Tribes Spend Big in Redding Council Race: Most Candidates Have Been Gifted Money By One of Two Tribes

Redding Council candidates signs, including those promoting David Backues, Mark Mezzano and Mike Littau, stand near the Redding Rancheria’s new flagpole next to Interstate 5, where the Tribe will soon build a new casino. Photo by Annelise Pierce.

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11/2/24 10:53 am: We have updated our story title and second paragraph to better reflect the location of the two Tribes included in this story. We’ve also corrected an earlier statement about what Littau intends to do with Rancheria funds added a disclosure statement. 2:30 pm: We have updated our statement on the County’s contract and added a response from the Tribe. We have also updated Dhanuka and Littau’s funding sections to add four individuals whose donations were included in totals but not specifically enumerated in our individual recounting of donors of $1,000 or more.

A majority of the Redding City Council’s five seats are up for grabs this fall, making Tuesday’s election a big opportunity for Redding residents to determine the future of City leadership. 

A review of candidates’ financial disclosures only a few days before the election show that three-quarters of the candidates have received large donations from one of two nearby Tribes, the locally-based Redding Rancheria and the Tehama-based Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians, both of which run casinos. 

David Backues, Dr. Paul Dhanuka and Mark Mezzano have each received $5,000 from the Redding Rancheria, which operates the Win-River Resort & Casino. The Tribe’s latest 497 filing also shows a $5,000 gift to Michael Littau, donated on October 31. (Littau told Shasta Scout yesterday, November 1, that he has not yet seen a check from the Tribe and has not decided whether he will keep the funds.)

The Redding Rancheria, a sovereign nation, is building a new casino on land along Interstate 5. The Tribe has already struck a deal with Shasta County for contracted emergency services at the site. According to the County, that intergovernmental deal, which was agreed to by the current Board majority, does not cover the costs needed to pay for those services. That’s an assessment the Tribe told Shasta Scout today they strongly disagree with.

The Tribe could also seek to contract with the City for utility services at the new casino site, including electricity. The specific terms of any such deal would determine whether it benefits both the Tribe and City taxpayers, and in what ways.

The Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians, which owns and operates the Rolling Hills Casino & Resort has also donated to the race, giving both Joshua Johnson and Erin Resner $5,550 donations. The Tribe’s casino is also located along Interstate 5, in Corning, about an hour south of Redding.

Overall, Dhanuka leads the pack in campaign donations with almost $50,000, about half of which came from local donors who gave $1,000 or less. Many of Dhanuka’s larger campaign donations came from local physicians, as well as the Rancheria. He also received $2,500 from the Shasta County Republican Central Committee, as did Mezzano.

Resner’s donations stand out because more than two-thirds of her funds are from out-of-county donors, including the Corning-based Tribe, as well as two business owners in Idaho and Texas.

Read on for more details related to each candidate’s donations. 

Amounts cited are current as of Friday, November 1 and include only monetary donations that are listed in each candidate’s filings. While numbers in the tables include all donors, the story only lists donors who contributed $1,000 or more. Unless otherwise noted, individual donors in the story are locally based. 

Running for the two-year seat: Mezzano, Resner, Spengler

Candidate	Unique donors	Total Donations
Mezzano	7	$8,800
Spengler	0	0
Resner	17	$17,650

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To fill a two-year position on the Council, every Redding voter will choose between incumbent Mark Mezzano, political newcomer Anthony Spengler, and former Redding Council member Erin Resner.

Mezzano is a former California Highway Patrol officer who’s running for reelection. He’s received a total of $8,800 in donations, the majority of which ($5,000) came from the Redding Rancheria. Mezzano’s second largest donor is the Shasta County Republican Central Committee ($2,500). Other donors include Supervisor Kevin Crye and his wife Sarah ($1000, combined).

Spengler is a local business owner who is running for office for the first time. No financial filings are listed for Spengler. 

Resner is a local business owner who served on the Redding Council from 2018–2021. She’s received a total of $17,650 in campaign funding, the majority of which comes from the Paskenta Band ($5,550) and from Idaho-based business owner Andrew Randall ($5,500). Other significant donors include Texas-based business owner Doug Fairey ($1,500), builder Jeb Allen ($1,000), retiree Judy Salter ($1,000), and insurance broker Steven Williams ($1,000).

Running for two open four-year seats: Backues, Dhanuka, Hill, Johnson, and Littau

Candidate	Unique donors	Total Donations
Backues	6	$6,400
Dhanuka	64	$47,550
Hill	0	$0
Johnson	13	$12,550
Littau	9	$8,300

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To fill two four-year positions on the Council, every Redding voter will be able to vote for any two candidates who filed for this position, choosing from David Backues, Dr. Paul Dhanuka, Ian Hill, Josh Johnson and Mike Littau.

Backues is a business owner who managed one of Mezzano’s previous campaigns. He’s received $6,400 in donations, most of which ($5,000) comes from the Redding Rancheria. Backues’ only other significant donor is local business RC Enterprises Group ($1,000).

Dhanuka is a local physician. He’s raised more money than any other candidate ($47,550), and has the highest number of individual donors. Large donations include the Redding Rancheria ($5,000), physician Renu Magu ($3,320), local business Paragon Medical Management Group ($2,500), Shasta County Republican Central Committee ($2,500), realtor Josh Barker ($2,075), local business Advanced Concepts ($2,000), cardiologist Nikita Gill ($2,000), physician Mohamed Khan ($2,000), real estate agent Janice Cunningham and her husband Shane ($2,000 combined), Game Warden Aaron Galwey ($1,700), Corona-based physician Sanjiwani Meharda ($1,100), retiree Bruce Anderson ($1,000), surgeon Paul Beck ($1,000), Hollister-based surgeon Nick Gabriel ($1,000), Supervisor Kevin Crye ($1,000), medical practice manager Janna Mu ($1,000), gastroenterologist Leo Eickhoff ($1,000), gastroenterologist Bret Namihas ($1,000), and surgeon Heather Warren ($1,000).

Hill is a GIS mapping specialist who works for Shasta County. No financial filings are listed for Hill.

Johnson is a local developer who was just appointed to the Council a few months ago. He’s received $12,550 in donations, the largest of which comes from the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians ($5,550). He’s also received money from business owner Jeremiah Walsh ($2,000), real estate agent Josh Barker ($1,000), insurance broker Steven Williams ($1,000) and Laborers Local 185 ($1,000).

Littau is also local business owner. He’s been given $8,300 including funds from the Redding Rancheria ($5,000) and Line Drive Properties ($1450). Littau says he’s unsure whether he will keep the Rancheria’s funds.

Redding residents must cast their three votes for Council on or before November 5. The only current Council member guaranteed to remain on the Council after this fall’s election is Jack Munns. Mayor Tenessa Audette will also retain her seat unless she wins her race for state assembly, in which case the Council will decide whether to hold a special election to fill her vacancy or simply appoint her replacement.

Disclosure: In 2023, Shasta Scout received a $2,300 grant from the Redding Rancheria for office equipment.

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