Shasta County Board Calls Special Meeting to Censure Elections Chief Clint Curtis Over substantiated Misconduct Findings

The Shasta County Board of Supervisors has called a special meeting for Tuesday, April 28, at 9 a.m. at the County Administration Center, 1450 Court Street, Suite 263, Redding — with a single item on the regular calendar: voting on whether to formally censure County Clerk and Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis.

The censure stems from substantiated findings of managerial misconduct uncovered in a county investigation. The board was first briefed on those findings at its April 21 regular meeting. The special meeting was called to take up a draft censure resolution before Curtis or his office could preside over upcoming election activity.

WHAT THE AGENDA SAYS

The special meeting's sole regular calendar item (R1) reads:

"Discuss the conduct of the Clerk and Registrar of Voters, Clint Curtis and consider adopting a resolution of censure against Clint Curtis for substantiated findings of managerial misconduct following an investigation."

The draft resolution included in the agenda packet invokes Shasta County Personnel Rules Chapter 22 — the county's policy against discrimination, harassment, abusive conduct, and retaliation. Under that policy, abusive conduct is defined as workplace behavior, undertaken with malice, that a reasonable person would find hostile, offensive, and unrelated to legitimate business interests. It includes verbal abuse, intimidating or humiliating conduct, and intentional interference with an employee's work performance.

The resolution states that the board has considered Curtis's response, heard public comment, and engaged in deliberation before determining his conduct warrants formal censure.

HISTORY: THE SHASTA SCOUT STANDOFF

This is not the first time Curtis has faced censure. In October 2025 — just months after his appointment — the board convened a special meeting and voted 5-0 to condemn Curtis's decision to exclude Shasta Scout, a local nonprofit news outlet, from receiving press releases distributed by his office. Board Chair Kevin Crye declared on the record that the board "unanimously respects the right of the press to have free and unfettered access to public information." The First Amendment Coalition sent Curtis a letter calling the exclusion illegal and unconstitutional.

The board stopped short of a formal censure that day — but only after issuing an explicit warning that one would follow if Curtis repeated the conduct. He agreed to comply with the board's direction.

Tuesday's special meeting is the board's first vote on an actual censure resolution since Curtis was appointed in spring 2025.

WHAT COMES NEXT

The board could adopt the censure resolution, decline it, revise it, or defer consideration. A censure is a formal expression of disapproval but carries no removal authority — Curtis is an appointed official whose term is set by county policy. The meeting will be livestreamed on Shasta County's website https://www.shastacounty.gov/board-supervisors/page/board-agendas-minutes-videos. As well as the North State Breakdown Facebook page.

The Board of Supervisors meets Tuesday, April 28, at 9 a.m., County Administration Center, 1450 Court Street, Suite 263, Redding.

And that's the breaking news.