PRESS RELEASE Election Integrity Initiative Proponents Redding, CA – March 6, 2026

Court Victory: Proponents Granted Intervention, TRO Modified, Merits Hearing Advanced – Preparations for Measure B on June Ballot Can Proceed 

Yesterday, March 5, 2026, Shasta County Superior Court Judge Benjamin L. Hanna issued rulings that represent a meaningful step forward for the more than 10,000 Shasta County citizens who signed the petition to qualify the Election Integrity Initiative—now designated as Measure B—on the June 2, 2026 ballot. 

In a morning ex parte hearing, Judge Hanna: 

- Granted the proponents' Application for Leave to Intervene,recognizing Laura Hobbs, Deidre Holliday, Kari Chilson, Jim Burnett, and Richard Gallardo as indispensable parties whose constitutional rights are directly at stake in defending the voter-qualified measure. 

- Modified the February 26 Temporary Restraining Order (TRO)to permit the Shasta County Registrar of Voters and county officials to resume all necessary time-sensitive ministerial ballot preparation steps. This adjustment prevents the irreversible exclusion of Measure B from the June ballot due to impending statutory deadlines. 

- Advanced the full merits hearing on the underlying petition from April 10 to Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at 8:30 a.m., providing a realistic timeline for resolution while preserving the opportunity for voters to decide on Measure B in June. 

These actions follow the proponents' filing on March 3, supported by a declaration from Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis detailing the non-extendable March 6 Notice of Election deadline and the estimated $850,000–$1,000,000 cost of a forced special election if preparations were permanently halted. The court's modifications effectively lift the prior block that had threatened to derail the democratic process initiated by thousands of Shasta County residents. 

In a parallel development, the California Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District, granted a stay of the original TRO in response to the proponents' immediate relief request.  Only around 10% of these requests are granted by the appellate court, so a decision in favor of the proponents was very affirming.  Together, these rulings from both the Superior Court and the appellate court now allow ballot preparations to move forward pending the March 25 hearing. 

Statement from the Proponents 

Laura Hobbs, proponent, said:  

"I am deeply concerned that the County Board of Supervisors did not defend the Initiative. As the proponents who drafted, sponsored, and championed this measure through the legal process, my co-proponents and I have the most direct and substantial interest in its defense... Removing the Initiative from the ballot through an emergency ex parte proceeding brought by an anonymous plaintiff would deprive the voters of Shasta County of their right to decide this matter through the democratic process." 

Attorney Alexander H. Haberbush of the Lex Rex Institute, representing the proponents, stated that pre-election removal of a qualified initiative is heavily disfavored under California law. He remains committed to defending the will of the people who qualified this measure. 

Next Steps 

The full hearing on the petition's merits is set for March 25, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. in Department 64. Preparations for Measure B on the June 2 ballot will now proceed as the legal challenge continues. 

The proponents thank the thousands of Shasta County residents who signed the petition and stood with us. The fight for election integrity and voter choice continues—stay engaged, stay informed, and support the right of the people to decide. 

About the Election Integrity Initiative (Measure B)  

The "Election Transparency and Security Reform" initiative seeks to restore confidence in Shasta County elections through voter identification, precinct-based hand counting, limited absentee voting, and local voter roll oversight—reforms supported by more than 10,000 citizen signatures.