It’s Time for Sane Citizens to Fight Reckless ‘Patriot’s’ Illegal Gun Resolutions, Elections Violations, School-Board Takeovers, Lawlessness

There’s a potentially dangerous fork up ahead in Shasta County’s road that will determine its destiny. The county can go one of two ways: off a deadly cliff, or back on track toward a government that serves and represents all people; not just self-described patriots.

It’s now or never. It’s time to take the wheel from the crazy-dangerous drivers and return the power to rational people. All of us. By now, I mean starting tonight.

What happens at tonight’s Shasta County Board of Supervisors meeting will decide our county’s direction and ultimate fate. Either Shasta County will be overtaken by crazed outliers who’ll deliver us down a pot-holed, lawless path toward the county’s destruction, or we citizens will wake up, stand up and fight as if our way of life depends upon it; because it does.

First, the 2nd Amendment

The most immediate concern is a resolution on tonight’s Shasta County Board of Supervisors’ agenda. It’s identified as R4, found beneath Board Matters.

It’s supposedly “in support of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution”. It’s sponsored by Shasta County District 4 Supervisor and Board Chair Patrick Jones.

By the way, in case you’re new here, Jones is in the gun business. The more people who buy guns from his family’s gun shop, the more wealthy Jones becomes. Raise your hand if you see a conflict of interest here. Also, Jones joins a growing number of North State “patriots” who openly thumb their noses at CCW permits, such as Chair Jones, and his supervisor pal Chris Kelstom (unsure about Garman and Crye).

They claim they won’t ask for the government’s permit-permission to own and carry firearms because it’s their God-given right to open-carry weapons whenever and wherever they want. For this group, in their dreams Shasta County is their wild west; the wilder the better.

This is not the first time these ultra-conservative “patriots” have attempted a 2nd Amendment end-run to strong-arm Shasta County Supervisors to accept their 2nd Amendment make-over resolution.

During a July 2020 Shasta County Board of Supervisors public comment period, Richard Gallardo read a Second Amendment resolution before the board.

It was drafted by Shasta County Gun Owners, the local chapter of the California Rifle Association (CRPA), and was read during a public comment portion of a Shasta County Board of Supervisor meeting.

Presented to any rational elected leaders, that resolution was doomed for failure, because it contained several unconstitutional clauses about gun ownership. One segment stated that Shasta County would reject any federal and state laws that regulated the ownership or carrying of guns.

Therefore, because the resolution was illegal, it was soundly rejected by the 2020 trio of sane, responsible Shasta County Supervisors: Dist. 3 Supervisor Mary Rickert, Dist. 2 Supervisor Leonard Moty, and Dist. 1 Supervisor Joe Chimenti.

A few notes about Rickert, Moty, and Chimenti: All are Republicans. All are ardent Second-Amendment supporters, which is no surprise since Rickert is a rancher, Moty is a retired police chief, and Chimenti is a retired police officer.

Republican former Shasta County Supervisors Joe Chimenti and Leonard Moty, and current Shasta County Supervisor Mary Rickert were targeted for recall.

Even so, all three were labeled by the outliers as RINOs and were targeted for recall. In short order, Moty was removed from his chair in a lie-based recall and replaced with roofer Tim Garman. Chimenti opted against a re-election bid.

Now, of those three, only Supervisor Rickert remains on the board. Some have taken to referring to Rickert as “Saint Mary” — because most mere humans would have run screaming from that board months ago.

Rickert shares the dais with fellow supervisors Jones, Garman, and new supervisors Chris Kelstrom of Dist. 5 and Kevin Crye of Dist. 1, each of whom was sworn in last month.

All four men have affiliations with the Red White and Blueprint docuseries and the alt-right movement.

: Former candidate Kevin Crye at Red, White and Blueprint debate, shown in its docuseries

: Top photo, Patrick Jones. Bottom photo: Tim Garman celebrates his win of the recall election with other anti-Moty partiers as Cottonwood militia leader Woody Clendenen looks on.

: Dist. 5 Supervisor Chris Kelstrom.

Attempts to head the resolution off at the pass

Back to tonight’s Shasta County Board of Supervisors’ meeting. Many people have tried to get ahead of the curve and head the resolution off at the pass.

One such person is Shasta Lake City Councilwoman Pamelyn Morgan. She emailed all the supervisors, including Jones, and expressed her concerns about the Second Amendment end run:

Dear Board of Supervisors and Clerk of the Board,

I personally feel that it is a serious conflict of interest to have a person who receives income from a gun store that he operates sponsor any type of action regarding the Second Amendment.

He makes income off the sale of guns so should recuse himself from Item R-4.

Pamelyn Morgan

P.S. Please forward this to your interim County Council for legal advice on the issue of conflict of interest. Thank you

Here’s Jones’ response: “Nice try but no, Thanks Chair Jones”

Violations galore

Susanne Baremore sent a letter to the supervisors in opposition to R4 that included, among other things, a demand to cease and desist, along with examples of potential Brown Act violations. In Baremore’s perfect world, the letter would convince the board to remove R4 from the agenda completely. At the very least, she requests that the board table the resolution and reintroduce it later with accurate descriptions of the resolution’s intents. Baremore also listed several alleged breaches of law, such as lack of jurisdiction and authority, conflict of interest, and loyalty oaths/religious tests, which are unconstitutional.

All eyes upon Shasta County Sheriff Johnson

Mike Johnson, Shasta County Sheriff

Those promoting the Second Amendment resolution are unhappy with Shasta County Sheriff Michael Johnson, despite the fact he’s a conservative who’s described himself as a Constitutional sheriff. However, he’s been criticized by the ultra-conservative Second Amendment reframers for not endorsing open carry, and for requiring CCW permits for those who wish to carry concealed weapons.

Several citizens have contacted Sheriff Michael Johnson directly, such as this elderly citizen who wrote these words to Johnson:

Dear Sheriff Johnson,
I want to attend tonight’s Bd. of Supervisors meeting to express my displeasure with Supervisor Jones’ Agenda Item R4. But I, and many others I know, fear for their lives because of the possible presence of ‘pistol packing’ Militia, Proud Boyz, CA Pistol Association, etc. Please try to have a Deputy Sheriff presence so the general public will feel safe.

Judy Salter of Redding also emailed Johnson this message:

I am so upset about Patrick Jones’ gun tirade to be presented at the board of supervisors on Tuesday. That’s the last thing we need in this county. We are ripped apart as it is and his position on carrying guns is alarming. I certainly hope you and other law-enforcement officials will disagree with him. Thanks so much for all you do. Judy Salter.

A News Cafe contacted Johnson with some questions, which he said he’d answer after tonight’s meeting. However, here are excerpts of his replies to some citizens’ emails:

I am NOT in agreeance with Jones’ et al. and their interpretation of the 2nd Amendment. First, he does not have the authority to tell me how I will enforce the laws of this state. He does not have the authority to impose his political position on guns rights upon anyone, in violation of State or Federal law. I will be speaking at the board and letting them know just that.

I have always been a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment and the right to bear arms. What Jones and others are trying to do is impose their own broad interpretation of the 2nd Amendment and dictate which laws will and will not be recognized. That simply is NOT going to happen. I believe they will be violating their own Oath of Office and violating the Section 7 of the California Constitution.

and …

We typically have a deputy in attendance at the BOS meetings. For this meeting I will have two deputies in attendance, plus myself.

I encourage you and anyone else to email the BOS with your opinions and suggestions on this topic and any other matter of concern coming before the board.

They’ve only just begun

If you think all this panic about Shasta County’s fate and warnings of this group of reckless drivers-of-destruction sending us off a cliff is a bunch of sky-is-falling hyperbole, look no further than this “Shasta County 2022 in review” message from Gallardo on Facebook, in which he and his fellow patriots take credit for a long list of incidents that happened in 2022:

Shasta County 2022 in review:
– Recalled Moty.
– Chimenti and Baugh decide NOT to run for reelection.
– Voted in 2 non-incumbent replacement Supervisors.
– Health Officer fired after malfeasance of office.
– Director HHSA Ewert resigns.
– 2 HHSA branch directors also resign.
– County CAO Pontes resigns.
– Sheriff Magrini resigns.
– Auditor/Controller resigns.
– Voted in many non-incumbent school board members.
– School Superintendent termination.
– County Counsel Cruse submits resignation!!!!
Quite the accomplishment for about 2 years of work!!!! Much to do in 2023 and we have “only begun to fight”!! Thank you ALL to the fellow patriots for all you have sacrificed!!!!

More than just one resolution

Tonight’s R4 Second Amendment agenda item is this group’s first foray into using a like-minded board majority to create chaos in Shasta County. Most recently the board majority voted out the Dominion voting machines, a move that could prove a million-dollar mistake.

There’s trouble in the school boards, too.

In addition to Gallardo, some ultra-conservatives influencers like militia members Clenenden and Carlos Zapata have openly bragged on various radio shows and podcasts their glee that their “side” is winning. As Clenenden recently pointed out, people across the country who Google Shasta County will be heartened and attracted to the patriots’ accomplishments. (See Gallardo’s list, above.) If the extremists have their way, all county positions will be filled by people just like them.

This is a chilling realization. Rational people watch in horror as the best-and-brightest prospective employees Google Shasta County, read about the insanity here and never apply for such positions as County Counsel (Rubin Cruse leaves in April), CEO (the county’s on its second interim CEO) and health officer (former health officer Karen Ramstrom was fired without cause). Plus, the county has more than 300 vacant positions waiting to be filled. As Zapata proclaimed once, “We’re the sons of bitches in change.”

Finally, for those who say that what’s happening in Shasta County is happening across the country, what makes the North State unique in the worst possible way is that the ultra-conservative destruction has been funded by a son-of-a-billionaire who’s holding a grudge against Shasta County.

The only thing that will let the air out of the clown car’s tires is for tens of thousands of good people of all parties to stand up and block this group from making any further inroads toward destroying Shasta County.

Power to the good people.

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