Patrick Jones Alleges Rules Were Broken for Sheriff Michael Johnson
- Rex Ballard
- Apr 23
- 4 min read
EXCLUSIVE FOLLOW-UP: Johnson Secretly Resigned, Then Was Improperly Reappointed by Former CEO Matt Pontes Without Board Approval
In a bombshell April 19, 2026, appearance on Jefferson State of Mine (KCNR Radio), former Shasta County Supervisor Patrick Jones dropped new details about the “double-dipping” arrangement involving Sheriff Michael Johnson that go well beyond what Shasta Unfiltered previously reported.
While Jones’s initial revelations — that Johnson quietly began collecting both a full CalPERS pension and his sheriff’s salary (totaling roughly $445,000 in pay and benefits per Transparent California data) — were the subject of our recent exclusive exposé, the latest podcast introduced previously unreported procedural allegations about how the arrangement was executed. Click Here for the earlier article
The New Allegation: Resignation + Secret Reappointment by Matt Pontes
According to Jones, Sheriff Johnson resigned his position in early 2022, just before the primary election, specifically to trigger the pension while continuing to serve. He was then reappointed — not by the Board of Supervisors, but by then-County Executive Officer Matt Pontes — without the required Board approval or public disclosure. Apparently, the rules are very specific: if the retirement is to take place mid-term, the recipient (Sheriff Johnson) must resign his position without any assurance of reappointment. The rules governing who has the authority to make a mid-term appointment are equally specific. In the case of Sheriff Johnson, that authority typically resides with the Board of Supervisors, and not with the County CEO, Matt Pontes, at that time. If Jones' assertions are correct, they raise the question of whether Sheriff Johnson is rightfully our sheriff.
Jones emphasized that this was not a routine administrative move. Under the process enabled by the little-known 2017 California Senate trailer bill, elected officials who wish to “separate” and return under "unlimited-hours" status must follow strict requirements. Jones asserts that the rules are very specific: if the retirement is to take place mid-term, the recipient (Sheriff Johnson) must resign his position without any assurance of reappointment. The rules governing who has the authority to make a mid-term appointment are equally specific. In the case of Sheriff Johnson, that authority resides with the Board of Supervisors, and not with the County CEO, Matt Pontes, at that time. If it had come before the Board of Supervisors, they could have chosen to reappoint Johnson, appoint someone else, or leave the position vacant until the next election cycle.
Clearly, these are not the steps that were taken, and if Jones' assertions are correct, they raise the question of whether Sheriff Johnson is rightfully our sheriff.
Instead, Jones claims, it was handled quietly and unilaterally by Pontes “with no authority” and kept hidden from both the Board and the public during a heated 2022 primary race. Jones confirmed the details directly with Sheriff Johnson, who acknowledged the arrangement is “legal” but did not dispute the timeline or lack of transparency. Jones called the process illegal on procedural grounds and deeply unethical because of the lack of transparency and the type of backroom dealings and back-scratching that give public service a bad name.
“This wasn’t just hidden from the voters — it was hidden from the Board of Supervisors,” Jones stated on the broadcast. He noted that opponents in the 2022 primary (including John Green) were publicly accused by Johnson’s supporters of potential double-dipping, while Johnson himself was already executing the maneuver.
Same Pattern Now Alleged with Tax Collector Lori J. Scott
Jones also revealed that County Tax Collector/Treasurer Lori J. Scott appears to have followed an identical path in early 2024. Data from Transparent California showed a sharp drop in her reported benefits alongside sustained high total compensation, prompting Jones to contact her directly. She confirmed she had “separated” and begun the same pension-plus-salary arrangement.
Crucially, Matt Pontes was long gone by then. Pontes resigned as CEO in June 2022 amid controversy over his own decades-old expunged felony conviction (which Jones had publicly exposed). By 2024, the county’s top administrator was David J. Rickert, who has served as County Executive Officer since May 2023.
Jones raised pointed questions: Was Lori Scott’s reappointment handled the same way — quietly by the new CEO without notifying or seeking approval from the Board of Supervisors? If so, does this represent a continuing pattern of bypassing elected oversight on high-dollar compensation decisions that directly impact taxpayers and the already underfunded CalPERS system?
Broader Implications and Jones’s Next Steps
Jones, who served on the Board during the time these arrangements allegedly began, described the revelations as “eye-opening” and part of a larger pattern of things kept hidden from both the public and elected supervisors during his tenure. He noted that the 2017 law change allows the practice when done correctly (for example, at the end of a term or through open re-election after retirement), but stressed that mid-term secret reappointments appear to violate required procedures and deny voters informed consent.
He has formally asked the current County CEO to investigate both cases and indicated he will raise the matter directly with the Board of Supervisors and beyond if necessary.
Jones also drew parallels to the controversial six-month stint by former interim CEO Pat Mintern, who allegedly “spiked” his own retirement by roughly $40,000 per year through accumulated leave and benefits — another move Jones says was not fully transparent to the Board at the time.
These latest allegations come as Jones continues his separate lawsuit against District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett and the county over alleged campaigning on public time. He has repeatedly framed his efforts as necessary accountability measures after what he sees as a pattern of cover-ups and self-dealing in county government.
Shasta Unfiltered will continue to investigate this story. In the meantime, Jones’s message to the public is clear: without transparency and oversight, these arrangements will continue—and taxpayers will continue to foot the bill. Even out of the Office, Patrick Jones continues to fight for Shasta County citizens by shining a cleansing light on unfair issues affecting citizen taxpayers.
If you would like to hear the Jefferson State of Mine podcast, featuring Patrick Jones, that aired on April 19, 2026, click here.
Stay tuned to Shasta Unfiltered for ongoing coverage of county accountability issues. Share this story and demand answers from your elected officials.
