The North State Breakdown Agenda Preview - 2-25-2025

This is a late entry, but I didn’t want to skip this one. The February 25, 2025, Shasta County Board of Supervisors meeting is too important to overlook. The agenda is packed, including an ICE forum, A letter to the state about election changes, Rezoning for Hawe's farm is on the agenda again, not to mention the future of the Old Shasta County Courthouse. With a lot of decisions on the table, this meeting is expected to be intense and should be closely watched.

Transcript:

Welcome to the North State Breakdown with Benjamin Nowain. The next Shasta County Board of Supervisors meeting will take place on Tuesday, February 25th, 2025 at 9 a.m. at the County Administrative Center in Redding. This is a very large agenda, packed with more than a few contentious items, ranging from letters to government officials requesting support for election changes, a presentation on immigration, public hearings about zone amendments, to the future of the old Shasta County Courthouse, ensuring what is likely to be an intense and closely watched session.

First up is R1. The County Executive Officer will provide an update on countywide issues, and supervisors will report on legislative matters.

Supervisor Chris Kelstrom is sponsoring a proclamation recognizing March's Grand Jury Awareness Month. The Grand Jury serves as an independent investigative body that monitors local government operations. It reviews complaints from the public, examines the efficiency and transparency of government agencies, and issues reports with recommendations for improvements.

The recognition of Grand Jury Awareness Month aims to highlight its role in ensuring accountability and encourage public participation in this important civic duty.

Supervisor Matt Plummer is sponsoring a proclamation recognizing February as Career and Technical Education Month, with a presentation from North State Together.

North State Together is a regional network of cross-sector partners focused on improving educational outcomes from cradle to career in far northern California. They provide backbone support to 10 county collective impact networks, including Reach Higher Shasta, Expect More Tehama, Advancing Modoc, Trinity Together, and others. Their work includes guiding regional vision and strategy, establishing shared measurements, advancing policy, mobilizing funding, and promoting collaboration among education, workforce, and economic development groups.

Next up is R4. The Board will receive a presentation from the Shasta County Sheriff's Office and hold a community forum concerning ICE access. The meeting is required under the TRUTH Act to disclose any cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.

The Transparent Review of Unjust Transfers and Holds, the TRUTH Act, was enacted to increase transparency and accountability in local law enforcement's interactions with ICE. It mandates that local agencies disclose whether they have provided ICE access to individuals in custody and hold a public forum to discuss these interactions. The TRUTH Act requires counties to inform the public if ICE was granted access to detainees in local custody, including transfers, interviews, and notification requests.

Residents and activists are expected to express concerns over the Sheriff's Office's potential collaboration with ICE, especially in light of President Trump's recent directives on immigration enforcement. Community members are encouraged to attend and voice their views on law enforcement's role in immigration matters.

Supervisor Kevin Crye's sponsoring letters of support to President Trump and Governor Newsom advocating for voter ID requirements, eliminating same-day voter registration, and ending universal mail-in ballots. Now, we've discussed the efficacy and legality of implementing these election changes before, and they remain highly legally problematic. But I wanted to talk about something else.

This letter comes after a series of contentious meetings related to election oversight in Shasta County. Failed District 2 candidate Laura Hobbs, who is currently involved in a second lawsuit against the county, confronted Kevin Crye during public comment back in July of 2024, urging him to take action on election-related matters. After his base became increasingly frustrated with him over Tom Toller's appointment to the Registrar of Voters.

Laura Hobbs

Crye's Response

Kevin Crye

Laura Hobbs

Kevin Crye

Fast forward to February 11th, 2025, where tensions with the board escalated over Crye's handling of election issues. The board voted 4-1 in closed session to discontinue elections commission meetings until the lawsuit against Toller was resolved.

Crye was the only dissenting vote, a decision that did little to appease his election denialist supporters.

Kim Moore

Just one week earlier, on February 4th, 2025, during a meeting break, Kreis was seen privately conversing with a group consisting of a member of the elections commission, as well as the non-county sponsored elections task force, while the county's cameras were turned off. Much of the public had left.

This could potentially violate the Brown Act as it raises concerns that official business was being conducted without public overview. Now, at the February 11th Board of Supervisors meeting, Crye was seen speaking to Dan Ladd, the plaintiff in the lawsuit against the Registrar of Voters, during yet another break in the meeting, further fueling speculation that Crye is maneuvering behind the scenes on election-related matters. Which leads us to the letters being written to the governor and the president.

Is this a genuine attempt at advocating for election reform or another attempt to appease Crye's base?

R5 is a proposed ordinance amending the election commission structure and duties will be discussed. This ordinance limits the election commission meetings to six in election years and ten in non-election years, unless additional meetings receive prior board approval.

This item was brought back from a previous meeting and procedurally needed to be voted on again, as changes were made the last time it was discussed.

The board must decide what to do with the now-vacant Old Shasta County Courthouse.

The old courthouse campus consists of three connected buildings, the main courthouse, the courthouse annex, and the old jail. With the court moving to a new facility as of 2024, ownership of the old courthouse has reverted to the county. The current site includes landscaping, memorials, mature trees, and insufficient parking.

The board will consider three primary options. Full demolition and parking lot. This would provide 102 new parking spaces at a cost of $7 million, with an estimated completion date of December 2026.

Partial demolition. This would demolish the annex and the old jail portions, repurposing the main courthouse for county use and create a smaller parking lot with 34 spaces at a total cost of $17.5 million, projected to be completed by December 2028. Full repurposing and parking garage.

This would retain the entire building for county use while constructing a parking structure for 300 spaces. This is the most expensive option at $78 million, also projected for December 2028 completion. The board will also approve budget amendments allocating $250,000 for environmental and engineering studies to assess the feasibility for any chosen option.

The funding comes from the Public Safety Infrastructure Committed Fund balance. If the board opts to defer a decision, ongoing maintenance costs will continue to be incurred while the site remains unused.

R8. Several new members will be appointed to the Shasta County Mental Health, Alcohol, and Drug Advisory Board. The individuals up for appointment include Dawn Duckett and Chris Weber, who will serve the remainder of three-year terms until December 31, 2026. Heather Jones and David Kehoe, who will be reappointed for three-year terms until December 31, 2027.

Jim Berry and Troy Payne, who will serve the remainder of three-year terms until December 31, 2027. And Stacey Watson, who will serve a three-year term until December 31, 2027.

Next up is R-9 through R-11.

The board will conduct public hearings regarding additional land use changes and zone amendments.

R9. A general plan amendment and zone change for Red Dirt Rentals, LLC will be considered, converting a commercial zone into a suburban residential zone for multi-unit housing development in Palo Cedro. This proposal has been brought before the board previously and was dismissed due to significant public outcry, particularly from residents concerned about increased housing density and potential infrastructure strain. The amendment seeks to change the general plan designation from commercial to suburban residential, which would allow for development of an eight-lot residential subdivision.

R10. The board will consider a zoning amendment for a 132-acre property near Lakehead, changing it from a national recreational area designation to allow for residential and recreational development. This proposal, known as Zone Amendment 23-0004, would divide the land into four parcels of varying sizes with adjustments for steep slopes and fire safety requirements.

A key point of concern is the request for an exception to Shasta County's fire safe standards, which would waive the requirement for additional access roads in a high-fire hazard zone. Current regulations mandate secondary access routes for emergency evacuations, but the applicant argues that due to the right-of-way constraints, constructing such roads is not feasible. Instead, they propose a fire turnout and a hammerhead turnaround as an alternative.

However, critics argue that bypassing these safety requirements could place future residents at heightened wildfire risk, particularly given the region's history of devastating fires.

R11. This zoning amendment proposes a commercial recreation development on 145 acres in Anderson.

The project involves rezoning land from planned development and limited agriculture to a commercial recreation district. The proposal, submitted by Greg and Nicola Hawes, includes facilities for agritourism, entertainment attractions, and overnight lodging, with plans for expanded parking and accessibility improvements. The development aims to boost tourism and economic activity in the region, but has drawn concerns about traffic, noise levels, and environmental impacts on nearby residential properties.

The board will also review an environmental impact assessment and modifications to the existing planned development zone regulations to align with the new commercial recreational use.

Next up is the consent calendar. Here are some notable items.

• C-1. Purchase of real estate at 1257 West Street, Redding for $320,000.

• C-9 and C-10. Renewal of mental health service contracts with local providers.

• C-21. A DEA-funded agreement for the Sheriff's Office Marijuana Investigation Team.

• C-22 and C-23. Termination of emergency proclamations related to the Park Fire and March 2023 winter storms.

  
  

R12. The board will receive an update on the fiscal year 2024-25 budget and discuss necessary adjustments to stay within spending limits. The County Administration Office is proposing a series of mid-year budget amendments to ensure departments remain financially stable. The changes include a reallocation of funds across various departments, covering expenses such as law enforcement, public health, and infrastructure improvements.

Departments will be required to adjust their spending in line with the board's fiscal policies, and principles for the fiscal year 2025-26 budget will be established. The board will also approve a budget adoption schedule, ensuring transparency in public oversight and the county's financial planning. Some key budget adjustments include $220,000 increase for the Agricultural Commission for Office Relocation, $500,000 reallocation in the Department of Child Support Services for operational expenses, $5,857 for the Grand Jury to Purchase Essential Equipment, $307,743 reduction to the District Attorney's budget due to adjustments in fraud investigation funding, $500,000 in additional funding for the expansion of the Coroner's Facility.

These budget amendments aim to better align expenditures with actual revenues, ensuring the county remains on solid financial footing.

Next is Closed Session. Discussions in Closed Session will take place behind closed doors, and the public will only be informed of any reportable actions after the session concludes.

R13 through R16 include legal and labor negotiations, including a lawsuit involving Tehama County, potential new litigation, and negotiations over county-owned property on Eastside Road in Redding. This meeting will be a major test for the Board of Supervisors, with some of the most contentious items in months. From election integrity debates to a public forum on ICE enforcement, Shasta County residents should expect a heated session with significant public participation.

As always, it's important to be informed and involved. Please email the Board of Supervisors with your questions or concerns.

And that's the Agenda Preview.