California Governor Gavin Newsom’s tightly orchestrated Monday-afternoon visit to Shasta County came with scant advance notice. A select group of news organizations received a press release late Sunday about a “major announcement related to expanding career and education opportunities.” RSVPs were due by 9 a.m. Monday. News outlets — including A News Cafe — that contacted the governor’s press office to RSVP after the deadline were denied admission to the event.
Shasta Community College in Redding was the location of the Newsom press conference, although the governor’s team didn’t reveal that information until after accepted media outlets confirmed attendance, an unusual level of secrecy for what turned out to be a significant pivot toward potential future regional economic development.
The centerpiece of Newsom’s announcement was a comprehensive North State Jobs First Initiative that could reshape the region’s economic landscape by building educational pathways for all Shasta County students and veterans, with a focus on industrial arts and other hands-on occupations that require less-lengthy training.
Click here for the entire press conference.
Several North State news companies live streamed the governor’s press conference, as did the governor’s office via Facebook and other social media platforms.
News media professionals who made it through the required credentialing process were not allowed to ask questions during the official event. However, following a break in the press conference, approved in-person media representatives were permitted to ask questions of Newsom for about 20 minutes. Those questions and Newsom’s responses were included in the governor’s official recorded video of the event.
Click here for North State media Q&A.
The entire event lasted about an hour, of which Newsom spoke for about 20 minutes — not including the media Q&A session — seemingly without the aid of a script.
Click here for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s speech.
Newsom addressed educational and employment pathways to success soon available beyond traditional four-year, or even 2-year degrees.
“You don’t have to have a fancy degree to get tens of thousands of jobs in the state of California, Newsom said. “I just want to make the point, everybody, everybody is included in this agenda, and I don’t want people to feel like they’re not.”
Regional scope and strategy
The North State Jobs First Initiative — addressed Monday by a number of speakers, including Courtney Farrell of CSU Chico’s North State Planning and Development Collective — represents an unprecedented approach to regional development that bypasses traditional county governmental structures.
“Through countless meetings, discussions, and collaborative sessions, the North State developed our first-ever regional strategy,” Farrell said.
The initiative’s reach is ambitious, covering 31,000 square miles across 10 North State counties, from the Oregon border to the Sacramento Valley. This expansive approach recognizes that economic challenges and opportunities don’t stop at county lines.
The regional strategy focuses on strengthening natural resources management, agricultural innovation, tourism development, and healthcare industry growth.
The plan particularly emphasizes including traditionally underserved areas like Modoc, Lassen, and Plumas counties in economic planning.
For a region that supplies much of California’s water, wood products, food production, and recreational opportunities, the stakes extend far beyond county lines. According to the initiative, it represents more than just another government program, but offers a framework for reimagining regional economic development in an era of significant institutional change.
The equal allocation of $18 million to each region, regardless of population size or political alignment, underscores a deliberate commitment to equitable regional development. This approach stands in marked contrast to traditional funding formulas that often favor population centers over rural regions.
Funding and implementation
The state’s commitment to education and employment opportunities comes with substantial financial backing. Each region receives an initial $5 million planning grant, followed by $14 million in implementation funding. Starting January 2025, regions can compete for additional grants from a $120 million pool, demonstrating the state’s significant investment in regional economic development.
Education as economic driver
Shasta College’s role in this initiative highlights the central place of education in economic development. With nearly half of its programs dedicated to career technical education, the institution serves as a crucial pipeline for workforce development.
“Walk into any hospital, doctor’s office or dental clinic in our region and you’ll likely be cared for by one of our remarkable alumni,” noted Shasta College President Frank Nigro, demonstrating the immediate economic impact of local education.
A region at a crossroads
Shasta County faces these state employment and educational opportunities following several chaotic years of unprecedented institutional upheaval. In August 2024, former Acting Shasta County CEO Mary Williams broke years of silence to describe a troubling pattern of “harassing, abusive and retaliatory conduct” within county government.
Former Shasta County Acting CEO Mary Williams discloses negative details during public comment period about a pattern of “harassing, abusive and retaliatory conduct” within county government.
Her testimony to the Board of Supervisors revealed an environment so problematic that the county was forced to develop explicit new personnel policies to address workplace harassment.
The impact of this institutional crisis has been profound. Over the past two years, the county has experienced a substantial departure of key personnel, including former CEO Matt Pontes and Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Ramstrom.
Shasta County’s employee exodus continues, and extends through various departments, with numerous employees at all levels choosing to leave, or being dismissed.
(Editor’s note: On Oct. 25, 2024, Benjamin Nowain was fired from his 11-year career as a Shasta County analyst.)
Current employees have reportedly faced a choice between maintaining silence, or risking their careers by speaking out about what many describe as intolerable and toxic workplace conditions.
The resulting loss of institutional knowledge and disappearing professional expertise raises serious questions about the county’s capacity to implement new initiatives or maintain basic governmental functions. As one supervisor noted during recent policy discussions, the damage to county institutions could “take decades to recover from.”
The North State Jobs First vision
Yet amid these challenges, a new economic framework is emerging – one that has created immediate tension with current county leadership. Deeply polarized political dynamics were clearly illustrated Monday by County Executive Officer David Rickert’s same-day press release expressing profound disappointment that Governor Newsom chose to make his announcement “without engaging or coordinating with any local elected officials.”
Click here for Shasta County CEO David Rickert’s letter of protest regarding Gov. Newsom’s visit
A similar frustration was echoed just weeks earlier in Colusa County, where Administrative Officer Wendy Tyler criticized Newsom’s visit as being “more about optics than about substance” and lamented the lack of meaningful engagement with local stakeholders.
Rickert wasn’t alone in his public shellacking of the governor. Monday evening, during his weekly video report, District 1 Supervisor Kevin Crye weighed in on the subject of not only the governor’s Monday visit, but Crye’s personal dislike and mistrust of Gov. Newsom.
Click here for District 1 Supervisor Kevin Crye’s video comments about Newsom’s visit
Rickert and Crye’s comments were in stark contrast to the ebullient video released Monday by District 4-elect Supervisor Matt Plummer, who said he was personally invited by the governor’s office to attend the event.
Apparently, when CEO Rickert took the governor to task for not “engaging or coordinating with” any “local elected official” Rickert didn’t consider Matt Plummer, who attended the Newsom event. Plummer is the Shasta County District 4-elect Supervisor. He soundly won his election against District 4 Supervisor Patrick Jones in the March primary election, and will take office in January.
Not only did Plummer accept the governor’s invitation, but he stood along with other local dignitaries behind Newsom as the governor spoke.
District 4 Supervisor-elect Matt Plummer — right — pays rapt attention to Newsom’s speech Monday at Shasta College.
Conspicuously not invited were CEO Rickert, and the five sitting Shasta County Board of Supervisors.
Click here for District 4 Supervisor-elect Matt Plummer’s Monday video.
However, the red-county, blue-state divide runs deeper than mere politics and protocol, and could explain Newsom’s disinterest in inviting current county leadership. Just days before the governor’s visit, the board majority voted 3-2 to send letters to the U.S. Department of Justice questioning local election integrity, with the explicit intention of reaching out to the Trump administration, should their concerns go unaddressed.
This action provides context for what appears to be a deliberate strategy by state officials to implement regional development through alternative channels.
The entrepreneurial spirit of the region’s residents, coupled with substantial state investment, could provide the foundation for economic renewal.
As Newsom put it Monday, “Localism is determinative.” But in Shasta County’s case, success may require new definitions of who — and what — constitutes local leadership and implementation.
While CEO Rickert’s press release statement emphasized that “collaboration and partnership between state and local governments are essential,” the state’s strategy appears to favor working through more stable regional institutions like Shasta College and CSU, Chico.
The county’s world-renowned institutional instability adds another layer of complexity to implementing new economic initiatives. During the same August meeting where Williams detailed workplace concerns, county counsel acknowledged that even new anti-harassment policies would have limited effect on elected officials’ conduct, as “board members really have to police themselves.”
This governance challenge helps explain why state initiatives increasingly rely on more stable regional institutions for implementation.
The implementation challenge
The success of the North State Jobs First Initiative faces a unique challenge in Shasta County. While other regions may rely on traditional cooperation between state and county governments, Shasta’s implementation may need to rely more heavily on educational and regional institutions. Recent Shasta County Board actions, including challenges to election administration and opposition to state policies, suggest that alternative implementation pathways may be necessary to ensure the initiative’s success.
The workplace environment concerns raised by Williams and others suggest that rebuilding institutional capacity may be as crucial as securing funding or designing programs. As one current county employee noted in public testimony, “County employees are scared to speak out and are miserable until they find a new and better job.”
This ongoing institutional instability could significantly impact the county’s ability to participate effectively in regional economic development efforts.
“The state vision is realized locally,” Newsom said during the Monday afternoon presentation.
“We talk about California for all, from the Redwood Coast to the border,” Newsom said. “And that’s why I’m very proud of all of you, and I’m very grateful for your leadership and stewardship.”
Even so, in Shasta County, that local realization may need to come through institutions that have maintained operational stability and professional standards during a period of significant political upheaval.
Looking forward
The path forward for the state initiative remains complex. Whether this ambitious vision can overcome local political challenges may determine the North State’s economic trajectory for years to come. The answer may lie in the ability of regional institutions to bridge the gap between state resources and local needs, even as political tensions persist.
Assembly Education Committee Chair Al Muratsuchi, after touring North State schools and observing the region’s unique challenges, delivered what may have been the day’s most revealing statement about the deeper significance of this state engagement.
Assembly Education Committee Chair Al Muratsuchi speaks at Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Monday press conference at Shasta Community College in Redding.
“I am here to make it absolutely clear that Sacramento cares about the North State,” Muratshuchi said.
After Newsom’s stop in the North State Monday, it appears that just maybe, California has been paying attention to Shasta County after all.
