Here’s Who’s Running for Shasta County Supervisor In 2024

1.3.2024 10:39 am: We have updated the article to correct that Garman was elected by voters, not appointed by supervisors.

Three of Shasta County’s five district supervisor seats will appear on the March 2024 election ballot. 

It’s a primary election, which means that any candidate for a single race that receives anything more than 50% of the vote will win the seat. In races where no single candidate wins at least 50% plus one vote, the two candidates who receive the most votes will advance to the general election in November. The March ballot will also include a vote on whether to recall current county supervisor, Kevin Crye.

Shasta County is a general law county run by five supervisors who sit on a county board. Supervisors are elected by the voters of their respective districts and are paid approximately $60,000 a year to serve the public. County supervisors are responsible for managing the county’s budget. Their decisions about county spending significantly affect community life, impacting how the community can vote, the size of the county jail, community access to water, protection from wildfire danger, how land is used, how housing and homelessness are responded to, and much more.

Shasta’s board currently includes a 3-member majority who have pushed through significant changes in county policy over the last year, often over the objections of the other two board members. One of the board’s biggest attempted policy changes, ensuring hand counting of local votes, was eventually overruled by new state law. Supervisors Patrick Jones, Chris Kelstrom and Crye have voted to put two issues on the March ballot: whether Shasta should become a charter county and whether to institute board term limits. They’ve also overseen the new appointments of a number of top officials in the county, including a new CEO, lead county attorney, health and human services director, and public health officer. Those appointments became necessary after the resignation, retirement or firing of multiple former county officials over the last eighteen months.

In public comments during county board meetings, supporters of the new board majority say they’re successfully draining the local swamp and putting power back in the hands of the people. Their opponents have rebuked the new board majority, saying Jones, Kelstrom and Crye are undermining years of seasoned governance to institute changes that are costing the county millions in lost resources, both human and financial.

Given the ideological divides between the candidates running, the public’s vote in March is likely to have a powerful impact on how the county is run over the next several years. We’ve gathered the basics of the race for power, below.

You can enter your address here to find out what district you’re in. The list below includes all certified and qualified candidates for county board who will be included on the March ballot.

District 1 – Includes Central and Northern Redding

Shasta County’s Supervisor for District 1 is Kevin Crye, a business owner who has served only one year of his four year term so far. Despite his three years remaining in office, Crye’s name will still appear on the March 2024 ballot. That’s because he’s facing a potential recall. The vote was triggered by almost 5,000 District 1 voters signatures indicating their support for Crye’s recall. It will take a majority of District 1 voters to decide whether to recall him.

Those who want to recall Crye say he’s wasted taxpayer money on ideas like hand counting election ballots and a trip to the midwest to seek election system advice from the CEO of MyPillow, Mike Lindell. Crye says his time in office proves that he’s dedicated to the kind of change that supports the good of Shasta County citizens, including protecting youth, promoting public safety and increasing awareness of homelessness.

If Crye is recalled, state law allows his replacement to be appointed by California Governor Gavin Newsom. It’s not clear whether Newsom will take advantage of that power or leave the seat vacant until the next election. Reporting from the Record Searchlight on three similar county supervisor vacancies indicates that Governor Newsom left two of those seats vacant pending an election. But Newsom has appointed officials to fill seats vacated by death or resignation in multiple counties over the last eighteen months including in Santa Barbara, Marin and Yolo. Recall supporters have sent a letter to Newsom asking him not to appoint someone to fill the vacant seat and instead leave the issue to local voters.

District 2 – Includes Centerville, French Gulch, Igo, Keswick, Ono, Platina, Southwestern Redding, Shasta

Shasta County’s District 2 is currently represented by Tim Garman, who was elected in March 2022 when his predecessor, Leonard Moty, was recalled by District 2 voters. Garman is not running for reelection because recent redistricting changes county-wide mean he no longer resides within District 2 and his attempts to relocate within new district boundaries have been unsuccessful.

There are four candidates running to take Garman’s seat: Dan Sloan, Susanne Baremore, Laura Hobbs, and Allen Long. 

Sloan is a staff member at Simpson University who chairs the local Republican party and is also running for the Republican Central Committee, District 2. Read his candidate statement here. He has not responded to multiple requests for an interview with Shasta Scout.

Baremore, an educational field representative, is a member of  the newly-formed Shasta County Citizens Election Advisory Commission and has been active in the recall of Supervisor Crye. Read her candidate statement here and see her interview with Shasta Scout here.

Hobbs, whose candidate statement says she’s a stay-at-home parent with a doctorate in microbiology, is a frequent public commenter at Shasta County board meetings, where she focuses the majority of her statements on concerns about election fraud. She describes herself as “100% MAGA.” Read her candidate statement here and see her interview with Shasta Scout here.

Long, whose paperwork describes him as a former law enforcement officer and thirty-year county resident, has been less visible to the public than the other three candidates thus far. Read his candidate statement here and see his interview with Shasta Scout here.

District 3 – Includes Southern Bella Vista, Big Bend, Burney, Cassel, Fall River Mills, Hat Creek, McArthur, Montgomery Creek, Oak Run, Old Station, Palo Cedro, Pittville, Southeastern Redding, Round Mountain, Whitmore

Shasta County Supervisor Mary Rickert currently represents District 3. Rickert is a business owner and rancher who has served on the county board since 2017. She frequently votes against the county’s board majority on issues such as election systems and personnel appointments. You can find Rickert’s candidate statement here.

Rickert is running for reelection against two other candidates, Win Carpenter and Corkey Harman. You can find her interview with Shasta Scout here.

Carpenter, a Pit River citizen, is co-host of the political radio show, Jefferson State of Mine. You can find Carpenter’s candidate statement here. He did not respond to two requests for an interview with Shasta Scout.

Harmon has not been publicly visible so far and does not list a work history on his candidate statement, which can be found here. He did not respond to a request for an interview with Shasta Scout.

District 4 – Includes Northern Bella Vista, Castella, Crag View, Jones Valley, Lakehead, Mountain Gate, Northeastern Redding, Shasta Lake

Patrick Jones is the current District 4 supervisor. He works at his family’s gun shop and is a former Redding City Council member who served as chair of the county board over the last year. Jones supports hand-counting election votes and has appeared on national television to say that the county will fight back against new state election law. You can find his candidate statement here.

He’s running for reelection and is being opposed by a single candidate, business owner Matt Plummer.  You can find Plummer’s candidate statement here and his interview with Shasta Scout here.

District 5 – Includes Anderson, Cottonwood, Happy Valley, Millville, Manton, Shingletown, Viola

Supervisor Chris Kelstrom represents District 5. He began serving his four-year term in January 2023. His career in the private sector has involved a focus on customer service and business management. Kelstrom frequently votes in alignment with Supervisor Jones.

No District 5 candidates will appear on the 2024 ballot. Kelstrom’s term ends in December 2026.

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You can find our candidate interviews here. Have questions, concerns, or comments you’d like to share with us directly? Reach out: editor@shastascout.org. If you choose to leave a comment please keep in mind our community guidelines. All comments will be moderated to ensure a healthy civic dialogue.