Candidate Erin Resner Says Her Opponent, Mark Mezzano, Hopes to Take Redding Down “Same Misguided Path” as Shasta County
Mezzano says he’s interested in open conversations with the County about partnership on the airport and tourism.
10.26.24 1:00 pm: We have updated the story to include a quote from the Redding Rancheria on the Tribe’s relationship with Resner.
On October 19, former Redding Mayor and current City Council candidate Erin Resner posted a social media video accusing her opponent Mark Mezzano of being the “king of special interests,” saying he wants to take Redding down the “same misguided path” that Shasta County has been on since a new Board majority took charge almost two years ago.
Resner, who served on the Redding City Council from 2018 to 2022, stepped down from that role to run for Shasta County Supervisor against Kevin Crye in 2022. She lost that race by about 100 votes, allowing Crye to become supervisor in January 2023. He faced a recall almost immediately, which was ultimately unsuccessful, failing by only 50 votes.
Now Resner’s running again, this time in hopes of returning to a role on the City Council for a two-year seat. Her opponent, Mezzano, is running for reelection for the same two-year seat. They’re both being challenged by one other candidate, political newcomer Anthony Spengler.
Speaking to Shasta Scout earlier this week, Resner claimed a “former campaign operative” for Mezzano told her team that Crye was behind Mezzano’s decision to run for the two-year seat in opposition to her.
She also claimed that two other candidates for the Council, David Backues and Mike Littau, were in on the plan.
Crye’s response to Shasta Scout’s question on the topic was ambiguous.
“Mark is a grown man,” Crye texted, “who doesn’t need my advice, he makes his own decisions.”
Mezzano denied Resner’s claim that Crye influenced his decision to run for the two-year seat, saying he still hadn’t decided what seat to run for when he entered the City Clerk’s Office to file his paperwork. As he sat at City Hall, Mezzano said, he received a text from council candidate Backues, his former campaign manager, letting him know that Littau also intended to run for a four year seat.
Backues independently confirmed this account for Shasta Scout, agreeing that he texted Mezzano from Littau’s office to let him know that Littau planned to run for a four-year position.
It’s a story that seems to back part of Resner’s claim, that Mezzano made his decision on which seat to run for in coordination with the plans of Backues and Littau.
But, speaking to Shasta Scout, both Backues and Littau also denied Resner’s claim that they were influenced to run by Crye and said they’re not looking to form a united slate with Mezzano.
Resner said she’s concerned because she believes a Council majority that includes Mezzano might recreate a similar dynamic to what’s occurring at the County level. Asked specifically what she meant by that, Resner said her greatest worry would be a Council that that makes poor financial decisions while ignoring legal counsel, something she’s seen happen at the county level over and over again for the last few years.
“I think the biggest concern is . . . the mismanagement of finances and disregard for what it is that the County Counsel routinely advises,” Resner said. “Those sorts of things feel really scary. They’ve put the County in a very compromised position.”
She’s referring to controversial decisions over the last two years by a three-member voting bloc on the Shasta County Board of Supervisors, including overhauling the County’s voting system, eliminating developmental impact fees, and considering spending $1 million a year on Shasta County tourism efforts.
Asked whether he supports such decisions, Mezzano repeatedly avoided answering Shasta Scout’s questions.
As Resner pointed out, managing the City’s budget is an especially important task for this incoming City Council, which faces a projected $5 million budget shortfall over the next ten years, due in part to lower-than-anticipated sales tax revenue.
A majority of the Board has also signaled they’d like to have more input into City business, particularly when it comes to the Redding Regional Airport. That’s something Mezzano said he’s open to talking about.
“I would love to have a dialogue with the County,” Mezzano said, “and collaborate on issues like the airport, issues like tourism, sit down at the table and discuss how we could offer better service both to people in the City and in the County. I get along with everybody on the Board of Supervisors.”
His approach to budgetary decisions, Mezzano explained, comes down to talking to people.
“The way I do it is that I would go to the local press and the constituents and say this is what’s going to happen if we cut this department and ask if it’s important to them,” Mezzano explained, sharing how important it is to him to listen to the people and respond.
Backues Weighs In
Council candidate Backues said Resner’s story about Mezzano doesn’t hold weight and is “another tactic to create drama.” While he confirmed that he backs Mezzano for Council, he emphasized that he wasn’t influenced by Crye, who he doesn’t get along with.
“First off,” Backues said, “Kevin Crye and I do not have a good relationship. We are not on good terms. I’m not a fan of Kevin Crye and you can publish that.”
Backues acknowledged helping Littau prepare his campaign paperwork, explaining that he’s known him for a long time. However, he said he actually supports a different candidate for the third open Council seat, Dr. Paul Dhanuka.
He also emphasized that he’s not interested in supporting County interests, he wants to stay focused on the City.
“I’m going to weigh each and every decision based on what’s best for the City,” Backues explained, “not what’s best for the County.”
Littau Weighs In
Littau said he has known Crye since they played baseball at Simpson University together, but wasn’t influenced by him to run for Council. He explained that he has no intention of forming a slate with other candidates, and is open to working with Council members who have different political perspectives.
“I’m a pretty independent thinker,” Littau told Shasta Scout by phone. “My strength is that I’m good at listening to people and I’m open minded to listening to people on all sides of the political spectrum.”
“From my perspective, voting with a specific group every single time is not in my nature,” Littau continued. “I’ll be very independent and vote independently.”
He didn’t want to comment on whether he supports the County Board’s decisions over the last year, saying “we’ll let the County stay in its own lane.”
He also pointed out that whoever ends up on the Council will need to have a strong working relationship with the County Board.
“I think both groups need to work together and bring down the political tone. It will be important that the City has a good working relationship with the County and any organization,” Littau said.
Special Interests
Resner has also called out Mezzano for accusing others of being backed by special interests during candidate forums. She called him “the king of special interests”, referencing his donations from the Redding Rancheria, a powerful local Tribe. Mezzano, like Backues and Dhanuka, received a significant donation from the Tribe this election. Littau has not.
Mezzano reminded Shasta Scout that Resner was a Redding City Council member when that body voted to approve a land deal that temporarily blocked the Tribe’s access to its new casino site. The vote happened in closed session and was later overturned by court order.
He said he doesn’t think the Redding Rancheria can be considered a special interest, because they’re a sovereign nation with all the rights of any other nation.
Asked how he felt about the Shasta County Board’s 2023 decision to enter into a thirty-year contract with the Tribe for emergency services for its new casino site, Mezzano initially spoke in glowing terms about the deal, saying the City had “missed an opportunity” by not getting such a contract first.
It’s a deal that, by the County’s own admission, won’t cover the County’s costs and is now facing litigation. In response to follow-up questions, Mezzano said he hadn’t looked at the details closely.
“I would have loved to have that money,” Mezzano said eventually, “but I don’t know if it’s enough.”
As a sovereign nation, the Tribe can contract with a variety of jurisdictions. The Rancheria has not announced a plan for how it will access electricity and other utility services for the new casino. Those could potentially be provided via a contract with the City, although the legal details of such a contract might be complex.
Resner said she believes the Tribe would benefit from negotiating with the city for electricity and sewer services, rather than building their own, and she’s open to having those conversations with the Rancheria as long as the outcome is mutually beneficial.
“Ultimately my goal is for all decisions to be what’s best for our entire community, not just one sector,” Resner said. “I have a solid relationship in a very professional back-and-forth with members of the Tribe. I think those conversations and those lines of communication are not in danger.”
On Saturday morning, October 26, Redding Rancheria Senior Director of Public Relations Maria Orozco released a statement from the Tribe saying “the Redding Rancheria has struggled with our relationship with Erin Resner” and explaining that Resner’s decision to refer to the Rancheria as a special interest group rather than a sovereign nation makes them “concerned for her understanding of our government to government relationship with the city, county, state, and federal government.”
“However, ” the Tribe said, “Redding Rancheria looks forward to continue working with all elected officials in a government to government manner on issues important to the tribe and community.”
Three seats, enough to form a majority on the Council, appear on Redding voter’s ballots this fall. The two-year seat will be won by either Mezzano, Resner or Spengler. Backues and Littau will compete with Dhanuka, Joshua Johnson and Ian Hill for the two remaining seats.
If Redding Mayor Tenessa Audette wins her bid for California Assembly, another seat on the Council could open up soon, allowing the Council to fill that seat either by appointment or special election.
Do you have a correction to share? Email us: editor@shastascout.org.
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Shasta Scout, Thanks for running this piece. Even though Crye may be endorsing Mezzano, I went to his election night party when he ran for the Assembly and Tim Garman and Joe Chimenti were there, not exactly Crye supporters. Tim Garmon supported the Crye recall which unfortunately failed. Because of the hard work Mezzano has done on the council helping individuals and organizations as well as attending many city commission meetings, he is a hard worker and I am suporting him, although if both Resner and Mezzanno were not competing for the same seat, I would also support Resner. Backeus and Lattau appeared to me to be independent voices who would be good on the council. Backeus seems ti gave excellent perspective and would be a good voice to be on the Council.
Johnson keeps sending texts and emails from his campaign but has not filed financial reports of donations or expenditures. Isn’t that a violation of FFPC law. Is your journal investigating that?
She/Her/They Juggernaut: Yes, actually, we have requested copies of his finances and have them in hand.
Here’s definite proof that Joshua Johnson is part of the Bethel juggernaut.
Kris Vallotton going all out for his candidate in this interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n4JMo89hGo
ERIN RESNER IS A HYPOCRITE WITH A SHORT MEMORY.
In a this interview , Resner said she’s concerned because she believes a Council majority that includes Mezzano might recreate a similar dynamic to what’s occurring at the County level. Asked specifically what she meant by that, Resner said her greatest worry would be a Council that that makes poor financial decisions while ignoring legal counsel.
That folks is rolling on the floor laughing hilarious coming from a prior city council member who voted behind closed doors to illegally sell city property to Red Emmerson that would prevent Win River from moving to their I5 property. Despite being warned that the sale was illegal prior to the vote. A vote that cost the City of Redding close to a million dollars to correct.
Erin was rewarded for her vote though when she received over $ 53,000 from the Red Emmerson and the Corning Casino tribe funded Shasta Vote PAC in 2022. It appears Erin is loyal. Just not to City of Redding residents.
Not sure if Mr. Mezzano is all together, after all it was him who put his video on FB showing him in the hospital with COVID and advising viewers to get the vaccine, because he didn’t believe in the vax…until he got the virus. (Long COVID ?) His snarky comments coming out of nowhere tell me he’s being a little too grouchy and may not be able to make important decisions for the city.
Has anyone asked Johnson and Resner if they actually belong to Bethel Church ? Seems that needs to be cleared up before further discussion about Bethel Juggernaut or Cabal. One of the candidates I spoke with on the phone told me he was running because of Special Interests….I asked him to tell me who the SI are that he’s referring to…he said, Bethel Church and McConnell Foundation. I said, wait a minute, Bethel yes, McConnel no, between the two guess which one has done more for Redding and Shasta Co.,,,right, McConnell.
PS, it wasn’t Resner, Johnson, Mezzano, Dhanuka, Spengler or Hill that are running because of their concern for Special Interest.
Frank, McConnell is definitley a special interest!!! I support many of the things McConnell does, but not selling the public City of Redding owned land at Turtle Bay to turn over to Populus and K2 development to develop and destroy a natural area. The citizens of Redding voted on acquiring public land along the river for public use over 50 years ago. Now these special interest want to buy it for private gain. I’m suprised you don’t see McConnell as a special interest. I’m glad at least one candidate knows a special interest when they see it. Not trying to bash McConnell, just don’t want them to develop Turtle Bay.
Johnson told me he goes to the Stirring Church. The problem I have with Johnson is not his religion, but that he was appointed Planning Commissioner by Mayor Audette, then when Dacquisto resigned she appointed Johnson to the City Council. With Munns and Audette on the Council I wonder which way Johnson will vote???
Audette tried to get Aaron Hatch removed as Planning Commissioner because he wasn’t prodevelopment which she has been pushing. 120 emails in support of Hatch and 23 public comments and she still wanted to remove him. Fortunately she didn’t have the votes. I’m glad Backeus recognized a special interest and I think the Mezzano, Resner and Littau also do. Seems like a no-brainer.
It’s one thing to get the information out there for the public to slobber over, and then it’s another thing to retract statements or To “update “”prior statements! Shasta scout being still wet behind the ears has a huge learning curve. Good luck.
It’s referred to as “Path of Truth”. Get a life as opposed to “faking it”. Then again in most cases “fear” prohibits the truth psychologically.
Next delusional A-hole step on up to the plate….
Are you guys blind?
The true conspiracy is by Bethel Juggernaut to control the city council so that they can steal the city’s land (Riverfront & Downtown), water (for their campus), culture (against Rodeo), and wealth.
That is why they appointed Johnson to the planning commission and tried to remove Aaron Hatch. The public showed up to protect Hatch and Juggernaut backed off. When Dacquisto resigned, they moved Jonson to the city council with him promising to run for the 2-year position. Then they made another shady deal with Erin Resner running for 2-year position so that Jonhson could run for 4-year position.
Johnson & Vallotton Cult’s plan is to have total control. Winter, Audette, Munns, Johnson, Resner are all part of it.
I absolutely agree with you! The bethel cult Juggernuts have already proven they cannot, and shouldn’t be, trusted with taxpayers property or money! Julie Winters being the cult gang leader, doing whatever Johnson and Vollotton want.
By the Way a little bird told me The City of Redding is slowly preparing to sue Shasta County!
Also, I thought your readers would like to know what the decision is on the opioid settlement money before Tuesdays meeting that was decided weeks ago!
Shasta County Wants To Bribe Addicts To Participate In Forced Treatment
https://reddinghomeless.blogspot.com/2024/09/shasta-county-wants-to-bribe-addicts-to.html
“Forced treatment”: aka shape up or ship out.
Here is a picture of Kevin Crye and Mark Mezzano participating in political theater pretending to care about the homeless during a homeless feeding day at Mercy Canyon, MLK park…
Redding Homeless – Mercy Canyon – “Kevin Cryeville” – Bethel Church Style Forced Treatment Prison – Again
https://reddinghomeless.blogspot.com/2023/04/redding-homeless-mercy-canyon-kevin.html
Redding Rancheria is a special interest group much to the chagrin of Jack Potter Jr tribal chairman and Mezzano and Crye are two peas in a Sundial Cannabis donation pod … Which Rancheria owns 51 percent of … No link to her video Annelise?
https://www.facebook.com/resnerforcitycouncil/videos/583878713965951
What is a Specialised interest?
a person, group, or organization that tries to influence government decisions to benefit itself. (Definition of special interest from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)
At the end of the day some people are going to county jail and or state prison for election tampering, count on it XX.