Shasta County Board of Supervisors.
For the past six months, newly elected Shasta County District 3 Supervisor Corkey Harmon has reliably sided with District 1 Supervisor Kevin Crye and District 5 Supervisor Chris Kelstrom on divisive issues, forming a MAGA majority against the board’s more rational members, District 2 Supervisor Allen Long and District 4 Supervisor Matt Plummer.
The MAGA majority’s selection of election denier Clint Curtis as Shasta County’s new Clerk/Registrar of Voters last month is potentially the most consequential decision they’ve made so far. Curtis’s immediate sacking of former Assistant ROV Joanne Francescut, a popular 17-year veteran of the elections office rubbed more salt in the wound. Things were looking bleak in Shasta County politics.
But a different Corkey Harmon showed up at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, the Harmon who campaigned on doing the right thing and following the cowboy way. For perhaps the first time, Harmon stood up to Chair Crye’s bullying, voting with Plummer and Long against Crye’s naked attempt to strip Long of three committee seats.
District 3 Supervisor Corkey Harmon.
Here’s how it went down. Crye is manically obsessed with bringing a medical school to Shasta County, a proposal first brought up by Dr. Paul Dhanuka when he successfully ran for a Redding City Council seat last year. Crye funneled $40,000 in taxpayer funds to his friend Chriss Street to explore how much a medical school would cost but so far has not explained who would actually pay for it.
That makes Supervisors Long and Plummer understandably suspicious, since Shasta County doesn’t have enough surplus funding for the alternative sentencing campus proposed by Sheriff Michael Johnson, let alone funds for a long-needed new jail, or money for Prop. 36, the “make drugs illegal again” act approved by 80 percent of Shasta County voters.
Both Plummer and Long have been asking tough questions during board discussions about the medical school, a process Crye has divisively branded as “too much bureaucracy.”
Crye apparently believes he can manifest the medical school through the power of positive thinking. He said he recently spent three and a half hours bending former state Sen. Brian Dahle’s ear on the subject. He said a meeting with UC Davis takes place this week.
“This medical school is gonna happen,” Crye said Tuesday. “We’re at the five yard line, it’s third and goal.”
He may be on the five yard line, but it’s more like 95 yards to go for a touchdown. As Public Health Officer Dr. James Mu noted last week, if building a medical school was easy, everybody would do it. Show us the money Mr. Crye.
Crye was looking forward to presenting his medical school proposal to the Rural County Representatives of California later this week, until he was invited to go to Los Angeles by Sheriff Johnson; Plummer is also coming along, apparently to observe ICE and the California Guard abuse Southern Californians. Crye jumped at the chance but then remembered his RCRC alternate was Long. There was no way Crye was trusting Long with the medical school proposal.
So Crye placed R4 on the agenda, a resolution stripping Long’s alternate status in RCRC, the Golden State Connect Authority and the Golden State Finance Authority and replacing him with Kelstrom. Crye, who prides himself on transparency didn’t mention Long’s name in the resolution, but he did admit his motives after being called out by Long at Tuesday’s meeting.
District 1 Supervisor Kevin Crye.
“I went to Supervisor Kelstrom and said, Supervisor Kelstrom, this is very, very important how this is articulated, what is said,” Crye explained his thought process. “And it is extremely important, extremely important that we follow the game plan that I, Dr. Danuka, Norm Hall at Simpson University, and many other medical professionals that have leaned in on.”
It’s third and goal on the 5!
“I wanna punch this in,” Crye said. “I said (to Kelstrom) I’m going to make a motion to have you be my alternate, because I am unable to work with Supervisor Long on these types of issues.”
Thus the genesis of R4. The agenda was released last Thursday; Long easily figured out Crye was pulling an end-run around him, since his name had been replaced by Kelstrom’s in the staff report.
The meeting began with some agenda juggling, R2, a proclamation thanking Shasta Lake City and Redding for hosting the Board while the chambers were being refurbished was moved to R1. R1, the board reports were moved to R2. Long was the first supervisor to report and brought up R4 and Crye’s chicanery at the end of his remarks. He requested that R4 be moved to R3, immediately after board reports.
District 2 Supervisor Allen Long.
“So without getting into discussion, we’ll get to R4 maybe in a moment, but I would make a motion that we table everything in R4 until the meeting in January, where the elected chair can decide who sits on which committees, and then he can make committee selections as he sees fit, so that is my motion at this time,” Long said.
“Fails for lack of a second!” Crye said attempting to cut off the vote. Confusion ensued as County Counsel Joseph Larmour explained Long could request to have R4 moved to R3 and then make his motion to table everything till January during deliberations.
“I’m going to second that,” Harmon said. It was difficult to tell whether the District 3 Supervisor was seconding moving R4 to R3, putting any changes in committee assignments off till January or both. Both, it turned out.
“My motion is that I make a motion to table all discussion about, contained in R3 now, not R4, R3, until the meeting in January, when the duly elected chair will decide who is on which committee selections,” Long said. “And that is my motion.”
“Dies for lack of a second,” Crye said three seconds later, once again attempting to kill the vote.
“Wait a minute,” Long said, appealing to Harmon. “Wait a minute.”
“Don’t let him gaslight you!” Crye warned Harmon.
“No it’s not gaslighting!’ Long said.
“I thought I already made a motion for this,” Harmon said.
“You did not make a motion,” Long said. “Can you second my motion, is what I’m saying? And we’ll take a vote.”
“I am seconding your motion,” Harmon said.
“So we have a motion and we have a second,” Long said. “Kevin? So call for a vote.”
“Don’t remotely demand what I do, as chair,” Crye snarled. “When you’re chair, you can call the shots.”
Even though Long couldn’t attend Friday’s RCRC meeting and Kelstrom had agreed to attend in his stead, Crye said he’d cancel the trip to LA and do the presentation himself.
“This is a critical, critical issue as it relates to the medical school,” Crye said. “And I don’t want it undermined, sabotaged, and quite honestly, I probably will just have to not go to Southern California with this sheriff.”
District 3 Supervisor Corkey Harmon.
“I don’t want to see this board get upside down,” Harmon said. “We’ve worked very hard to work together. I don’t understand, because I never got to talk to anybody, why we would take him off as an alternate.”
Long again pointed out that Kelstrom could present the medical school proposal to RCRC.
“Supervisor Kelstrom can go there, and he can present everything you want him to say,” Long said. “ I think you would have been served well to have contacted me up front, because this is an end run, and this is a vindictive means to do it.”
Crye denied being vindictive.
“You are trying to remove me for no purpose,” Long said.
“No, I am removing you for a purpose!” Crye retorted.
“Because what?” Long replied. “I don’t parrot exactly what you want said? If you asked me, if you asked how do you feel about the medical school? I would tell you, I’m in full support of bringing a medical school here. I think we have a doctor shortage. I signed the proclamation. I want a medical school. I just don’t think the county can pay for it right now.”
At one point Crye appeared to misspeak when he told Harmon the situation “was not uncomfortable.”
“No, this is very uncomfortable!” Harmon countered.
“We discussed many items, but one of the things that was very apparent and clear to me is I have to make sure that I’m rowing in complete lockstep,” Crye said, referencing his conversation with Dahle. “And if you said that we’re 99 percent agreeable on stuff, then I would think you’d support the direction I want to go to make this happen.
“I do not support the direction you want to go,” Long said. “I would like to call for a vote right now.”
“You’re putting the jail in front of it,” Harmon told Long. “I don’t think that the jail and medical school, one is in front of the other, in my opinion. They both need to happen.”
“I am very supportive of both,” Long said. “I agree.”
“Jail’s not going to happen,” Crye said dismissively.
“The county can’t afford either one,” Harmon said. “So we go forward with all this research and try to get things, the jail, shovel ready so when the right opportunity comes up and the right grant, the right whatever, and it’ll happen at some point.”
Harmon’s hoping the federal government might pitch in with law enforcement funding.
“In my opinion, we all agree on the same thing right here as five board members,” Harmon said. “And what I see happening here with this is a division, putting boxing gloves on. I don’t wanna see that. We’ve done really good for six months.”
“I don’t think that will change,” Crye said.
“I don’t think it’s gonna change either,” Harmon said. “I think we’re all going the right direction in the same direction. I’m a very respectful to people around me. I don’t wanna put boxing gloves on. I don’t wanna see anybody else do it. I wanna see us fully collaborative.”
Because it’s the cowboy way!
District 4 Supervisor Matt Plummer.
Plummer seized the moment to bring civility back to the meeting.
“So I would propose that we table this, we leave things as they are today,” Plummer said. “Then Supervisor Crye and Supervisor Long, you all can discuss more about the medical school and see if you can come to some agreement. And if you can’t, then maybe you bring this back at a later point. But I think getting into a long discussion over the merits of the medical school on this particular item is probably not right, and we don’t need to settle it for today.”
Long, Plummer and Harmon voted to table the committee assignments for later, with Crye and Kelstrom dissenting.
“Passes 3-2, and we will bring that back,” a miffed Crye promised. “Good job, Allen. It’s impressive.”
He was not being sincere.
Shasta County BOS thanks Shasta Lake City and Redding for hosting county meetings while board chambers were renovated.
SCOREBOARD
Board Matters
R1 Receive an update from the County Executive Officer on County issues and consider action on specific legislation related to Shasta County’s legislative platform and receive Supervisors’ reports on countywide issues.
No Additional General Fund Impact
No Vote
R2 Present Certificates of Recognition to the following: (1) City of Shasta Lake: (a) Jessaca Lugo, Shasta Lake City Manager; and (b) Charity Tatlow, Shasta Lake City Clerk; and (2) City of Redding for their collaboration and willingness to allow the County the use of their Chambers for Board meetings.
No Additional General Fund Impact
Simple Majority Vote
Score: 5-0
Administrative Office
R3 Take the following actions: (1) Adopt a resolution for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-26 which: (a) adopts the Budget that was the subject of public hearings on June 10 through June 12, 2025, and approved as revised by the Board of Supervisors on June 12, 2025; (b) approves the Committed Fund Balances; (c) adopts the Schedule of Position Allocations by budget unit; and (d) adopts the County Salary Schedule; (2) adopt a salary resolution which reflects the Position Allocation Amendments approved in the FY 2025-26 budget effective June 29, 2025; and (3) adopt new and updated job classifications as approved in the FY 2025-26 Budget.
General Fund Impact
Simple Majority Vote Board of Supervisors
Score: 5-0.
R4 Approve an amendment to the Chair’s appointments and liaison assignments for the calendar year 2025 (Sponsored by Supervisor Crye).
No Additional General Fund Impact
Simple Majority Vote
Score: The board voted 3-2 to table any committee assignment changes.
Health and Human Services Agency-Administration
R5 Approve a General Fund loan extension, in accordance with Government Code Section 25214.4(b), to be repaid by October 31, 2025, along with interest at the Treasurer’s pool rate, within the Social Services Fund (0140) to cover actual negative cash balance at fiscal year-end in an amount not to exceed $5,000,000.
General Fund Impact
4/5 Vote
Score: 5-0.
CLOSED SESSION ANNOUNCEMENT
Score: There was no reportable action coming out of closed session.
R6 CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATORS
(Government Code Section 54957.6):
Agency Negotiators:
County Executive Officer David Rickert
Personnel Director Monica Fugitt
Chief Labor Negotiator Gage Dungy, Liebert Cassidy Whitmore
Employee Organizations:
United Public Employees of California, Local 792 – General Unit United Public Employees of California, Local 792 – Professional Unit Professional Peace Officers Association
Deputy Sheriffs Association – Deputy Sheriff, Sergeant and District Attorney Investigator Unit
R7 CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL – EXISTING LITIGATION
(Government Code section 54959.9(d)(1)):
Case Names:
Derrick Wilson v. Tom Dodson et al. (Superior Court of California, County of Shasta, Case #204346)
California Land Stewardship Council LLC v. County of Shasta and its Board of Supervisors (Superior Court of California, County of Shasta, Case #24CV-0204669)
At the conclusion of the Closed Session, reportable action, if any, will be reported in Open Session.
CONSENT CALENDAR
Score: Crye pulled C10; it was approved 5-0. Supervisor Plummer recused himself from C13; it passed 4-0. The remainder of the consent calendar passed unanimously.
County Administrative Office
C1 Adopt a resolution which: (1) Declares the combiner, multicoupler, and antenna system (Capital Asset 41263) as surplus property; (2) authorizes the donation of Capital Asset 41263 to the Shasta County Office of Education effective June 30, 2025; and (3) designates authority to the County Executive Officer, or their designee, to sign and submit any documents related to the donation, as long as they otherwise comply with Administrative Policy 6-101, Shasta County Contracts Manual.
No Additional General Fund Impact
4/5 Vote
C2 Approve a renewal agreement with the Economic Development Corporation of
Shasta County for a comprehensive economic development strategic plan.
No Additional General Fund Impact
Simple Majority Vote
Clerk of the Board
C3 Approve the minutes of the meetings held on May 13 and 27, 2025, as submitted.
No Additional General Fund Impact
Simple Majority Vote
Health and Human Services Agency-Administration
C4 Approve a renewal agreement with Fiscal Experts, Inc., dba Time Study Buddy, for cloud-based time study services.
No General Fund Impact
Simple Majority Vote
C5 Approve budget amendments which: (1) Increase revenue by $70,948 in the Welfare Cash Aid Payment Budget (BU 541); and (2) increase transfer out Cash Aid Grants by $70,948 and a commensurate decrease to transfer out IHSS in the General Revenues and Transfers Budget (BU 100).
General Fund Impact
4/5 Vote
Health and Human Services Agency-Behavioral Health and Social Services
C6 Approve a renewal agreement with Aloha Psychiatry, Inc., for telepsychiatry services in an amount not to exceed $2,000,000.
No General Fund Impact
Simple Majority Vote
C7 Approve a renewal agreement with Panoramic Software Corporation for Public Guardian Pro Web software, storage of data, training, and support.
No Additional General Fund Impact
Simple Majority Vote
C8 Approve an amendment to the agreement with Crestwood Behavioral Health, Inc., for residential mental health treatment services which increases rates and maximum compensation by $2,400,000.
No General Fund Impact
Simple Majority Vote
C9 Approve a renewal agreement with Oscar and Ghislaine Ramasar, dba Crest Home for the Elderly, for residential care facility services in an amount not to exceed $2,500,000.
No General Fund Impact
Simple Majority Vote
Human Services Agency-Economic Mobility
C10 Approve a revenue agreement with the California Department of Housing and Community Development for utilizing Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program round five funds for interim housing, street outreach, and services coordination (Agreement) and designate authority to the HHSA Director, or their designee, to sign additional documents and amendments, including retroactive related to the Agreement.
No Additional General Fund Impact
Simple Majority Vote
Public Works
C11 Approve an evergreen Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Sacramento County for participation in the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI) Consortium and authorize the Health and Human Services Agency Director, or their designee, to sign amendments, including retroactive, that do not result in a substantial or functional change to the intent of the MOU.
No General Fund Impact
Simple Majority Vote Information Technology
C12 Approve an amendment to the agreement with True Telecom and Surveillance, Inc., for video surveillance system services which increases the maximum compensation.
No Additional General Fund Impact
Simple Majority Vote
Probation
C13 Approve budget amendments for the “2660 Breslauer Way HVAC Replacement Project,” which increase appropriations and revenue by $40,000 in the Land Buildings and Improvements Budget (BU 166) and adjust appropriations by $40,000 from account 034801 to account 095166 in the Public Health Admin Budget (BU 411). No General Fund Impact 4/5 Vote
No Additional General Fund Impact Simple Majority Vote
C14 Adopt a resolution which recognizes that the circumstances and factors that led to the May 27, 2025, proclamation of an emergency in the area of the Breslauer Campus, due to necessity of an emergency sewer line repair, have not been resolved and that there is a need for continuation of the emergency proclamation.
No Additional General Fund Impact
Simple Majority Vote
C15 Approve Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-25 General Fund loan extensions, in accordance with Government Code Section 25214.4(b), to cover actual negative cash balances at fiscal year-end, to be repaid within a period of twelve months from the end of the FY 2024-25, along with interest at the Treasurer’s pool rate in the: (1) Fall River Mills Airport Administration Fund, in an amount not to exceed $150,000; (2) CSA No. 3-Castella Water Administration Fund, in an amount not to exceed $250,000; (3) CSA No. 6-Jones Valley Water Administration Fund, in
an amount not to exceed $250,000; and (4) CSA No. 17-Cottonwood Sewer Administration Fund, in an amount not to exceed $3,600,000.
General Fund Impact
4/5 Vote
C16 Approve agreements and accept securities for Amendment 23-0001 of Parcel Map 14-005 with Highmark Land Company, LLC, guaranteeing construction of conditioned improvements.
No General Fund Impact
Simple Majority Vote Support Services
C17 Adopt a Salary Resolution, effective June 29, 2025, which amends the Shasta County Salary Schedule, Classification Specifications, and Position Allocation List in accordance with Senate Bill 525.
General Fund Impact
Simple Majority Vote Treasurer-Tax Collector-Public Administrator
C18 Approve an Order of Discharge of Accountability pursuant to Revenue and Taxation Code Section 2611.1 for unsecured property taxes and penalties more than ten years old.
General Fund Impact
Simple Majority Vote
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