One of Shasta's 2 new supervisors unmoved when it comes to controversial elections panel
Shasta Supervisor Allen Long reiterated Tuesday he will not be nominating anyone to a citizens' advisory panel that for over a year has stirred controversy by spreading misinformation and eroding trust in county elections in the community.
The District 2 representative spoke to the Record Searchlight after supervisors voted 5-0 to approve an ordinance for the Shasta County Elections Commission that changes how often panelist meet in election years and nonelection years.
Under the new rules, the commission will meet no more than six times in statewide election years and no more than 10 times in years without an election, unless supervisors approve additional meetings. The commission also will have to report to the board twice annually, with one of the reports to include results from an annual survey on voters' trust.
Long emphasized his vote Tuesday does not mean he supports the citizens panel.
'I fought my own fight when we came up with all the (amended) terms. I voted against it," Long said.
"But this vote today was simply that I respect our board's process, I respect our board's vote, and this was just simply a vote to codify the results of a legitimate board decision a month ago," he added.
Before his first meeting in January, the freshman supervisors told the Record Searchlight he saw no reason to have an elections commission because he trusted the county Registrar of Voters Office and what the advisory panel has proposed in the past is not legal.
'We need to stop spending time and money on conspiracy theories and start focusing on making the lives of our citizens better,' he said.
Matt Plummer, the board's other freshman supervisor who's been critical of the citizens committee, said he is considering nominating someone to the elections commission. Plummer in the past had said he wasn't sure if he would consider nominating someone to the panel.
But 'with it being suspended right now, it's not a top priority,' the District 4 supervisor said after Tuesday's vote.
Last month, supervisors voted 4-1 to temporarily suspend meetings of the elections commission until a lawsuit filed against Registrar of Voters Tom Toller is resolved. A hearing for the civil suit is scheduled in court on April 1. Benjamin Hanna is the judge assigned to the case.
Supporters of the lawsuit argued Tuesday the commission, which only has three members at this time, should not stop meeting while the county fights the suit.
The civil suit was filed by Daniel Ladd and Laura Hobbs, who lost to Long in District 2 in the March 2024 primary and then sued him as well as former Registrar of Voters Cathy Darling Allen. The California Third District Court of Appeal last fall dismissed Hobbs' suit seeking to overturn the results.
The new complaint makes many of the same unproven claims Hobbs made after losing to Long.
David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column. He's part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Shasta County supervisor view holding firm about elections commission
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
9 hours ago
- Newsweek
The 1600: The Political Showdown We Deserve
The Insider's Track Good morning, Four days from now, the Army will celebrate its 250th birthday. The original plan had been for a daytime festival on the National Mall, complete with displays, flyovers, meet-and-greets with Medal of Honor recipients, etc. Then President Trump, whose 79th birthday happens to also fall on Saturday, decided he wanted a bigger event complete with a grand evening parade. He's been wanting to preside over a military parade since his first term, when he went to France and was awed by the Bastille Day celebrations. (Maybe it's just me but I don't think the USA needs to emulate the French when it comes to the military). They told him then it was a bad idea and the DC streets would just get chewed up from the tank treads. More trouble than it's worth. But now he's back and there's no one left to say no, so Trump is getting his parade. Thousands of soldiers will march down Constitution Avenue alongside M1 Abrams tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles and howitzers while the president looks on. Very Pyongyang-on-the-Potomac. Hopefully we keep the big, phallic ICBMs in their silos or else it's really gonna look like something out of Putin or Lil Kim's fantasies. Put aside the dumb optics of Abrams tanks rolling through DC, this is happening at a precarious moment. All of this simmering rage that we're starting to see boil over, first on the streets of LA, will have a convenient new target. I hope I'm wrong and this event goes off fine, but you couldn't pay me to be in Washington this weekend. The good news this morning seems to be that the clashes/riots in LA appear to have been more scattered overnight. Hundreds of Marines from Camp Pendleton are on their way to the city, which seems both inflammatory and unnecessary, but as we said yesterday, this is a fight the White House wants. Newsom is playing to his base, turning this into a referendum on Trump's draconian immigration raids while images of burning self-driving Waymos and Mexican flags become the lasting images on TV and social media. Trump is, cleverly, playing up Newsom as his foil because there would be no better situation for JD Vance in '28 than running against someone who presents as the embodiment of blue-state dysfunction. Everybody wins but us, the voters, as usual. A couple other random thoughts on LA: It's hard to take Trump's tough guy law-and-order stance seriously after he just pardoned every violent J6 protester, including those who attacked cops with flagpoles and bear spray. Have we noticed how ICE is doing their most over-the-top, military-esque raids in deep blue cities? Do you think that's a coincidence? I sure haven't seen any big workplace raids in, say, South Dakota (where Kristi Noem is from), or Iowa, where Trump-voting farmers have been employing illegal immigrants just as long as anyone. There's something amusing about watching the "Don't Tread on Me" right, people who are supposed to be skeptical of the federal government, all of a sudden come to the support of masked, anonymous federal agents jumping out of trucks to snatch people at their jobs and homes. And then refusing to acknowledge when they make mistakes and accidentally arrest or deport the wrong guy. Remember when they told us they were focused only on those here illegally with criminal records or who present a threat to the community? Democrats who equivocate on this are digging their own grave. You simply cannot appear to be on the side of people throwing cement at cops. It doesn't matter that most of the protests were calm, or that things were relatively peaceful until the feds came in, or that LA is a sanctuary city and should therefore be immune from federal immigration enforcement. What matters with riots is the optics of disorder, and it never works in the protesters' favor when it comes to public opinion. I saw some talking head on CNN yesterday say that "99.9%" of L.A. was peaceful. That may be true, but it's like saying JFK's trip to Dallas was 99.9% successful until he made that left onto Dealey Plaza. The Rundown As violence erupts out of immigration enforcement protests in Los Angeles, images of protestors waving Mexican flags became a focal point of the coverage and for the Trump administration's reaction. Senior administration officials said this proved there had been an "invasion" by illegal immigrants, particularly over the past four years under former President Joe Biden, and that it was necessary to send in the National Guard and deport those in the country without legal status. Read the story. Also happening: New Jersey primaries: President Donald Trump's second-term agenda faces an early test with voters Tuesday in New Jersey, a blue state holding the first statewide elections since Trump won back the White House last year. "Trump looms large over this entire race on both sides of the aisle," said Ashley Koning, the director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Read more. President Donald Trump's second-term agenda faces an early test with voters Tuesday in New Jersey, a blue state holding the first statewide elections since Trump won back the White House last year. "Trump looms large over this entire race on both sides of the aisle," said Ashley Koning, the director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Read more. Trade talks: President Donald Trump described China as "not easy" to deal with, but touted progress between the two countries as negotiations in London go into their second day. "We are doing well with China. China is not easy," Trump said. Read more. This is a preview of The 1600—Tap here to get this newsletter delivered straight to your inbox.
The Hill
4 days ago
- The Hill
World Liberty Financial to invest in Trump meme coin following crypto wallet dispute
World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture launched by President Trump and his sons, plans to invest in the president's meme coin, seemingly resolving a dispute between the two crypto firms tied to the Trump family. Eric Trump — who helps run World Liberty Financial alongside Donald Trump Jr. — announced Friday that the $TRUMP token had 'aligned' with the company and would no longer being moving forward with a crypto wallet, which had caused the rift between the two firms. 'Although their meme wallet isn't moving forward, they remain focused on building the most exciting MEME on earth – $Trump,' Eric Trump wrote in a post on X. 'Moreover, we're proud to announce that World Liberty Financial plans to acquire a substantial position in $TRUMP for their Long-Term Treasury,' he continued. 'We share a bigger vision for crypto, patriotism, and long-term success. Stay tuned for more to come!' The team behind the meme coin initially announced Tuesday that they were launching a crypto wallet alongside Magic Eden, a nonfungible token (NFT) marketplace. However, the announcement sparked confusion as the president's sons denied involvement in the project. 'The Trump Organization has zero involvement with this wallet product. @EricTrump and I know nothing about it,' Donald Trump Jr. wrote on X, teasing a separate World Liberty Financial wallet. 'This project is not authorized by @Trump. @MagicEden I would be extremely careful using our name in a project that has not been approved and is unknown to anyone in our organization,' Eric Trump added. World Liberty Financial reportedly sent cease-and-desist letters to both Magic Eden and Fight Fight Fight, the company behind $TRUMP, over the wallet, according to Bloomberg. However, the two firms appeared to have resolved their differences Friday. 'The Trump meme and WLFI may be different lanes, but they share the same highway. Same values, same mission—amplifying American strength through innovation,' World Liberty Financial said in a post. President Trump launched the meme coin shortly before his inauguration and hosted a high-profile dinner with top investors last month. The president and his family's increasing involvement in the crypto industry has drawn scrutiny, as his administration seeks to get long-sought digital asset legislation across the finish line.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Mayor Blangiardi wants authority to hire, fire Honolulu police chief
Only two of the seven members of the commission responsible for hiring and firing the Honolulu police chief were told by Mayor Rick Blangiardi that he wants to bring in Hawaii island's police chief to Arthur 'Joe ' Logan. Blangiardi, in an interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, said his administration will introduce an amendment to the city charter to remove the Honolulu Police Commission's authority over the office of the chief of the police. The Honolulu Police Department is only city department that the mayor cannot make decisions about the leadership of, he said. The Office of the Mayor is responsible for keeping the community safe, Blangiardi said, noting you can't 'hold somebody responsible and not give them commensurate authority.' 'I don't have the authority to hire and fire (the police chief ). But that doesn't mean I can't have a candid conversation with the chief of police about the state of the department. Which is exactly what I did, ' said Blangiardi, noting the process of seeking to change the city charter takes at least 18 months. 'I have responsibility not only for HPD but all public safety issues and I have no authority, to deal, officially, (with ) who is the chief of police ' Blangiardi said. 'That's wrong and that is fundamentally bad management structure.' In response to a Star-Advertiser request to interview Logan, Kathleen Alina Lee, HPD's public information officer, told the Star-Advertiser that at 'this time, Chief Logan will not be offering interviews regarding his retirement.' 'All information available is in his current statement. Should he decide to open up the opportunities for interviews in the future, we'll reach out and let media know, ' said Lee, in a statement. The commissioners will meet today at 2 p.m. in the first floor Conference Room A at HPD's Alapai Headquarters for their regularly scheduled meeting. Blangiardi informed HPC Chair Kenneth Silva and Vice Chair Laurie Foster that Logan would retire June 30 and he had negotiated Hawaii Police Chief Ben Moszkowicz's application to serve as interim HPD chief starting July 16. Moszkowicz, a former major with HPD, was one of four finalists for chief when Logan, 66, was selected May 23, 2022. Moszkowicz is a 22-year veteran of HPD who left the department to become chief on Hawaii island. Blangiardi made no secret of his desire for Logan to move on from his post. A public rift between the two leaders emerged following a 2024 New Year's Day-long manhunt and shootout. HPD did not notify the public that officers were chasing around the island an armed attempted murder suspect, who had shot his ex-girlfriend, until the suspect was dead and two officers were shot. The Star-Advertiser asked all seven members of the commission if they discussed Blangiardi's police leadership transition and what they knew about Logan's retirement, who informed them and when. On Monday, Blangiardi, speaking to reporters in his office about Logan's ouster, said commissioners were 'well aware of this for some time now.' The commission is not required to consider Blangiardi's recommendation more than other applicants. The Star-Advertiser also asked about Blangiardi's desire to take away the commission's oversight of HPD's chief. Foster told the Star-Advertiser that in mid-May, the mayor 'indicated to me that he was going to act on his dissatisfaction with the chief ' but did not discuss how he planned to do so 'nor did he mention Chief Ben as a replacement.' Foster believes it is 'inappropriate to suggest that the answer to HPD governance is simply the mayor having oversight authority over the chief.' 'The entire HPD governance model has to be comprehensively reassessed. As I understand it, oversight authority of the chief's office was removed from the mayor in the past for good reason. In part, that reason was to separate HPD governance from the political process, which seems quite appropriate for that time period, ' Foster said. 'When that happened, however, there appears to have been little thought given to the appropriate HPC governance of HPD. Currently, HPC has very little ability to influence the chief or HPD and therefore HPC is a neutered organization that is considerably hampered from doing their job of 'holding the chief accountable.'' The criteria for selecting commissioners and the selection process is 'flawed ' and needs to be assessed as well, he said. 'My suggestion is that a small group of knowledgeable and unbiased people be assigned the responsibility of comprehensively assessing the entire HPD governance model and to make recommendations to the City Council, ' Foster said. This group would focus only on HPD governance, not on all commissions, she said. The Charter Commission is tasked with assessing all commissions and 'I suggest that this mandate is too broad.' Commissioners did not discuss the mayor's move to take out Logan and make Moszkowicz HPD's 13th chief, Silva told the Star-Advertiser. 'The commission will accept all interested and qualified candidates cover letters and resumes for consideration, ' said Silva, noting that as of Monday afternoon no one had applied to serve as interim HPD chief. He and Blangiardi 'had conversations regarding Chief Logan's leadership at HPD.' 'The commission meets twice a month. Our next meeting is June 4. The commission, because of the sunshine (law ), did not meet to discuss chief's retirement (on Monday ), ' said Silva, noting the commission had just started to review Logan's annual performance review. 'Chief Logan didn't let me know he was retiring until after the meeting he had with the mayor (on Monday ).' Logan's last review from the commission in August said he was exceeding expectations as a leader, innovator and a cost saver while needing to improve internal and external communications. Commissioner Ann Botticelli told the Star-Advertiser she learned of Logan's retirement from the news media. She interviewed Moszkowicz as part of the chief selection process in 2022 and he 'was a good candidate.' 'Having said that, I believe our responsibility is to invite others to also apply (internally and externally ) and select the best candidate for the job, ' she said. Botticelli said it is a good idea to review how the commission is set up in general, to include a review of why it was first established in 1932. That review should include a look at what the roles and responsibilities of the commission are and whether they are still appropriate today. Any consideration of overhauling the commission should also consider why voters rejected previous attempts to change the charter to give the mayor the same authority to hire and fire the police chief, Botticelli said. 'The larger question of who should be responsible for hiring and firing the chief should be part of that larger discussion, ' she said. Commissioner Doug Chin told the Star-Advertiser that he did not know Logan was retiring until 'I heard the announcement on Monday around 4 p.m. ' … But I also had stepped down in January from being chair when my official term had expired and I became a holdover appointment. I hope to learn more at a future meeting, ' Chin said. Commissioners Elizabeth Char, Carrie K.S. Okinaga and Jeannine A. Souki did not reply to Star-Advertiser requests for comment. All members serve staggered five-year terms and the panel 'appoints and may remove the Chief of Police, ' according to the city's description of commissioners' duties. Commissioners review rules and regulations for the HPD's administration, the annual budget and may make recommendations to the mayor. The commission also receives, considers and 'investigates charges brought by the public against the conduct of the department or any of its members ' and submits a written report of its findings to the chief, who is responsible for the disciplinary process.
