Patrick Jones Tells All on "Freedom in Action" Radio Show as Guest Host
- Elisa Ballard
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Redding, CA
Patrick Jones, guest hosting the "Freedom in Action" radio show on KQMS (1670 AM; 105.7 FM/104.9 FM) for Kelly Frost on Saturday morning, September 5, 2026, (7 a.m. - 9 a.m.) detailed his experiences with political corruption, mismanagement, and a lack of transparency during his time on the Redding City Council and Shasta County Board of Supervisors. He outlined specific scandals involving financial malfeasance, unethical deals with the McConnell Foundation, and systemic cover-ups by city officials, while also taking calls from listeners who share related concerns and frustrations.
Personal History and Entry into Local Politics
Patrick Jones recounted his family's deep roots in Shasta County, which began in 1968 after his father, who started a shop in the Long Beach area in 1962, decided to relocate the family after a trip to the region in 1967. Jones, born the year of the move, has spent most of his life in the county, first in Central Valley and then in Redding starting in 1973. He has worked his entire life in the family business, Jones' Fort, a small family operation where he, his three siblings, and his parents all contributed. He described working long hours—six days a week, ten hours a day—and noted that while working with family can be challenging, it was also deeply rewarding, particularly the daily interaction with his parents. His entry into politics was spurred by frustration with the Redding City Council in the 1990s, where his concerns were repeatedly dismissed with the line, "we can't be all things to all people." This dismissive attitude and his observations of how taxpayer dollars were being spent motivated him to run for city council in 2002. Although he came in last in that first race, which occurred just after 9/11, he remained committed, attending every city council meeting from 2002 to 2015 before being successfully elected in late 2006.
First-Term Scandals: Uncovering Corruption at Redding City Hall
Upon taking office, Patrick Jones immediately confronted a culture of deception and self-interest within Redding's city government. Within his first few months, he uncovered an attempt by City Manager Kurt Starman to orchestrate a 20% pay spike for Police Chief Leonard Moty, a move designed to inflate Moty's pension for life. Jones had inquired about the Chief's retirement plans six months prior, but Starman withheld the information. After Jones exposed the plan in a closed session, the council voted 5-0 to reject the pay increase. However, Starman subverted the council's decision by using his executive authority to appoint Moty to a newly created Assistant City Manager position, granting him a 14% pay increase. This led Jones to call for Starman's resignation. Simultaneously, a sex scandal erupted involving high-level city employees, including Assistant City Manager Randy Bachman, construction manager Danny Baugh, and a council member Ken Murray. The city administration attempted to conceal the affair, which was only exposed after the Record Searchlight newspaper sued to obtain public records. Jones characterized these events as fraud and a blatant misuse of taxpayer funds, cementing his profound distrust of the city's leadership.
The $400 Million Natural Gas and Kickback Scheme
Patrick Jones detailed a massive financial scandal centered around the Redding Electric Utility (REU), the city's largest enterprise fund, valued at around $200 million. City Manager Kurt Starman appointed Barry Tippin, who had no utility experience, as the REU director. Shortly after, the city entered into a $400 million natural gas contract with Shell Oil at seven cents per decatherm—double the market rate. When Michael Brown, an employee hired to find efficiencies, questioned the deal and alleged kickbacks, he was fired and deemed "not credible." However, an anonymous email later proved Brown correct, revealing that a high-ranking utility employee, Tim Nichols, had accepted an $8,000 Rolex watch from Shell Oil. Jones alleged this was part of a larger scheme where city officials, including Starman and Tippin, lied to the council about the contract. To offload the excess gas, the city built three soundproof cubicles in a secret room to illegally speculate with public funds on the spot market. This was part of a $1.5 billion deal with sister cities Santa Clara and Modesto, generating enormous profits for Shell. Jones asserted that while the practice later became legal, it was illegal at the time and represented a significant corruption and cover-up.
Systemic Mismanagement and Financial Consequences
Patrick Jones detailed the long-term financial fallout from systemic mismanagement at the City of Redding. He criticized the city for allowing public safety expenditures to consume approximately 85% of the general fund, a figure he argued should be closer to 50%. This overspending, driven by pressure from powerful police and fire unions, forced the city to continually borrow from the Redding Electric Utility (REU), treating its reserves as a "cash cow." Jones pointed to specific instances of fiscal irresponsibility, such as former City Manager Barry Tippin using one-time funds for permanent raises for himself and other executives just before retiring—a move permitted by then-council member Erin Resner. He also highlighted a decision by a previous city manager, Michael Warren, to implement a supplemental retirement formula that created a $75 million unfunded liability. With the city's retirement debt only 70% funded, Jones warned of a potential default in a future recession. This pattern of mismanagement, he noted, led to a $20 million general fund shortfall during the global recession, forcing the city to lay off 400 employees.
The McConnell Foundation's Influence and Unethical Deals
Patrick Jones exposed what he termed the "dark side" of the McConnell Foundation, arguing that the philanthropic organization uses its influence to profit at the expense of taxpayers through corrupt deals with city officials. He cited a specific example where the Foundation, required to pay $400,000 for traffic signals for its Redding School of the Arts project, instead convinced the city to build a roundabout that ultimately cost taxpayers $1.2 million. The city also paid the Foundation $450,000 for slivers of its own land for the project. Jones also alleged that the city preemptively funded a $6.9 million traffic improvement project to benefit the Foundation's future developments. In another instance, during a drought, the Foundation worked with the city to sell its water rights to Glenn County for a massive profit, bypassing a local consensus to keep water in Shasta County and giving the city a 3% "kickback." Jones noted the Foundation's value has grown from $100 million to over $500 million, a transformation he attributes to the leadership of Lee and Judy Salter and a pattern of favorable zone changes and taxpayer-funded improvements, like the $4 million Calaboose Creek project on recently acquired Foundation property.
Current Corruption and Citizen Concerns
The latter part of the show featured calls from listeners who, along with Patrick Jones, voiced deep concerns about ongoing corruption in Shasta County and the City of Redding. Callers highlighted several issues, including the county board's refusal to process a voter-passed charter amendment and the County's attempts to block Registrar Clint Curtis from accessing video footage of his own Election Office, which is public record. Authur Gorman, a Shasta County Office of Education board member, reported that his agency spent funds on armed guards and on training to tell elected officials they represent the board, not the people. Concerns were also raised about Bethel Church's growing political influence, with one caller noting Mike Gallagher's membership and alignment. Jones discussed the illegal land deal involving Sierra Pacific to block the Win-River tribe and the controversial plan to demolish the old courthouse—a move he believes is intended to protect landlords leasing properties to the county at inflated rates, such as the $15,000-per-month Elections Office.
Last Saturday's Radio Show
Jones guest-hosted the radio show last Saturday as well and spent a considerable amount of time criticizing Chair Chris Kelstrom on the Shasta County Board of Supervisors for caving to staff, especially to County Counsel Joseph Larmour. Issues in the Election Office and the unfair criticisms leveled at Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis by the County Adminstrative Office were also covered during the show.
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