Letter to the Editor
- Staff Writer
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
The following information was provided by one of our readers
Rich Gallardo
The information and opinions presented here do not necessarily reflect those of Shasta Unfiltered, its writers or editors.
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Feb. 4, 2023
Does the California Legislature and Governor Retaliate Against Freedom Loving Citizens?
California has a history of passing laws quickly after citizens attempt to regain or assert control of the Rights that are inherent, and NOT granted by government, in a Constitutional Republic that is the United States. In recent years, Shasta County has been of particular interest to the passage of such laws.
In Jan. 2017, many Shasta County school districts were in the process of publicly allowing citizens with CCW (concealed weapons permits) to carry firearms on school properties. This link is behind the pay wall for Record Searchlight.
On Feb. 9, 2017, a mere week after the above story, CA introduced AB 424 which took away school district Superintendents' discretion to allow concealed firearms on campus. The law went into effect in 2018.
On Feb. 1, 2022, Shasta County held a special election to recall Leonard Moty and it succeeded. At that time, the election allowed the voters to also select his successor.
On Feb. 17, 2022, a mere 16 days after the special election, a new Bill was introduced to remove the voters' ability to choose a successor in a local recall:
In Jan. 2022, I requested a list of names of those citizens who work both in the Registrar of VotersS office and at the polling places. That list was public information by law.
On Feb. 16, 2022, four weeks after the request, (anyone noticing a pattern?) a Bill was introduced, and eventually passed, that made the list of election workers confidential.
Do you want your election workers to be "secret" and only known to government officials? A second request later in 2022 to Cathy Allen (Shasta Co. Registrar) was denied.
In late 2021 into early 2022, both the Shasta County Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors rejected the proposed Burney wind farm project.
By mid-June of 2022, AB 205 and AB 209 passed. These laws do many things to cement state control over energy production, to include disregarding local government hearings on such matters.
In July 2022, Scott Valley Unified School District in Siskiyou County, passed a policy to allow unloaded firearms in locked containers on campus. This is in accordance with state Penal Code 626.9(c)(2).
See the following video at timestamp 6:30:
On Dec. 5, 2022, CA Senate Bill 2, was introduced. There are many additional restrictions relating to firearms possession and ownership, but it also removes the current ability to have an unloaded firearm in a locked container anywhere on school property. The new law would mandate the unloaded firearm be in a locked vehicle or a locked container in a vehicle.
So when this law is passed, and an active shooter accesses a school campus (and it will happen again), the teachers and staff will be unarmed and NOT have a firearm close enough by to take immediate and effective action to protect the kids.
There are almost innumerable examples of how California continues to take more freedoms and liberties away from citizens, business owners, and local governments. California has historically passed from 700-900 laws per year. The number of Bills being passed annually now are about 1,300!
In the last few years, the State Legislature has begun a year-round legislative cycle. In the 2021-2022 cycle, the Legislature heard 4,476 Bills! That's more than SIX per day (including weekends and holidays)!
Would you ask the question, "Why does a government feel the need to hear and pass so many laws?" "Why does a government respond quickly to citizens' desires for freedom and liberty by passing laws removing those very freedoms?"
Is it to control the population?
Richard Gallardo
Editor - Shasta County Citizen Journalist
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This is an update on more laws/bills that California continues to introduce and pass in direct retaliation to Shasta County citizens and officials attempting to assert what little power and control is left.
AB 424, 2017; removed individual school district discretion to allow CCW on their campuses.
AB 2582, AB 2584 (2022); direct retaliation to the recall Shasta movement that removed County Supervisor Moty.
SB 1131, 2022; made election poll worker names confidential: direct retaliation to public records act requests made in Shasta County.
AB 205, AB 209, 2022: passed in retaliation to Shasta County NOT wanting a large
windmill project installed, where the local county planning commission rejected it. Now the state can bypass the County planning commission.
SB 2, 2022: firearm restrictions: in retaliation to a Siskiyou school district allowing employees to have loaded firearms on school property.
AB 969, introduced Feb. 14, 2023, makes it illegal for a County Board to cancel their current voting system without having another one in place. Also prohibits hand counting with less than 1,000 voters. (This is a direct attack on the recent cancellation of the Dominion contract. Passed Oct. 2023.)
(SB 494) prohibits school boards from terminating, without cause, a Superintendent the first 30 days after a new term begins. (This was in response to Gateway Unified School District's action in Shasta County in early 2023.)
(AB 545) allows persons to claim a disability without having to officially "declare" a disability. (This is to force local officials to ensure an electronic voting machines are used in elections. This is in response to Shasta County removing Dominion voting machines in 2023 in anticipation of using hand counting).
(SB 1174) prohibits local governments from mandating voter ID. (This bill passed in retaliation to the charter City of Huntington Beach's voters passing a charter amendment.)
(SB 485) makes it a crime to intimidate/harass, etc., election workers. NO intention by "suspect" is required, only the interpretation of the elections worker! (result of Shasta citizens being hyper vigilant in election observing since the June 2022 primary)
(AB 331) declares that a governing body's declaration of an election result is ministerial and non-discretionary. (result of Shasta Co. Board declaring "under duress" a previous statement of vote)
(SB 1164) Intro Feb '26: Election Omnibus: Several generic controls that prohibit actions by local government from enhancing election integrity efforts. (direct attack on the upcoming Measure B for the June ballot).
