Redding looks ahead in Chapter 140 as Chamber hosts 2026 State of the City
Redding Mayor Mike Littau delivered the city’s 2026 State of the City address Tuesday, Sept. 22, at the Holiday Inn on Hilltop Drive during the Greater Redding Chamber of Commerce’s annual gathering. The event framed the year as “Chapter 140,” marking the city’s 140th year and focusing on progress, hard choices, and what comes next.
Chamber leaders opened with the Pledge of Allegiance, a performance by Simpson University’s choir, and an invocation that emphasized gratitude for Redding’s people, entrepreneurs, educators, first responders, and civic servants. Board Chair Rob Lowes, CFO for Dignity Health North State, highlighted the recent opening of the Sierra Pacific Regional Cancer Center after more than a decade of planning and fundraising. Outgoing Chamber President and CEO Todd Jones, who is leaving for Shasta College, used the platform to recap tourism wins, civic work, and the need for a shared long-term vision.
Jones pointed to the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Northern California as a signature success: 1,725 athletes from 49 states and 20 countries, a course from Whiskeytown Lake through Shasta County to the Sundial Bridge, and strong volunteer turnout. Organizers already plan a return in 2027 and 2028. He also previewed the Redding Rancheria Tribal Health Village opening next spring, praised Visit Redding and sports tourism partnerships, and described new tools including a city guide, the City Builders Podcast, and a fall election guide aimed at clearer civic debate.
Mayor Littau’s address mixed history, humor, and a blunt assessment of finances and infrastructure. He traced Redding from its 1887 incorporation through early police and fire services, the 1921 purchase of the electric system that became REU, and major investments such as Shasta Dam. The through-line, he said, has always been the same: more needs than resources, and each generation must decide what to maintain and what to build next.
Recent accomplishments he listed included:
Ironman volunteer energy (hundreds of counted shifts, with unofficial totals far higher) and growing sports-destination reputation
Amazon’s 95,000-square-foot delivery station at Stillwater Business Park and more than 100 jobs, plus additional grant-funded access work
Downtown’s shift from parking-dominated blocks to housing, restaurants, shops, and public space, plus ParkMobile and HGTV attention
RABA’s Gold Runner service linking Redding to Red Bluff, Orland, Willows, Sacramento, and the airport
The Riverfront Specific Plan, described as a phased vision without a billion-dollar check
Five proposals to operate the Civic Center after the previous operator left, with council review expected around October
REU’s $70 million electric system revenue bonds for aging infrastructure
Replacement of 1937 Pump Station One (about $74 million), with construction possibly starting next summer
A multimillion-dollar MRF upgrade, partly grant-funded, to handle recycling volume
Caldwell Park expansion and the Good News Rescue Mission Day Center, now about 75% complete and slated to open in December
Littau was frank about unfinished business. The Sports Park (formerly Big League Dreams) needs a financially self-sustaining plan for turf replacement, whether through city operations, a lease (he floated figures in the $30,000–$35,000-per-month range), or grants. He said the city cannot keep postponing the issue. He also highlighted the Circle Six Consulting efficiency review—more than 200 pages on operations, personnel costs, and infrastructure—and warned against letting it sit on a shelf. Public debate, he noted, has focused heavily on data centers even though the report covered far more.
The mayor paid tribute to City Manager William Tarbo, who died in July after only a few months on the job, and thanked Interim City Manager Michael Webb for stepping into multiple vacant leadership roles. Littau then previewed a “Redding 100K” strategic planning effort aimed at growing the population toward 100,000, pairing housing with better-paying jobs in manufacturing, technology, and medical education. He argued that filling gaps between existing neighborhoods could strengthen the tax base and help fund roads and services without erasing Redding’s small-town character.
Jones and Littau both returned to the same theme: rallies, ribbon cuttings, and races matter, but the work after the balloons come down matters more. The Chamber and city, they said, need honest talk about public safety, workforce housing, infrastructure, and how Redding tells its own story instead of letting others define it by its problems.
The event closed with thanks to the city, the Holiday Inn, and the crowd. Organizers already pointed ahead to next year’s gathering—and to the next pages of Chapter 140.
