I have lived in Shasta County for over 45 years. I believe it is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. As a volunteer in different organizations, I have always been impressed by the generosity of our citizens.
Historically, I have been content to know that most of our government employees and officials have shared my perspective, guarding this little slice of heaven. Sadly, I have seen a number of changes that have troubled me enough to take a step off the sidelines, including the attempt to change Shasta County from a General Law to a Charter County.
Initially, I didn’t know much about this, but after some research my conclusion is a resounding, “Vote No!”
Simply, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” This county has functioned effectively for 150 years as a General Law County and there is simply no compelling reason to take on this complex and costly change in our form of governance.
The idea is sold as “more local control”, but it appears to currently be a single issue, empowering the Board of Supervisors to appoint a replacement for any vacant seat outside of election time. Historically the governor has been very lax about replacing a supervisor, doing so rarely, even upon request. Do we really want to change our entire form of government over this?
There have been no public hearings that would serve to help voters make an informed choice. It’s a very big deal, yet it seems the attempt is to slam it through, with little or no public debate.
Our county has plenty of other big fish to fry, such as dealing with the loss of considerable income from the action to eliminate impact fees that fund county programs, the exorbitant cost of replacing a perfectly functional voting system and a disappointing lack of professionalism by a few of our board members.
Eliminating impact fees exactly when one member has a big development in progress and not recusing himself from the vote demonstrates self-interest over service to the County. The whole process feels like the “sign here, you don’t need to read this” sales job!
These actions are abhorrent to fiscal conservatives like myself who understand that you require revenue to pay the bills and you should not squander your money recklessly! No data has been presented to support this action.
Right now our county can’t move on to governing, but rather is ensconced in an expensive legal spitting match with the State. The voting machine situation and has cost us over $1 million dollars to fix something that was not broken. (BTW, I don’t get that one. If the system were so flawed, then is their own election fraudulent?).
This drive to change our form of governance is being led by some board members who apparently do not understand some of the basic rules for their position including the Brown Act that requires transparency in all supervisors business. Further, large amounts of money funding this drive are coming from someone who does not live her and has a vendetta against our beloved County. This appears to seriously undermine local control.
I believe most voters want the same things: a good life with their family, health and safety. They don’t have time to get involved in a lot of these details. In order to guarantee that continues, we must exercise our franchise and vote. Protect your right to choose your officials and much more.
Do not delegate that right to a 3 person majority on the Board of Supervisors. Protect the fragile stability of our county. Vote No on Charter County.
