District 1 Supervisor Candidates Clash on Fiscal Accountability, Mental Health Funding at Redding Forum
- Elisa Ballard
- Apr 16
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 23
REDDING — Incumbent Supervisor Kevin Crye, challenger Richard Gallardo, and Redding City Councilmember Erin Resner squared off Wednesday night, April 15, 2026, in a League of Women Voters forum, laying out contrasting visions for Shasta County’s future as voters prepare for the June primary. With no candidate likely to reach the 50%-plus-one threshold needed for outright victory, a November runoff appears probable.
The 90-minute event at the Redding Library Community Room remained civil, with the audience adhering to rules barring applause or outbursts. Candidates had three minutes for opening statements and two minutes each to answer audience-submitted questions.
Introductions highlight experience and motivations - Gallardo, a retired military police officer, former Cal Fire firefighter and EMT, and currently working as a commercial driver, entered the race over what he called two “egregious” Crye decisions: fighting a citizen-led petition process and supporting license-plate reader cameras. Yet he repeatedly softened his tone, calling Crye “a good man who has done good things as supervisor” and describing himself as a capitalist who prefers private-sector solutions.
Crye, a small-business owner, husband, father, and grandfather, touted his authorship of the county charter approved by voters and pledged continued focus on lowering fees, streamlining government, and fiscal responsibility. He said things are getting more and more expensive, and we need to hold the line on expenses. He promised he will continue to do so.
Resner, who owns multiple Dutch Bros Coffee locations with her husband and has served on the Redding City Council (2018-2022 and is currently appointed to finish an unexpired term from 2024-2026) emphasized her decade as a court-appointed special advocate for foster youth. She decried “nasty and vitriolic” Shasta County politics that scare away good candidates and positioned herself as a truth-teller who listens to every community member and fights for them. Notably, Resner offered no specific accomplishments from her City Council tenure. Instead, her record has been tied to the city’s ongoing budget crisis. She previously criticized fellow Councilmember Tenessa Audette for asking too many detailed questions of staff about budget numbers, dismissing the scrutiny as a “charade” and insisting the council should focus on policy.
Vague answers, repeated themes draw notice - Throughout the evening, Resner leaned heavily on the words “collaboration” and “balance,” often without offering clear-cut policy positions. On Measure B — the controversial election-reform measure — she gave a vague reply, saying she supports voter ID but that “it is ultimately the decision of the voters” and the county should simply carry out whatever they decide.
Mental health and behavioral health funding spark the sharpest exchanges - Mental health emerged as a top concern. Resner stressed rural Northern California’s disadvantage in receiving state tax dollars and the desperation of families for services. She twice attacked Crye (without naming him) for supporting what she labeled a “fraudulent project” — the Pathways to Leadership Campus proposed for Anderson by the Family Dynamics Center.
Contextual notes: That project, labeled as "fraudulent" by Resner, was proposed by a local organization with a track record of helping troubled youth, and had received a conditional $24.7 million award from the State's Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP). The project proponents made a presentation at the Board of Supervisors meeting on March 24, 2026, requesting allocation of opioid settlement funds as a local "community match" of $1.9 million. However, the project had not been presented to the Anderson City Council, which reacted angrily, and subsequently, the Anderson Community Church, which had planned to donate land, has since withdrawn. The project is now in limbo with the State's award deadlines looming.
Crye had initially opposed a much larger proposed mental health campus called True North. That proposal was spearheaded by Kimberly Johnson, who requested a Letter of Support for the application in October of 2025. The BHCIP funding request — a $150 million ask ultimately failed, most likely because the state favored funding smaller projects. Resner served on the board of the nonprofit Children’s Legacy Center as Treasurer under Johnson. Crye has been critical of the Shasta County District Attorney, Stephanie Bridgett, for allocating $7 million of the Zogg Fire settlement funds obtained from PG&E to the Children’s Legacy Center, while CEO Johnson is being paid almost $200k per year.
Crye defended his approach, saying the county should stop pouring tens of millions into “seedy and defunct organizations” that get paid to treat problems rather than cure them. He highlighted grants awarded to Visions of the Cross and the Good News Rescue Mission and efforts to make services more accessible by consolidating or co-locating them.
Gallardo called the State “not our friend,” criticized over-reliance on SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, a class of antidepressants) and other pharmaceuticals that he said worsen suicide rates, and urged trying “natural homeopathic remedies”. He stated that mental health facilities should be funded by private investment rather than government fiat money.
Other flashpoints - On state versus local authority, Gallardo argued counties need not blindly follow what he called “egregiously tyrannical” state laws, while Crye pointed to his successful charter-county push and two charter amendment measures (P and Q) he tried to have passed by the voters to protect property rights and voter input on filling vacancies. Resner again called for a “balanced and common-sense approach,” citing foster youth, addicted offenders, and relocating the downtown jail.
On reducing divisiveness, Resner drew on her experience as a mother and councilmember, saying “every voice matters” and “it is easy to find common ground.” Gallardo blamed “instigators” at Board of Supervisors meetings and praised the sheriff for prosecuting them. Crye emphasized “simple economics and simple relationships,” noting there are five independent thinkers on the board, several (Crye, Corkey Harmon, and Matt Plummer) pray together before meetings.
All three candidates expressed hope for a rural Northern California medical school, though Gallardo cautioned against government-funded hyperinflation and called for private investors and broader treatment options. Crye, who advocated for a medical school along with Dr. Paul Dhanuka, needs to drive to UCSF for cancer treatments. Crye said he has already shifted skeptics on the medical school and has secured more residencies and internships through collaboration with UC Davis, UC Irvine, and Simpson University.
Closing statements - Resner closed by pledging honesty, accountability, transparency, and focus on public safety, mental health, roads, and basic services. Crye warned that “platitudes are not going to solve financial problems,” promising work on medical access, public safety, and a new southern evacuation bridge over the Sacramento River at Buenaventura Rd. Gallardo vowed to uphold fiscal responsibility, adhere to the Constitution, maintain local control, and confront the county’s bloated budget and CalPERS pension liabilities. He also noted Resner “never said she made a mistake” on Redding’s illegal land sale blocking access to another parcel owned by the Redding Rancheria, despite warnings from a fellow council member.
If citizens have not registered to vote yet, they can go to: vote.ca.gov. The primary election will be held on June 2, 2026.
To view the forum in its entirety, recorded by KRCR News Channel 7, go to:
