of whether local campaigns follow the same rules everyone else has to.
Election Voter Guide
Election Day is here, and this guide gives Shasta County voters a quick rundown of the key local races and statewide propositions on the 2026 ballot. Think of it as a last-minute cheat sheet so you’re not walking into the voting booth cold.
Mobile home park rent increases
Tehama County Supervisor Greg Jones was set to present his county's ordinance capping mobile home park space rent increases at 5% a year. Shasta County supervisors were considering whether to direct staff on a similar approach locally.
Sheriff equipment and staffing
Four consent items would add a grant-funded deputy, buy night vision goggles, an F-150 patrol vehicle, and a $150,000 prisoner transport van.
ALPR license plate cameras
Supervisor Kevin Crye called for a discussion of the county's Flock license plate reader camera agreement — a technology that tracks vehicle movements and raises privacy questions.
Public Works Director appointment
With the previous director retiring May 2, the Board appointed John Heath on an interim basis for up to 180 days at roughly $17,144 a month, keeping roads, county surveyor, and state highway funding functions running while a permanent hire is recruited.
Social Services Fund shortfall
The social services department is running a negative cash balance because state and federal funding — including impacts from HR1 federal cuts — has shrunk. The county loaned up to $10 million to keep it afloat, and staff floated voluntary furloughs, overtime cuts, and closing the California Street office.
Jones Valley water emergency
The Jones Valley water system's pump failed September 28, leaving about 500 households without a backup water source. The Board was asked to continue emergency contracting procedures to fix it.
Renewal of audit services contract
The district must have annual compliance audits under state law, and the board was asked to keep using CliftonLarsonAllen — the same firm the county uses — for five more years at up to $54,600 total.
County support services agreement for the Air Quality Management District
The air district has operated under a support agreement with the county since 1994, and the board was set to replace it with a new evergreen MOU. It covers the office space, admin and legal help that keep local air quality programs running day to day.
Potential county litigation
Behind closed doors, the Board discussed a threatened lawsuit by Clerk/Registrar Clint Curtis and committed that elections employees involved in an investigation will be represented and indemnified by the county if sued. The Board then voted 4-1 to waive privilege over that closed session discussion.
Opposition to AB 1383 pension legislation
Even though Governor Newsom vetoed AB 1383, the county wants its opposition on record because the bill would have raised pension costs for public employers, including safety employees. Supervisors split 3-2 on whether to send the letter now or gather more law enforcement input first.
County Counsel employment agreement fails
Supervisors failed to renew County Counsel Joseph Larmour's contract for a new four-year term, leaving his current agreement in place until it expires. Dissenting supervisors cited the early timing of the extension and an 18-month severance package.
Unlawful dumping reward increased
Supervisor Kelstrom dropped his push for higher dumping fines (legal complications) but doubled the reward for turning in illegal dumpers to $1,000.
Meyer Road at Dry Creek bridge repair
Floodwaters in December 2025 undermined the Meyer Road bridge foundation; the CEQA exemption clears the way for the roughly $400,000 repair, mostly covered by state emergency funds.
Opioid settlement funds for workforce programs
The county has roughly $10-12 million left in opioid settlement money, but there's been no formal way for community groups to apply. The board directed staff to create a competitive RFP process for up to $1.5 million.
Behavioral health and residential care contracts
The county retroactively approved roughly $5.8 million combined in contracts for youth mental health services, the senior-focused CARE Center, and adult residential care beds.
Public Works / Resource Management merger rejected by analysis
Staff studied merging the two departments and recommended against it, finding no cost savings and no other county that combines all those services.
AB 2766 motor vehicle fee increase to $5.00
Vehicle owners in Shasta County will pay 75 cents more per registered vehicle starting April 1, 2027. The money funds clean-air programs — school bus upgrades, zero-emission vehicle incentives, and air quality monitoring. Ironically, doing nothing would have meant paying $4 anyway due to DMV rounding.
EPA IRA grant-funded air monitoring upgrade
The county is spending federal EPA grant money ($227,256 total award) to replace aging air monitoring equipment that's five-plus years old. No local tax dollars involved.
Veteran suicide prevention and recovery services
Our Heroes' Dreams reported helping 30 homeless or addicted veterans with $249,852 in opioid settlement dollars, exhausting the funds five and a half months into a 12-month contract. Supervisors signaled interest in finding more money.
Chief of Psychiatry recruitment bonus
Facing chronic recruitment failures that force expensive contract psychiatrists, the county raised the sign-on bonus for its Chief of Psychiatry to as much as $100,000.
Potential censure of Registrar of Voters
Two investigations found misconduct by the county's elections chief, and the board formally censured him 3-1. Supporters and critics filled the room for hours; Curtis says he'll sue, and the vote followed his loss in the June election.
Mobile food facilities in unincorporated Shasta County
Food trucks are currently banned in unincorporated areas; the board started the process to write rules allowing them, with a code-enforcement pause in the interim.
Wolf conflict liaison position
With wolf encounters rising, the board wants a dedicated liaison to advocate for ranchers and meet state requirements for funding; a classification and salary schedule is due by end of September.
Siskiyou County solid waste parcel charges
Castle Rock area residents keep paying the $72.45 annual parcel charge for Siskiyou County waste disposal — the only option available in that northern pocket of the county.
Continued winter storm emergency
The county's local emergency declaration from the December 2025 winter storms stays in place because the underlying damage issues haven't been resolved.
West Central Landfill Unit 5A construction
The County awarded a $5.16 million contract to build the next cell at West Central Landfill, keeping landfill capacity available for the region.
November 2026 election consolidation
Dozens of cities, schools, and districts will share the November 3, 2026 ballot, each paying their share of election costs.
Churn Creek and Balls Ferry road repaving
A $1.58 million contract will repave two heavily used roads, with $1.78 million budgeted from restricted road funds.
State election bills AB 2604 and SB 1420
The board declined 3-2 to endorse two state election bills — one on ballot curing and one letting mail ballots be counted same-day at polling places — citing election security and unpaid state mandates.
June 2026 primary certification
The board formally certified the June 2 primary results — a required ministerial step that also clears the way for the pending censure discussion of the County Clerk.
Filling vacancies in elected county offices (Measure F)
A charter amendment would require most vacancies in elected county department head positions to be filled by special election, with an open public recruitment only if no election is possible within 12 months.
County email retention and public records transparency
How long the county keeps emails before deleting them — directly affects what's available in Public Records Act requests. Residents pushed back against a one-year deletion policy and got two years with a one-month grace period instead.
Air Pollution Control Board operating policies and CEO contracting authority
The board modernized its own rules of procedure and considered — but held off on — letting the county's top executive sign routine air-district agreements. That delegation would cut down on agenda items but first requires a look at a 1994 agreement between the county and the air district.
Old Oregon Trail rezone made operative (Zone Amendment 26-0001)
The Board extended the fee-payment deadline so a previously approved rezone of a 4-acre piece of an 88.9-acre property on Old Oregon Trail can finally take effect.
Opposition to Caltrans Highway 44 roundabout
The county sent Caltrans a letter opposing the proposed roundabout where Highway 44 meets Silverbridge Road — a traffic change that affects commuters on the north side of Redding.
Election certification for Congressional District 1 special election
The Board formally certified the June 2 special election results. Several residents used public comment to raise election concerns, though the certification itself is a mandatory legal step.
Denise Eye v. Fairway Oaks Mobile Home Park litigation
The Board met privately with lawyers and voted to defend the county in this lawsuit, hiring outside counsel at county expense.
FY 2026-27 Air Quality Management District budget
The air district's budget for the coming fiscal year was adopted, funding local air-quality monitoring and programs for the year ahead.
FY 2026-27 county budget adoption
The county's spending plan for the coming fiscal year is now formally adopted after three days of public hearings, setting services, staffing levels, and salary schedules effective June 28, 2026.
Permanent Road Division zones status
Public Works explained how the county maintains hundreds of rural roads through 78 active road maintenance assessment zones, with paving on each zone happening roughly every ten years.
Public comment rules overhaul
The board is loosening its own public comment rules: no more four-item speaker cap, 30 minutes of open time, and chair flexibility on timing — a response to complaints about SB 707 system and staffing limits.
Responsible AI use resolution
A resolution sponsored by Supervisor Plummer would commit the county to using AI to boost services and offset staff shortages, with privacy and human oversight safeguards. It got pushed to the next meeting so the county's IT chief could weigh in.
Victim Witness program funding gap
The DA's Victim Witness program ran a $235,057 hole because the state was slow to reimburse, and the board retroactively covered it from the General Fund while pressing the state to pay up.
Charter amendment limiting eminent domain
The Board is moving two Charter amendments toward the November 2026 ballot: one limits the County's power to take property through eminent domain, the other lets the Board appoint (by a 4/5 vote) or call an election to fill a vacancy in an elected office. Two similar measures failed with voters in 2024, so how these are worded could matter to the outcome.
Churn Creek & Balls Ferry road paving project
A pavement rehabilitation project on Churn Creek and Balls Ferry roads cleared its environmental review and will go out to bid, with bids opening July 16, 2026.