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

Joanna Francescut and Clint Curtis, Candidates for Registrar of Voters/County Clerk Redding, CA – Joanna Francescut, who served nearly 17 years in the Shasta County Elections Office—including as Assistant County Clerk/Registrar of Voters—has filed a lawsuit against the County of Shasta following her termination on May 27, 2025. Francescut was terminated as an at-will employee by the newly appointed Registrar of Voters, Clint Curtis. In the wake of the lawsuit, former Supervis

Clint Curtis, Registrar of Voters, Holding a Press Conference Redding, CA — Clint Curtis, Shasta County’s Registrar of Voters and County Clerk, held a press conference on Thursday evening, May 21, 2026, to push back against recent accusations of workplace harassment and a hostile work environment in the elections office. Curtis and several current employees defended his leadership and character, claiming the allegations are politically motivated and one-sided. The event, held

Former Shasta County Supervisor, Redding City Councilmember, and Mayor Patrick Jones made a startling disclosure during a Sunday morning appearance on KQMS radio’s “Poke the Hornet’s Nest” with host Nick Gardner. Jones detailed what he described as illegal harassment directed at Assistant Registrar of Voters Brent Turner by county personnel. According to Jones, Turner recently received a phone call from someone in Shasta County’s Support Services Department—believed to be an

Parallels Drawn to Local Case Against Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis May 1, 2026 A Bay Area teacher who spent 18 years at the Oakland School for the Arts is suing his former school district and the Oppenheimer Investigations Group for millions after what he describes as a deeply flawed third-party investigation that led to his termination and a criminal charge that was later dropped. The case, detailed in a Feb. 28, 2026, San Francisco Chronicle article by Jill Tucker title

REDDING — Four Republican candidates seeking local and federal office shared their records, visions, and challenges during a candidate forum hosted by the Shasta County Republican Central Committee on Thursday, April 30, 2026, at Sequoia Middle School auditorium. The roughly 90-minute event, moderated by Erin Ryan, featured opening statements, Central Committee and audience questions, and closing remarks from incumbent Supervisor Kevin Crye (District 1), Supervisor Chris Kels

A special meeting of the Shasta County Board of Supervisors was held Tuesday morning, April 28, 2026, to consider censuring Registrar of Voters (ROV) Clint Curtis over substantiated findings of managerial misconduct following an investigation.

Shasta County Board of Supervisors to Consider Censuring Curtis at Special Meeting on Tuesday April 26, 2026 — Shasta County Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis disclosed to Shasta Unfiltered on Sunday that he intends to file a defamation lawsuit against one or more Elections Office employees who lodged false complaints against him with the County’s Human Resources Department. The Shasta County Board of Supervisors has scheduled a special meeting for Tuesday, April 28, to consid

“Throughout this investigation, I have learned that there is voter fraud happening in Shasta County, but I am unable to identify a true source or person to file criminal charges against.” That stark conclusion came from Shasta County Sheriff’s Deputy Casey L. Barnhart in his final report dated August 30, 2023, for Case #22SO35986. The investigation began on February 27, 2023, after citizens submitted evidence obtained from the 2020 Election voter records.

In a standing-room-only crowd at the Redding Library community room, the two candidates for Shasta County Registrar of Voters traded pointed criticisms of each other’s records Tuesday evening during a one-hour candidate forum. Incumbent Clint Curtis, the current Registrar of Voters who was appointed by the Board of Supervisors in 2025 following the retirement of Thomas Toller, faced off against Joanna Francescut, who served for many years as Assistant Registrar of Voters unde

On Sunday morning, April 19, 2026, three Shasta County citizen election observers were interviewed on the KQMS radio program “Poke the Hornet’s Nest” with host Nick Gardner (9:00 - 10:00 a.m.; 1670 AM 105.7 FM). They detailed multiple concerns they observed during ballot processing and tabulation for the November 2024 General Election and the subsequent canvass.

An important election will take place this June to decide who will serve as Shasta County's Registrar of Voters for the next four years. Clint Curtis, the current Shasta County Registrar of Voters (ROV), was appointed on April 30, 2025, by the Board of Supervisors after the retirement of Thomas Toller (who only held the position for approximately 10 months). Until Curtis's appointment, citizen election observers were treated poorly, kept behind metal fences and other barrier

On Thursday, March 12, 2026, approximately 40 community members gathered at Faith Community Church in Redding for a town hall event focused on election integrity in Shasta County. Since taking office, appointed Registrar of Voters, Clint Curtis, has implemented significant, low-cost improvements to the Registrar of Voters’ Office, earning praise for enhancing transparency and security.

Court Victory: Proponents Granted Intervention, TRO Modified, Merits Hearing Advanced – Preparations for Measure B on June Ballot Can Proceed Yesterday, March 5, 2026, Shasta County Superior Court Judge Benjamin L. Hanna issued rulings that represent a meaningful step forward for the more than 10,000 Shasta County citizens who signed the petition to qualify the Election Integrity Initiative—now designated as Measure B—on the June 2, 2026 ballot. In a morning ex parte hea

After hearing arguments from Attorney Haberbush and Petitioner Katzke, and reviewing briefs and a declaration from the ROV detailing the ballot printing timeline, Judge Hanna modified the TRO. The modified order now permits the County and ROV to continue preparations to place Measure B (the Election Integrity Initiative) on the ballot. Additionally, the judge advanced the hearing on the merits of the petition to Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at 8:30 a.m.

Clint Curtis, the current Shasta County Clerk and Registrar of Voters (ROV), hosted a fundraising dinner for his 2026 election campaign on Saturday, February 28, 2026, at the Anderson VFW Hall located at 3210 W. Center St., Anderson, CA 96007. The event focused on supporting "elections every citizen can trust," with doors opening at 4:00 PM and dinner served at 6:00 PM. It featured a catered meal by Rocking P BBQ and a live auction.

The Shasta County Republican Assembly, a volunteer-driven, grassroots organization and chartered chapter of the California Republican Assembly (CRA) has endorsed and pledged its strong support to Clint Curtis for the position of Shasta County Clerk, which will appear on the June 2, 2026, ballot

In a fiery hallway press conference following a Shasta County court hearing on February 26, 2026, Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis lambasted County Counsel Joseph Larimer for what he called unethical conduct and a failure to defend the Voter ID and Hand-Counted Ballots initiative (Measure B). The judge granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) in the Jane Doe lawsuit against Curtis and the Board of Supervisors, blocking the measure from the June ballot pending further revie

Plaintiff Jane Doe (pro se, via phone) sought a TRO to block the Voter ID/hand-count/absentee-limits initiative (Measure B) from the June 2 ballot, arguing preemption by state Elections Code (citing Huntington Beach precedent). The judge partially denied anonymity (ordered name disclosure in 5 days but protected address/phone/employment). He declined to allow late-filed intervenor attorney Alexander Haberbush to participate today, deferring that issue. County Counsel stated n

The Shasta County Board of Supervisors held its regular meeting on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, beginning at 9:00 a.m. in the Board Chambers. Supervisor Kevin Crye was absent due to being admitted to Mercy Medical Center after experiencing chest pain that morning. On Wednesday morning, a press release went out on Crye’s Facebook page indicating that he had suffered a cardiac episode but is in good spirits and expected to make a full recovery.