Californians across the state will be turning in ballots by March 5, but many eyes are on a contentious recall election in Shasta County, one that could decide if a group of far-right politicians can maintain their control over the county.
A group of Shasta County residents is attempting to recall Supervisor Kevin Crye, who took office in January, 2023 and who represents parts of Redding.
How will this election impact the balance of power in Shasta County?
The March 5 primary election is more consequential than people may realize. Because of the way non-partisan county officials are elected, and how the votes turn out, all four of the seats on the Board of Supervisors could be decided immediately in March, or much later during the November general election.
If successful, the recall against Crye would have immediate impacts on county politics, and would provide an advantage to those who want to oust the far-right majority on the Board of Supervisors.
The board is currently split 3-2 in favor of a far-right group including Crye, Chris Kelstrom and Patrick Jones. That’s why they’ve been able to pass controversial proposals including the hand-count election effort, firing the county’s health officer and a second amendment resolution.
If Crye is recalled and Gov. Gavin Newsom doesn’t appoint a replacement, the board would remain deadlocked 2-2 until November on some of the more controversial proposals.
Crye is not up for election until 2026, which means his seat could be open earlier than expected. A special election could take place in November to pick someone to finish out the term. In 2022, Crye won his election by just 90 votes, so an election to replace him could very easily be won by a more moderate candidate.
Far-right Supervisor Patrick Jones is up for re-election this year, as well as supervisors Mary Rickert and Tim Garman, both moderate Republicans. Multiple candidates are running in every race. Because of redistricting, Garman is not eligible for re-election, so four people are seeking to take his place. If any candidate in the primary wins more than 50% of the vote, they win the election outright. If no candidate wins a majority of the votes, the top two candidates for that seat will head to a runoff election in November.
The only election that’s almost guaranteed to be decided in March is Patrick Jone’s district, because only two people are running in that election. Unless the vote is tied, one person will win during the March 5 primary.
That means the future makeup of the board depends heavily on what happens in March. For example, if Kevin Crye survives the recall attempt and Patrick Jones is elected outright, the far-right majority will retain control of the board, no matter what happens to the other two seats. But if Crye is recalled, and two of the supervisor seats head to runoff elections in November, the outcome of the board will remain unknown.
Why do people want to recall a county supervisor?
The group, called the Committee to Recall Kevin Crye, believes the supervisor hasn’t lived up to his promises and has broken the public trust.
“He promised to be a uniter and a healer. He promised to be fiscally responsible. He promised to prioritize public safety, and homelessness, etc. It all sounded good. So give him a chance,” said Jeff Gorder, spokesperson for the recall campaign last August. “And then, he just did a 180 on what his promises were.”
The recall campaign points to Crye’s support of an expensive effort to hand-count ballots in future elections, which ended up getting banned by a new state law.
Crye argues that the recall is a political move by a group of extreme leftists in an effort to get Gov. Newsom to appoint his replacement. In his response to the recall, Crye said, “Since I took office, I used it to promote public safety, increase awareness of homelessness and, most importantly, protect our youth.”
Will California’s governor appoint a replacement?
A major argument by Crye in his effort to retain his seat is that Gov. Newsom will appoint a replacement.
Newsom does have the power to appoint a replacement supervisor in the event of a vacancy, and he’s used that power in other cases, including in Lake, San Benito, Ventura, Marin and Yolo counties in the last few years. All of those counties tend to lean Democratic.
But, the governor has also left some seats vacant for locals to fill during a special election, including in Glenn and Modoc counties, which are both Republican-leaning.
The recall campaign has sent a letter to Newsom asking him not to make an appointment and allow voters to fill the vacant seat in November.
What about the two measures up for consideration?
There are also two county-wide measures, which are both related to the Board of Supervisors.
Measure D:
Proposed by Kevin Crye, Measure D asks voters whether or not Shasta should become a charter county. Charter counties have more power to make changes to the structure and function of the county, including the Board of Supervisors and other county officers. For now, the only thing in the new charter is a change allowing supervisors to appoint a replacement for vacant board seats or to call for a special election. This change was proposed because Crye is concerned the governor would appoint his replacement if he is recalled.
Crye has said this charter change would not take effect until 2025, however, so the governor could still appoint his replacement. Some residents are concerned that this is the first step in converting the county clerk/registrar of voters office to an appointed position instead of an elected one. Many of California’s largest and most prominent counties are charter counties, and appoint their registrar of voters rather than elect them, including Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Diego counties. County Clerk Cathy Darling Allen has often been at odds with the board over their efforts to hand-count elections. Any future changes to the county charter would have to go to another vote.
Measure C:
This measure would mandate that supervisors can’t serve more than two terms, a priority of far-right Supervisor Chris Kelstrom. It’s supported by all supervisors except for Mary Rickert, who opposes term limits because she says it could result in a loss of institutional knowledge.
If passed, the new limits would take effect for supervisors starting in 2025. That means that all the current supervisors would be able to serve two additional three-year terms.
Links to election information:
Shasta County Elections website
Online voter registration (Note, you can only register online or by mail before Feb. 20. Same-day registration is available in person at the elections office or at your local polling place).
