Rally at the River Draws Reform California Candidates in Redding Ahead of November Election
On Saturday, October 24, 2026, Reform California candidates and supporters gathered at Riverfront Park, next to the Sundial Bridge, for a free community event focused on voter turnout. Organizers framed the afternoon around the message that “elections belong to those who vote,” urging attendees to complete full ballots—from statewide offices down to school boards—and to encourage low-propensity voters among friends and family. Speakers repeatedly noted historically modest local turnout and called for higher participation so that local majorities can shape school boards, county government, and related bodies.
The event featured brief remarks from Reform California-endorsed candidates. Here is a summary of each speaker’s stated background and priorities, drawn from their comments at the rally.
Helen Mead (Anderson Union High School District)
A longtime Shasta County resident and local businesswoman with experience in construction and education (including preschool work and teaching), Mead said that, if elected, her priorities would include reviewing curriculum for accuracy and content, fiscal responsibility, accountability, and teamwork. She emphasized support for parental rights and for children’s education.
Charlie Hawkins (Anderson Union High School District)
Hawkins, who described deep local roots in the Anderson area, focused on students. He called for pathways into trades, better support and compensation for teachers so they can concentrate on students, and a return to greater community solidarity around schools. He framed his candidacy around empowering kids to pursue the directions they choose.
Sanny Ong (Redding School District)
A mother, wife, and small-business owner who has taught preschool and worked in public education, Ong outlined three priorities: parental rights (which she described as God-given rather than government-granted), a student-first focus on core subjects such as English, math, reading, and writing, and an academic-first approach. She stressed collaboration among parents, teachers, and the board to support student success.
Paul Goedecke (Bella Vista School District)
A former teacher and administrator, Goedecke highlighted low statewide reading proficiency rates (noting figures near or below 50 percent at grade level in some measures) and called for stronger emphasis on basic skills in reading, writing, and arithmetic. He said he entered the race because he could not accept current outcomes and wanted to help raise performance.
Linda Glass (Gateway Unified School District)
With roughly 30 years of experience in junior high and at Shasta College, Glass linked strong communities to strong families and clear expectations for children. She argued that reading and math scores declined amid increased screen use and one-size-fits-all approaches, and she advocated teaching from high-quality books, restoring citizenship and civics instruction, expanding vocational and shop opportunities, and partnering with the community. She said she would work to make the district one of California's strongest.
William Woodbury (Pacheco Union School District)
A first-time candidate, longtime entrepreneur, commercial pilot, and flight instructor, Woodbury cited his experience as a father (including raising a son who is a high school teacher and another with significant special needs). He rejected one-size-fits-all models and compared school progression to pilot training: students should master fundamentals before advancing. He asked voters in his area to support him on November 3.
Teresa Roberts (Shasta County Board of Education, Area 2)
An incumbent, mother of six, grandmother of nine, longtime business owner, and trades advocate, Roberts said she wants to remove what she called “crap” from schools—including CRT, DEI, and SEL programs that she argued harm children—and return to traditional education. She also called for expanded trades opportunities and strong parental-rights protections.
Authur Gorman (Shasta County Board of Education, Area 2)
The host and an incumbent trustee, Gorman stressed the importance of down-ballot voting and high turnout (noting that only a minority of registered voters typically participate in local races). He recounted local school-board efforts since COVID-era policies, including pushback against compelled speech on pronouns and related gender policies, and the gradual election of more conservative majorities on several boards. He directed attendees to Reform California and local voter guides and urged people to knock on doors, contact friends and family, and consider serving as poll workers or election observers. He noted that fellow candidate Michelle Tyson (Area 1) couldn't attend because she was training poll workers.
Robin Littau (U.S. House, California’s 2nd Congressional District)
Littau, a Redding resident, described herself as a single mother of four, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, a small-business owner, and a member of the Enterprise Elementary School District board. She stressed the need to represent the North State’s agricultural and rural communities in the newly redrawn district and contrasted her approach with longtime incumbent Jared Huffman's. She pledged to advocate for conservative, Republican, and Christian values and traditional American priorities, and she urged supporters to vote and to mobilize others through Election Day.
Chris Kelstrom (Shasta County Board of Supervisors, District 5)
The incumbent, who has represented south-county communities, reviewed commitments from his previous campaign. He highlighted the passage of term limits in Shasta County, his work on water rights (including service on the Enterprise-Anderson Groundwater Sustainability Agency and with the Northern California Water Association), a fire ordinance, and his decision not to pursue enhanced retirement benefits. He noted that most earlier promises had been kept and encouraged a “yes” vote on Proposition 39, which addresses voter identification.
Additional remarks came from Chris Stevens, a longtime foster and adoptive parent and child-welfare advocate, who discussed due-process concerns in local dependency cases, similar allegations across families, and an upcoming October 29 screening of the documentary "Kidnapping Cartel" at the Red Lion Hotel. Tickets are available on Eventbrite. He framed the issues as constitutional and family matters rather than partisan ones and called for independent investigations, transparency, and services before removal when children can safely remain at home.
Throughout the afternoon, speakers pointed voters to Reform California’s voter guides (available at reformcalifornia.org and covering all 58 counties) and local materials. The consistent closing message was that incomplete ballots and low turnout leave decisions to a smaller share of the electorate, and that friends-and-family outreach in the final days can change local outcomes. Early voting is already underway, with Election Day set for November 3.
