North State Breakdown · Magrini v. County of Shasta
Timeline of Events: 2019–2026
2021 — 2022
Dec 2019
Appointed Sheriff — Eric Magrini becomes Shasta County Sheriff. During COVID-19, he enforces state public health mandates despite pressure from supervisors to stop.
Jun 2021
Resigns as Sheriff — takes newly created Asst. CEO role. Begins leading Redding Rancheria IGA negotiations.
Oct 12, 2022
$4,000 from Rancheria to Crye's campaign — while IGA negotiations are active.
Source: Shasta County Netfile
2023 — The Pressure Builds
Late 2022 / Early 2023
Magrini reports Crye's secret parallel negotiations with the Tribe and the §87100 conflict to Acting CEO and County Counsel.
Source: Complaint para. 12 — corroborated by Judge Baker ruling
Jan 2023
Crye attempts to eliminate the Assistant CEO position — found legally impermissible. Magrini also struck from CEO candidate list despite being ranked most qualified by independent recruiter.
Mar 2023
Magrini learns Crye "stalked his wife at her place of employment." Ms. Magrini worked as a secretary at a church in Anderson — a city Crye has no official business in. The complaint alleges Crye knew the family's church, wife's workplace, and granddaughter's school.
Source: Magrini v. County of Shasta, Complaint para. 17
Apr 2023
Magrini placed on administrative leave. County Counsel Jim Ross issues memo directing all BOS members to "refrain from having any contact with Eric Magrini."
Source: Magrini v. County of Shasta, Second Amended Complaint
Jul 25, 2023
BOS votes 4–1 to approve the IGA — $212M+ less than what Magrini negotiated. Crye votes yes on a deal that benefited the entity that donated to his campaign 9 months earlier.
Source: BOS staff report (Exhibit A to complaint); Shasta County Netfile
2024 — The Termination
Feb 2024
California Land Stewardship Council, LLC files writ of mandamus (Case No. 24CV-0204273) seeking to void the BOS's IGA approval.
Aug 23, 2024
County officials hold a meeting with Magrini. He is terminated immediately after. As a permanent public employee, the complaint alleges this was a "sham disciplinary meeting."
Source: Magrini v. County of Shasta, Complaint para. 22
2025
Dec 19, 2024
Board Chairman Crye publicly praises retired Sheriff's Captain Pat Kropholler at a county recognition event.
Jan 2025
BOS votes to pay Kropholler nearly $2.8 million to settle his lawsuit — less than one month after Crye's public praise. Kropholler had claimed Magrini retaliated against him for being a whistleblower.
Source: Shasta County BOS records; Magrini v. County of Shasta
Jul 14, 2025
Judge Baker voids the IGA. The court finds the deal "was not authorized by law" — the negotiations had excluded the Sheriff, DA, and Fire Chief, all of whom opposed the deal.
Source: California Land Stewardship Council v. County of Shasta, 24CV-0204273
Apr 2, 2026
Magrini files Second Amended Complaint (Case No. 25CV-0208798) — alleging whistleblower retaliation under Labor Code §1102.5 and Government Code §8547 et seq.
Jun 2, 2026
Election Day. Kevin Crye runs for re-election to District 1 with the FPPC case open, two whistleblower lawsuits filed, and a judge's ruling that voided his signature policy achievement.
Sources: Magrini v. County of Shasta (Case No. 25CV-0208798) · BOS records · Shasta County Netfile · North State Breakdown