Board Votes to Censure Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis, Despite Lack of Due Process and Curtis' Election Office Improvements
Updated: Aug 12
Community Divided - Allegations Were Made by Employees Loyal to Francescut
Redding, CA - August 11, 2026
Public comments during Tuesday morning's board meeting highlighted the deep divisions in Shasta County regarding perceptions of election integrity and transparency, as well as how this board of supervisors and prior boards have handled personnel matters. It was unfortunate that District 1 Supervisor Kevin Crye was not able to attend the meeting due to his being in surgery for colon cancer. We at Shasta Unfiltered pray for his well-being and a speedy recovery. Crye commented to Shasta Unfiltered on Monday that he would be against censuring Clint Curtis, Shasta County Registrar of Voters/County Clerk (ROV).
The matter of censuring Curtis first came up at a board meeting in February for allegations of electioneering during a January 15, 2026, public tour of the Election Office. Supervisor Allen Long asked County Counsel Joseph Larmour to look into the matter, which was later reported to be insignificant or minimal. On April 28, 2026, the agenda item relating to the findings of two investigations appeared on the agenda, just a short time before the June 2 election. The matter was postponed until after the election, and the board voted to waive attorney-client privilege; Clint Curtis agreed to release the two reports. The outside independent investigation was conducted by the Oppenheimer Investigation Group from Oakland, CA. Oppenheimer is being sued for conducting a flawed investigation by a former Oakland teacher. Monica Fugitt, Director of Support Services, conducted the internal investigation and spoke at the April 28 board meeting. Fugitt stated in response to a question by Supervisor Allen Long that an incident took place in the Election Office on October 3, 2025. Fugitt said she investigated the allegation that Curtis threatened to have an employee pulled out of their office by their hair by Human Resources. The employee had allegedly refused to train another worker in the office on how to run a report and had locked herself in her office. The reports concluded that a preponderance of the evidence supported this allegation. Other allegations in the reports involved threats that Curtis allegedly made to slap or throat punch the employees, which he has repeatedly denied making.
Curtis had been asked to come to Shasta County from his Florida home to improve election transparency in the Election Office after former Registrar of Voters Thomas Toller retired on a medical disability in April 2025. Curtis, an attorney involved in fighting election fraud and former computer programmer, was a whistleblower in 2004, testifying before a congressional judiciary committee on the ability of a computer software program he was requested to create to flip votes in elections in Florida.
Shortly after being appointed as ROV, Curtis terminated Assistant Registrar of Voters Joanna Francescut, who had stated she would be running for the position and had been passed over twice for the appointment by the Board of Supervisors. Supervisors Long and Matt Plummer had wanted to appoint her to the position. Supervisor Chris Kelstrom acknowledged that Curtis had made the changes in the Election Office that he had hoped for, but he still voted to censure Curtis.
Before the board vote was taken, 36 people spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting and were allotted 2 minutes each. Four of the speakers were employees who had been hired by Curtis and spoke highly of him, stating that the entrenched employees loyal to former Assistant Registrar of Voters Joanna Francescut had undermined Curtis, did not support him, and had created a hostile work environment in the office for the new employees. They alleged unfair treatment by Monica Fugitt in that their complaints to her department about harassment from the entrenched employees and their testimonies supporting Curtis were ignored. In total, there were 24 speakers against censuring Curtis and 12 in support of the censure. Two of the people speaking in support of the censure have been the subject of controversies in Redding; one (Nathan Pinkney) who used the "F" word during public comment has had several restraining orders placed against him, and the other (Oliver Hernandez) who was seen holding up a threatening "Watch yer Neck" sign at a Turning Point USA Revival Event at the Redding Civic Center. Curtis' wife Jody spoke about the work Curtis had done supporting women who were victims of abuse, and finding homes for homeless veterans, bringing plaques and awards he had received to the podium with her. Clint spoke in his defense, stating he would be suing the employees and the county for making false allegations against him. (Clint is an attorney and has filed several complaints against County Counsel Joseph Larmour for ethics violations.)
The final vote was 3-1 to censure Curtis. Supervisor Corkey Harmon spoke about his reasons for voting against the censure, stating that he had experience trying to work with people who were hostile after he took over a company. He equated the situation with what Curtis faced and felt that, if he were on a jury, there was not enough evidence to convict Curtis. He also stated he had conversations with many employees in the Elections Office who stated the Oppenheimer or internal office investigators did not interview them, and they would have refuted the allegations.
All of the public comments regarding the censure of Clint Curtis can be viewed here:
Other matters on the meeting agenda were heard, including the following:
Christina Pritchett, Accounting Technician, with the Sheriff's Office, was recognized as Employee of the Month for August 2026.
August 18, 2026, was designated as "Firefighter Appreciation Day" in Shasta County, and several firefighters were honored, including Sean Hill as the 2025 Firefighter of the Year.
Ember Braun, Region 1 President of the California Association of Student Councils, presented on the group's mission and involvement with elementary, middle, and high school students.
Napoleon Erazo, CEO of Our Heroes' Dreams, presented on the use of $250,000 in opioid settlement funds. Justin Bond founded Our Heroes' Dreams, and he was on hand to answer questions. During the first six months of the year, the program helped 30 veterans find housing and receive counseling on how to overcome their addiction. The allocated funds were meant to last for a year; however, the number of veterans needing these services exhausted the funds sooner than expected. The Board of Supervisors will entertain the possibility of allocating more funds to the program.
The Consent Calendar was approved except Item C2, which would have designated CEO David Rickert to sign an agreement with California Consulting, Inc., for grant writing services. That item was postponed by Chair Kelstrom, who stated his constituents wanted more time to review this agreement. California Consulting, according to Supervisor Plummer, was offering services to identify potential grants and would only bill the County for their services if the County agreed to have them provide grant writing services for a particular grant.
CEO and Board Reports
CEO Rickert highlighted the execution of a warrant by the Sheriff's Office, which resulted in 124 lbs. of marijuana and two illegal shotguns being seized. He also noted that, given the high fire risk this time of year, residents should avoid mowing dry grass—since metal blades striking rocks can throw sparks—and refrain from dragging tow chains or other metal from trailers or boats.
Supervisor Harmon requested that an agenda item be returned to create a new position that would serve as a liaison with the Department of Fish and Wildlife to assist with the problem of wolf packs attacking livestock.
Supervisor Long reported that he met with Donovan Lacy, Director of Fire Technology and EMS Programs at Shasta College, regarding the semester course they offer for training firefighters. He also spoke about a study that was done by Dr. Eric Knap of the U.S. Forest Service that evaluated how fires spread from house to house during the 2018 Camp Fire. Those findings are accessible online at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s42408-021-00117-0
Supervisor Long will host a Shasta County District 2 Town Hall:
Date: Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Time: 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
Location: Redding Memorial Veterans Hall, 1605 Yuba Street, downtown Redding, CA
It is open to the public, with discussion focused on District 2 issues (portions of southwest Redding, Shasta, Keswick, French Gulch, Centerville, Igo, Ono, and Platina). Pre-selected topics include fire safety, code enforcement/blight, and road conditions. Questions can also be submitted in advance to publicinfo@shastacounty.gov.
Supervisor Kelstrom, during his recap, mentioned he will be bringing an item up at the next meeting to increase the reward for people giving information on illegal dumping in the county from $500 to $1000. He rescinded his prior request to increase illegal dumping fines because County Counsel Larmour indicated that doing so would be more involved.
To view the 4-hour video of the entire board meeting, go to:
Historical Notes:
Here is a clear timeline of the recent Registrars of Voters (County Clerk/Registrar of Voters) who have led Shasta County’s Elections Office, focusing on the modern period of notable turnover.
Cathy Darling Allen (2004–May 2024)
Appointed September 7, 2004, to replace outgoing Clerk Ann Reed (Darling Allen had served as Assistant County Clerk/Registrar during the final ~15 months of Reed’s tenure).
First elected in 2006 and subsequently re-elected multiple times (including with roughly 70% of the vote in 2022).
Served approximately 20 years, overseeing dozens of elections.
Announced early retirement in February 2024 due to health issues (heart-related, with stress cited as a contributing factor).
Final day: May 5, 2024 (after certifying the March 2024 election). Her term was originally set to run through early January 2027.
Interim / Acting period (May–early July 2024)
Assistant Registrar of Voters Joanna Francescut (who had worked in the office since approximately 2008 and served as Assistant since around 2018) helped lead operations during the vacancy.
Tom (Thomas) Toller (July 2024–April 29, 2025)
Selected by the Board of Supervisors on June 19, 2024 (3-2 vote) after public interviews.
Formal appointment after background check: July 2, 2024.
Former Shasta County Deputy District Attorney/prosecutor with no prior election administration experience.
Appointed to fill the remainder of Darling Allen’s term (through early January 2027).
Announced resignation on March 24–25, 2025, due to a serious illness; final day April 29, 2025. He served less than a year and oversaw the November 2024 election.
Clint Curtis (May 13, 2025–present, through January 2027)
Selected by the Board of Supervisors on April 30, 2025 (3-2 vote), pending background check, from a competitive process that again included Francescut and other candidates.
Officially assumed the role/appointment finalized on May 13, 2025, after the background check cleared.
Florida/New York-based attorney with a background in election law and advocacy for election transparency/integrity measures, but no prior experience running an elections office.
Appointed to complete the unexpired term through early January 2027.
Lost the June 2, 2026 primary election to Joanna Francescut (Francescut received roughly 58–59%).
Continues serving until the end of the current term.
Joanna Francescut (elected; takes office January 2027)
Long-time Assistant Registrar (16–17+ years of experience in the Shasta County Elections Office).
Passed over for appointment in both 2024 (Toller selected) and 2025 (Curtis selected).
Fired by Curtis shortly after he took office in 2025.
Won the June 2, 2026 election for County Clerk/Registrar of Voters.
Will assume the elected position in January 2027 for a full term.
