Opinion

Opinion Piece The American left is moving openly toward socialism — higher taxes on producers, expanded government control over energy and housing, wealth redistribution schemes, open borders, and a cultural embrace of collectivist rhetoric. At the same time, its candidates and influencers relentlessly attack the “oligarch billionaire ruling class.” The hypocrisy is not subtle. While they denounce concentrated wealth on one side of the aisle, they court their own sympathetic

Opinion Muslim public prayer in the streets of France - Credit: gettyimages.com For decades, European elites preached the gospel of multiculturalism: open borders, cultural accommodation, and the enrichment of diverse "parallel societies." Governments funded separate communities, turned a blind eye to Sharia patrols and no-go zones, and labeled any concern about integration as "racism." The results? Skyrocketing welfare costs, grooming gangs, terror attacks, and eroding socia

Opinion | Shasta Unfiltered Walk into a coffee shop in Redding, attend a school board meeting, or scroll through local social media these days, and you can feel the shift. Conversations that once bridged differences now carry an edge. Neighbors who used to disagree agreeably sometimes eye each other with suspicion. It’s not just “politics.” It’s something deeper — a cultural drift that data shows is fraying the everyday trust and cooperation we rely on in places like Shasta C

California Congressman Ro Khanna has cultivated a national profile as a progressive champion for working families, affordable housing, and curbing the influence of the ultra-wealthy. He co-sponsors major legislation to expand housing supply for lower- and middle-income Americans, speaks at events highlighting the Silicon Valley affordability crisis, and routinely criticizes billionaires and financial elites for hoarding wealth and exacerbating inequality.

Supervisor Chris Kelstrom’s statement was not just misleading — it was a deliberate and cynical attempt to shift blame onto the very citizens and voters he is supposed to represent. Kelstrom whined that this is the “fifth lawsuit” and that proponents keep wanting taxpayers to fund their defense. What he deliberately omitted is that the Board and County Counsel Joseph Larmour started this legal war — and their original justification has now been completely exposed as false.

Editor’s Note: The following is the full text of a letter emailed to the Shasta County Board of Supervisors by Redding resident Bruce Russell on June 19, 2026. Mr. Russell has given Shasta Unfiltered permission to publish it as a Letter to the Editor. It addresses the Board’s 4–0 vote on June 16 to refuse to defend Measure B, which passed with 55.6% of the vote. Honorable Supervisors, Your 4–0 vote on June 16, 2026, refusing to defend Measure B — a measure passed by 55.6% of

California Legislature decides that automated navigation systems are still wreaking havoc on small towns' streets - AlgorithmWatch.org California traffic congestion — the kind navigation apps try to help drivers avoid. In the Golden State, where Sacramento Democrats hold unchecked supermajorities, no corner of your daily life seems safe from government meddling. The latest example? Assembly Bill 2015, pushed by East Bay Democrat Buffy Wicks. This bill isn’t just another harml

OPINION In a stunning act of cowardice, the Shasta County Board of Supervisors has made their allegiance crystal clear with a 4-0 vote: they stand with California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Secretary of State Shirley Weber, and the one-party Sacramento machine rather than with the citizens who overwhelmingly passed Measure B. Measure B was approved by a clear majority of Shasta voters in the June primary. The passage of Measure B was a straightforward exercise in local self

Opinion On June 2, 2026, the voters of Shasta County delivered a resounding message: We demand honest, verifiable elections. Measure B passed by a clear majority—55.59% Yes (29,170 votes) to 44.41% No—amending our County Charter to require in-person Election Day voting with limited absentee exceptions, photo ID at the polls, precinct-level hand counts, and independent local management of voter rolls. This wasn’t a close call or a partisan stunt. It was the democratic will of

OPINION I’m proud to have helped gather signatures for Measure B, Shasta County’s Charter Amendment to shut down the cheating methods California allows in our elections. As predicted, Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber have sued to overturn it — despite Measure B winning 55.59% of the vote on June 2, 2026. The lawsuit has been served on the County and is on the agenda for the Tuesday, June 16 Board of Supervisors meeting. Will our Supervisors defe

Opinion by Rex Ballard, Shasta Unfiltered As the Shasta County Board of Supervisors wraps up budget hearings for the FY 2026-27 recommended $658 million spending plan, county officials are patting themselves on the back for "balancing" another budget. All while assuring everyone that major cuts to critical departments can be absorbed with little pain. Just delete some vacant positions, they say. No layoffs, just some furloughs. Minimal impact on services. Sorry, but the whol

Opinion Sundial bridge, Redding, CA - Credit: California.com "Why Redding, CA is the Perfect Place to Call Home" As the Shasta County Board of Supervisors wraps up hearings on the FY 2026-27 Recommended Budget, the numbers paint a familiar but troubling picture. The proposed $658 million budget reflects a roughly $27 million (4%) decrease from the prior year, with discretionary revenues projected to drop nearly 9%. Personnel costs, retiree health obligations, courthouse demo

Pictures posted by @FreddyLA7, a German football fan touring America for the 2026 FIFA World Cup As the 2026 FIFA World Cup unfolds across the United States, a heartwarming phenomenon is unfolding on social media: European fans arriving for the matches are discovering the real America — and they can't stop raving about it. From massive college football stadiums and endless portions at Buc-ee's to Southern hospitality, BBQ, and the sheer scale of our landscapes, these visitors

A heightened level of tyranny has surfaced at the Shasta County Board of Supervisors (BOS) meetings. Chair Kelstrom, and by omission, the remainder of the Board, showed their personal disdain and contempt for the people who want transparency and desire to participate in local government affairs. The meeting was eerily reminiscent of the last two months of Leonard Moty's term in office as Chair before his removal by recall.

Opinion The California government, once a beacon of opportunity and innovation, has crossed a perilous threshold. What began as progressive governance has evolved into something more insidious: a system of entrenched, unaccountable power that disrespects constitutional limits, overrides the will of the people, and imposes arbitrary rule at great human and economic cost. This is not mere inefficiency or policy disagreement. It represents a turn toward tyranny—majoritarian in f

Equal Justice or Does Something Smell Fishy? OPINION If a personnel department is doing its job properly, I would think that any employee complaints would be investigated, that bad behavior would be noted, and that offending employees would be warned. Since January, sources inside the Election Office have indicated that complaints were made about entrenched employees’ harassment of new employees and insubordination toward Clint Curtis, the new Registrar of Voters, and it

OPINION Update: In response to questions we received about our article, we are publishing additional information. A reader suggested that the majority of county workers are paid only the minimum wage of $17/hour and that they accept this meager wage only because of the benefits. While it is true that many do only get paid minimum wage, the data show that the vast majority of county workers are paid far more. Here is that data: Shasta County Public Employees (2024 data) Emp

I'm writing this after watching a very well-produced movie, based on real events, portraying a portion of the Vietnam War. The movie reminds me of the sacrifice, suffering, and lives lost that US military members and their families experienced in the name of attempting to preserve individual freedom. By extension, I'm also reminded of the U.S. Founders' sacrifices as well.

Opinion There is no such thing as non-political Experts suggest that claiming to be “non-political” is a myth that serves to maintain the status quo. It works like this: "If I tell you I’m not political you can’t question my motives for what I say and do." Watch how fast saying “I’m not political” shuts you up and probably even stops you from thinking. We can plainly see what people say and do, and determine which side of the fence they are on. Saying, “I don’t belong to a p

OPINION Redding, CA — In yet another example of selective reporting, Shasta Scout published a shallow, one-sided article on May 22, 2026, that whitewashes critical findings from the Anderson Police Department’s investigation into former Youth Options Shasta Director Susan Wilson. The article was entitled "Unsatisfied with lack of charges against former nonprofit director, Crye takes aim at Shasta's district attorney" by Nevin Kallepalli. While Shasta Unfiltered has consisten