Connecticut son-of-a-billionaire Reverge Anselmo
After weeks of rumors that Reverge Anselmo was riding to the rescue of Shasta County’s flailing rightwing political movement, the Connecticut multimillionaire has donated $100,000 to the newly formed Water Users Committee, just in time for the Nov. 8 midterm elections, according to forms filed yesterday with the Shasta County Elections department.
Well-known local Tea Party activist Lyndia Kent is listed as the Water Users Committee treasurer. She and her like-minded activist brother Mark Kent were involved with the Shasta General Purpose Committee and the Liberty Committee political action committees, which collectively received more than $830,000 from Anselmo during the past two years.
Roughly half of that amount was spent on the successful recall of former District 2 Supervisor Leonard Moty earlier this year. The other half was spent on a failed effort to install rightwing candidates in the elected offices of County Clerk, District Attorney and Superintendent of Schools in the June primary election.
With his latest donation, Anselmo, one of three heirs to a billion dollar fortune his late father made as a satellite TV pioneer, has now given well over $1 million to ultraconservative political candidates in Shasta County since bankrolling District 4 Supervisor Patrick Jones’ 2020 campaign with $110,000.
Anselmo served in the Marines, wrote an autobiography and became a mid-level Hollywood producer before moving to Shasta County in the 2000s. His attempt to establish a restaurant, ranch and winery in the Shingletown area ran afoul with county code enforcement, kicking off a bitter feud between Anselmo and the county that continues to this day.
Who exactly will benefit from the son-of-a-billionaire’s latest largess remains to be seen. So far, the Water Users Committee has spent $15,959 on “mailers for the upcoming election” but no candidates or issues are named in the filing. Keep an eye on those mailboxes!
This story will be updated as more information comes in.
