Source: CPRA records · Shasta County Elections
Phase 2 — Submission & statistical sample
Sep
16
2025
10,110 raw signatures submitted
Proponents file signatures. California law sets two different thresholds depending on what was circulated to voters:
11,573
Required for a charter amendment
(10% of 115,735 registered voters)
Cal. Const. Art. XI §3(b)
6,852
Required for a general ordinance
(10% of 2022 gubernatorial votes)
Elections Code §9116 (§9116 has since been repealed; the same 10% of gubernatorial votes formula now appears in §9118. The repeal does not affect Katske's argument, which centers on §9115(c)(2).)
Sep
22
2025
⚑ Curtis signs Signature Verification Certificate
Registrar Clint Curtis — via Deputy Clerk Charlene Osborn — signs the official certification. The certificate applies the general ordinance threshold of 6,852, not the charter amendment threshold of 11,573.
Date discrepancy flagged in filing: This certificate is dated September 22 — two days before Talkington's internal email on September 24. Katske's filing argues the certification predates the underlying analysis it was supposed to certify.
View PRA Request Exhibit D · Signature Verification Certificate (CPRA 25-1021)
Sep
24
2025
⚑ Internal email states petition did not meet statistical sample threshold
Supervising Staff Services Analyst Thomas "Tommy" Talkington emails Registrar Curtis and senior elections staff (Exhibit B):
"The petition submitted for: Local Election Transparency and Security Reform, has failed to meet the 95% minimum qualified signatures to pass the statistical sampling as required by Election Code 9115."
500 signatures checked · 430 valid (86%) · 70 invalid · Projected valid total:
8,695
California law requires 95% validity to pass the statistical sample under
Elections Code §9115(c)(2).
According to the filing, 8,695 projected valid signatures would fall
2,878 short of the 11,573 required for a charter amendment.