Shasta County Continues Search For Lead Attorney
The board has been without a permanent county counsel since July 2023.
Updated 12.4.23: At 9 am, on Monday, December 4, county board supervisors heard public comments in open session before moving to closed session to discuss appointing a new county counsel. Board members re-emerged from closed session at 11 am, and Interim County Counsel Gretchen Stuhr announced that the board had extended an offer of employment to a candidate for county counsel, pending the usual agreement, terms, conditions, and background checks.
On Monday, December 4, the Shasta County Board of Supervisors will meet again to discuss filling the role of Shasta County Counsel, the official title given to the county’s lead attorney.
Gretchen Stuhr, who was appointed to the role in an interim capacity in September, continues to serve for now. Stuhr began working for Shasta not long after resigning as Plumas County Counsel in June.
The position of county counsel serves as the lead attorney for the county board and all officers and departments, boards and commissions. County counsel is also the legal advisor for the Shasta County Grand Jury.
The role has seen significant turnover this year. After former long-term County Counsel Rubin Cruse, Jr. retired on April 21, the board voted to appoint James Ross, who had previously served as Deputy County Counsel under Cruse. Ross lasted only a few months in the county’s top attorney position, retiring on July 11 after eighteen years with the department.
The position remained vacant for several months as the county searched unsuccessfully for a new county counsel. Then, in September, Stuhr, who had just been hired in July as a senior deputy county counsel, was temporarily appointed to fill Shasta County’s top attorney position. Supervisors appointed Stuhr to serve in the role only until a permanent appointment could be made, but did not specify a timeline for that to occur.
A portion of the Shasta County Board of Superisor’s agenda packet for the September 26 meeting.
A special closed board meeting scheduled for December 4 at 9 am includes “county counsel” as the only agenda item. According to Shasta County Public Information Officer David Maung, the board may begin reviewing applications and/or conducting interviews during that Monday meeting.
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Christian – Please reply. You gave a very impressive speech right now at the Monday, December 4, 2023 Board of Supervisors meeting during Public Comment. I think the residents and taxpayers of Shasta County would greatly benefit from your insights and words of wisdom.
Shasta county supervisors have made a name for themselves. Their brand recognized as the incredibly ignorant and stupid circus show. Like a bunch of children running the house. There is no reason for quality candidates to risk their time and effort for these clowns. Hence why even quality employees have jumped ship in the past year and a half. Maybe we could hire Mike the lumpy pillow guy to be the new counsel. Or just promote the vector control guy to county counsel. That way Crye can freely retaliate against any employee who disagrees with him. Freedom for me but not for thee.
I know they have 5 applicants right now.
Amazing. How do you find these things out?
Nick – since you seem to be privy to information can you list the applicant’s names?
I would reply, but it might not get posted.
As a regular viewer of livestreamed meetings of the Board of Supervisors, I have watched the far-right Board majority either completely disregard County Counsel’s advice or try to find a way to get around it in order to serve their own purposes. And at that point the County Counsel has always vacated the position. When you see a particular pattern of behavior evolving over time, I don’t think it’s unfair to assume that the far-right Board majority’s demands on County Counsel have become too demanding or unreasonable.
I believe the reason that they cannot find a permanent county council is that the three that are the majority on the board of supervisors Crye, Jones, and Kelstrom having a hard time finding a county council that will simply agree with what they want to do even if it is illegal. County Council is an attorney and can jeopardize their status as an attorney by doing things that are illegal. There have been several examples of the three that are the majority attempting to move in a direction that the county council did not agree with. When that happens there ends up being a change to who is county council.
That’s definitely one theory I’ve heard. I do think it’s important to remember that that’s still speculation at this point.
It is my opinion that the inability to fill this position is not because of a lack applicants but because our county Board of Supervisors are having a hard time finding someone who can fill the high standards they require.
And what high standards might those be, Nick?
Higher than Jeff Godord, the lack of brains behind the recallrd
“High standards” means a candidate who is willing to tell them that every illegal plot they hatch will be defensible in court. They’ll eventually find someone willing to bend the knee. How many of Trump’s MAGA lawyers lost their law licenses and have pled guilty to crimes?