Supervisors eye replacing Steve Kerns as planning commissioner
The agenda item was brought forward by Supervisor Corkey Harmon, who hopes to replace Kerns with civil engineer Kevin Butler. Kerns said the first he heard about his replacement was from a community member who read the board’s agenda. Harmon disagrees.
Steven Kerns has been a member of the Shasta County Planning Commission since he was appointed in 2017 at the recommendation of former Supervisor Mary Rickert.
As a planning commissioner, Kerns serves as one of five commissioners in a quasi-judicial role, making final decisions on some matters like use permits and advising the board of supervisors on others, like zoning changes. He is slated to continue working as a commissioner through January of 2029.
That could change this week. Tuesday’s county board agenda includes an item brought forward by Supervisor Corkey Harmon, asking the board to vote to remove Kerns from office, declare his seat vacant, and consider replacing him at a future meeting with civil engineer Kevin Butler.
The agenda item was news to Kerns, he said in response to an email query from Shasta Scout, noting that he learned of the plan not through a county staffer or Harmon but from a community member.
“I have had no communication from the county or any member of the BOS regarding the agenda item,” Kerns wrote by email today. “Perhaps if you contact Supervisor Harmon he can explain his thoughts and actions.”
In a phone call with Shasta Scout today, Harmon debated Kerns’ account, saying he had a conversation with the commissioner when he first became a supervisor in which the commissioner said he wasn’t sure how long he’d want to serve in his current role.
At the time, Harmon said, he encouraged Kerns to stay on, saying he’d done good things when it came to the Fountain Wind Project, an effort to build a wind farm in rural Shasta County that was defeated by the county earlier this year. But Harmon said he also began keeping his eyes open for the right person to take Kerns’ seat eventually.
A month or two ago, Harmon added, he spoke to Kerns again, explaining that he’d found a replacement for him in the commission role.
“And at that time it didn’t seem like he wanted to [step down],” Harmon admitted, “but I already had the ball rolling to get a replacement — but that was mainly based on what I thought his desires were.”
Kerns denied Harmon’s claims saying he’s never indicated to anyone that he wanted to step down.
“Quite the opposite,” Kerns added. “If I had wanted to step down I would have resigned. I have always said that I want to complete my term. “
Harmon emphasized that he has no problems with Kerns and hopes no one in the community will think he’s done anything wrong.
“He’s a great person to work with,” Harmon emphasized. “He did a good job, and I respect him for it and appreciate that.”
In response to questions, Harmon said that he has no significant personal connections to Butler and there was nothing he would consider a conflict of interest when it came to choosing him. Asked why he had chosen Butler to take Kerns’ place, Harmon said he has all the experience you’d want in a planning commissioner.
“He understands planning, and he’s been around it. I think he’s a great candidate for his background and knowledge and what we need. “
According to Butler’s application materials, he’s a licensed engineer who’s been working on projects in Shasta for the last 30 years. His application also noted experience in public office as a prior member of the North Cow Creek School Board and a current board member for a Palo Cedro-based community service agency.
Butler wrote in his application that he believed the most important issue for Shasta is a “reasonable and planned development (growth) in the rural communities of Shasta County.”
Shasta County documents indicate that Butler also worked on the design for the Millville Gun Range, a project proposed by former Supervisor Patrick Jones that was shot down after a lawsuit by Millville community members. Asked if he was aware of Butler’s role on that project, Harmon said no, adding “what’s that got to do with me?”
According to information shared by the Shasta Environmental Alliance, Kerns also had a role in that project, serving as a consultant.
Shasta supervisors will discuss the possible removal of Kerns from his role on Tuesday during a regularly scheduled board meeting at 9 a.m. at the county’s administrative building on Court Street. If Kerns is removed, supervisors would finalize the decision of whether to replace him with Butler at a later date.
August 24, 2026 8:40 p.m.: We have updated the story to include Kern’s response to Harmon’s claims as well as information about the Millville Gun Range project. August 27, 2026 5:22 p.m.: We have updated the story to include information about Kerns’ connection to the gun range project.
Do you have a correction to share? Email us: editor@shastascout.org.
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Mary Rickert was brilliant and honest and smart and worked for the benefit of the people of this county for years…above reproach. I would go with her recommendations above Mr. Harmons any day of the week.
why do i have a gut feeling that butler is in on the tax payer funded jobs linked to child trafficking soj ninja bethel simpson schools boards and is blackmailed and ready to do what pig farm gun ranger master jones wants!?! OK the gun range and that’s all!?!
The most shocking thing about all of this is that Corky Harmoron actually put this on the consent calendar. The consent calendar is reserved for items that are not controversial, and usually go without discussion. The level of idiocy Korky displays truly is stunning.
Saw the board meeting today. Corky swore up and down that it wasn’t a conflict of interest and that he didn’t know Mr. Butler that well.
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Assuming that is true, it still has the appearance of a conflict. I don’t think that Corky understands why the appearance of a conflict is also a bad thing.
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Mr. Long was also trying to give Corky a way out and it didn’t look as if Corky really understood what was going on and was beginning to take exception to Mr Long’s advice…
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Mr. Long was actually trying to help you out, you dingbat!!
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Sigh.
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Can I please get a supervisor who knows what’s going on?
I’ve been in Kerns’ orbit for decades. I don’t always agree with him, but I’ve always regarded him as a straight shooter. Corky, on the other hand, has revealed himself to be a puppet, and his account of communications with Kerns is suspect to say the least. I don’t trust the truthfulness of any MAGA politician any further than I can throw them—willingness to lie through their teeth comes with the brand.
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I have little doubt that PHGWMF Jones is behind this, and that the agenda is to grease the skids for his proposed gun range.
Honest question: did Corky inherit his wealth from his parents or grandparents? I just don’t see how this level of doofiness makes one wealthy, unless it’s rife with shady dealings and corruption? Of course, something like that would *never* happen in honest and transparent Shasta County! (Lol!)
He married into it.
This is the hill Corkey chose to die on? He has been on the board how long? His only contributions to date have been to rubber stamp anything Crye wants. Corkey is not fit for office, let alone to select replacements for people that don’t wish to be replaced. I’m embarrassed to say this man is supposed to be representative of me.
He’s not in my district, another reason why I think all voters in Shasta County should be able to vote for all 5 board seats.
The sad thing is cokey received far more votes than Mary.
What does this say about the residents of district 3?
Having seen Corkey’s display of…um… intelligence(?) at the League of Women Voters ..um…debate(?) where Mary handed him his ass was a public embarassment of epic proportions. He was literally lying and contradicting himself in single sentences.
How Mary kept her composure remains a mystery to this day, but she must have been thinking she was shoreing-up her re-election by simply allowing him to make an absolute fool of himself by opening his mouth on issues he was oblivious of.
The sad truth is his level of intelligence represents the broad maga voting base in D3 perfectly.
All he ever needed to be elected was an oversized cowboy hat resting on that hollow cranium he carries around.
Something’s fishy about this. In fact, it stinks to high heaven.
Corky…
Butler…
Patrick Jones…
Gun Range…
Connect the dots. Hard pass.
Even Corky admits there’s no reason to remove Steve Kerns. Corky said he’s doing a good job. So, I can only think that this is simply Corky taking instructions from Jones to take this action to pressure Kelstom to tow the Jones line or clearly have the whole Jones Gang go strongly against him in this next election. This is just Jones flexing his muscles through Corky Harmon. It will be Kelstrom that votes to make this decision. He will likely be the deciding vote. And they’re putting the guy in the Planning Commission that worked on the gun range project. Come on, how obvious can it be. Kellstrom, Harmon, Crye in my opinion are as corrupt as can be. This is just another example.
I hate recalls but how can we have an individual like Harmon that is so blatantly corrupt in my opinion be there for another two plus years. Who knows what else he will do. Especially since he apparently is taking his instructions from Jones. Okay people at least get kellstrom out of there so that Harmon doesn’t have any power. Vote for Gallagher.
You are not transparent Corkey. I see many things. I see plans within plans. I see Patrick Jones pulling your strings like a puppet.
Even Stevie Wonder could see this.
I emailed Steve Kerns and asked him if he had ever told Harman he wanted to resign. Here is his comment in writing to Harman’s statements:
“Interesting, I have never indicated to Mr. Harmon or anyone that I wanted to step down, quite the opposite. If I had wanted to step down I would have resigned. I have always said that I want to complete my term.”
For my part I find it interesting that Corkey Harman was the only Supervisor who voted NO on censuring Clint Curtis
Butler is the same guy who came up with the Millville Gun Range that was conveniently overlooking a bunch of public hazards until Millville took Patrick Jones to court over it and a judge directed the PLANNING COMMISSION to vacate their approval of the project. If Butler gets appointed to that commission by the same supervisor who couldn’t even follow clear county policy with Patrick Jones standing against the back wall glowering at him earlier this month, mYsTeRiOuSlY that gun range will suddenly have a green light. I hope the Millville residents speak up about this.
Time for Corky to be recalled.
I don’t know Kerns or Butler, so I can’t speak to either’s qualifications.
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But I do know I have NO faith in Harmon’s ‘s decision-making ability.