Our news coverage of Shasta County is centered around the topics and stories most important to shaping our community. Much of our work centers on government accountability at the county and the three cities. We also report regularly on elections, law enforcement, public health and public safety.
After unsuccessfully pushing for more competitive pay from the county, several prosecutors from the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office are leaving for better opportunities elsewhere, leaving the county in a “critical” prosecutor shortage.
Council members voted to censure Baugh and remove her from her committee assignments over allegations that she improperly used her elected position in connection with a proposed youth treatment facility project.
Health and Human Services Agency Director Christy Coleman offered scarce information about a budget deficit of many millions in the agency’s social services fund. The board’s discussion included a focus on federal and state issues without questioning the lack of information provided regarding the current shortfall.
The report includes accounts of interviews with witnesses after an early-April incident that involved a threat to have a staffer pulled out of their office by their hair. The report substantiated that account and other threats of violence, along with verbal abuse and retaliation. Curtis has denied the findings and will hold a press conference Thursday.
HHSA Director Christy Coleman will present Tuesday about ongoing budget concerns that have left the county’s largest agency more than $4 million in the red. Potential cost-saving measures include a monthly mandatory furlough for all HHSA staff members. The measure would amount to a 5% pay cut for about half the county’s employees.
There are three candidates running for Shasta County’s District 1 board seat. Erin Resner says she’s running to give the public an alternative to current Supervisor Kevin Crye.
Steve Dodge was in Redding to speak at a nonpartisan election-related event. Hours before the event began, he approached ROV Clint Curtis at the elections office, probing him repeatedly with questions while filming. Curtis called the police, referring to the incident as a “conspiracy to intimidate voters.”
The Cascade Union Elementary School District recently lost three of its five board members, prompting the Shasta County Board of Education to temporarily appoint Jackie LaBarbera. The board is functional again but it's unclear when LaBarbera will step down.
The report is a result of the nonprofit’s Building Bridges Initiative, which aims to converse with community members to find ways to bridge divides. “What we heard was honest, and some of it was hard,” United Way’s director said.
The typos include extra or missing words and a number of misspellings, as well as incorrect dates, including an error related to when mail-in ballots are supposed to be received by the elections office.
