Rural California county angered over Newsom edicts recalls centrist GOP lawmaker
By: Tori Richards Investigative Reporter
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Rural California county angered over Newsom edicts recalls centrist GOP lawmaker
| February 09, 2022 07:34 PM 
A boat crosses Shasta Lake on Sunday, May 23, 2021, in Shasta Trinity National Forest, Calif. The reservoir is at 45 percent of capacity and 52 percent of its historical average. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Noah Berger/AP
People who visualize Shasta County see boats dotting a massive lake, a famous snow-capped volcano, and rural small-town communities.
But it's also been torched by one of the state's worst wildfires and has seen its namesake lake drained to provide water for the rest of the drought-stricken state.
Against the backdrop of this deep-red county is a bitter grassroots contest to unseat a lawmaker accused of being too friendly with the establishment. On the other side are voters labeled as belonging to an alt-right militia seeking to take over the government.
The two warring factions went to the polls Feb. 1 to recall county Supervisor Leonard Moty in a race that now has enough ballots in to make a measured guess: Moty lost his seat by an approximate 12% margin.
The apparent winner is Tim Garman, a local school board president with 2,375 votes. Second-place finisher Dale Ball is 155 votes behind, with just 70 ballots yet to be counted.
Moty said the election won’t be certified until Monday. The registrar of voters could not be reached for comment.
Garman said he was driven to run for supervisor because of the divisiveness that COVID-19 wreaked upon the county, which normally has been united in its war against the state’s runaway liberal edicts. The county is 65% Republican.
Tim Garman
Courtesy of Tim Garman
“When I saw what was happening with our county being so divided, I wanted to step in because I truly believe I can bring our county back together,” Garman said. “We need to have a peaceful conversation.”
Both Garman and Ball told the Washington Examiner that they aren’t part of any militia, aren't alt-right, and jumped into the race before an umbrella group, Recall Shasta, started gaining momentum. Numerous San Francisco-area have claimed that backers of Moty’s recall are extremist militia types.
“I have never been to a militia meeting in my life,” Garman said. “If they are out there, I don’t even know who they are.”
Ball quipped that he doesn’t even own a camouflage shirt.
“The militia is trying to take over our county,” Moty said, naming one person in the county government who was “a major part of it …They wanted their group in power.”
Despite these claims, one thing was undisputed: County residents were furious over COVID-19 lockdowns, school and business closures, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s mandates, and anything else that curtailed rights. People came out in droves to board meetings to be heard.
“He does not relate to his constituents at all,” Garman said. “When I was out and about door knocking and putting signs out, people said they’ve never seen him in 12 years — won’t return our calls or emails.”
A consensus formed that three of the board members were not paying attention to the needs of residents, and a recall effort started last year. The effort was consolidated and is just focusing on Moty for the time being.
For his part, Moty said he has been a scapegoat over the anger brewing from Newsom’s two years of state-of-emergency edicts. He said the recall campaign was well funded and sent out mailers with lies.
“We were one of the most open counties in the state. We did not issue a single citation or fine to a person or business,” said Moty regarding Newsom’s yearlong lockdown of schools. Businesses were also shuttered to some extent throughout the year due to a mandate whose aftermath saw the permanent loss of one-third of California’s restaurants.
Moty, a former police chief, said the board pushed back on Newsom for lumping Shasta County in with areas like Los Angeles and San Francisco when it has a fraction of the population at just 182,155 people. Some businesses remained open during the lockdown and were reported to the state by other businesses, not by county officials, he said.
"They think at the board [that] we are all buddies of Newsom's and do whatever Newsom tells us," Moty said of his opponents. "That is not true."
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The photo above is on Lake Redding which is the Sacramento River widened by an irrigation canal diversion dam between the 3rd and 4th bridges in the photo here in downtown Redding. To his left are Lake Redding and Caldwell parks and the Sacramento River trail. The famed Sundial Bridge is beyond the trees past the 4th bridge, Market St. and once US HW 99. Mt. Lassen and it’s National Park are in the background to the east.
Aren't the MAGA bots angry about everything anyway? Besides, if they like the COVID so much why don't they get a lung full of it?
Despite the referenced SF Bay Area media along with Sacramento, LA, and the national liberal biased news media, there is no militia take over, no bitter recriminations, no hate. Just debate over ways to defy and show opposition to Gov Newscum and all the post March 13,2020 mandates we rejected and still do.
Shasta County may be rural but the city of Redding is 99% urban, according to the City of Redding web site.
Population in 2019: 92,590 (99% urban, 1% rural). Population change since 2000: +14.5%
Read more:
Not only is Shasta County rural so is every county bordering it as well as those beyond. To the west there is no city remotely the population of Redding to the ocean, not even Eureka, Arcata, McKinnleyville combined. To the east, nothing at all in the state, not until Reno some 200 miles away in hws 44,36,395. To the north nothing instate, about 160 miles north is Medford, Ore. 70 miles SE on old 99 is comparable sized Chico but otherwise 160 miles due south is Sacramento. Except for Redding and Chico north of Sacramento virtually everything is rural. Redding itself has a lot of farm, grazing lands, lakes, ponds, and forested land within its many square miles of City limits.
(My cut off comments reposted below)
The point is that people living here reject urban and love the slower paced life style, the good schools, parks, trails, medical facilities of an exurb but so much rural a 15 minute drive away. We are the support system for an entire rural paradise here.
I don't dispute any of that.
The point is that people living here reject urban
The point is the city of Redding is urban. Or is the City of Redding web site wrong ?
The whole point of this article was to refute ridiculous lamestream media propaganda about our area largely coming from the much more urban capital and coastal cities that was libeling us and our area. Some of it showed up on the front page from groups where all my comments refuting such blood libel were systematically deleted. This seed shows that crap to be a total misrepresentation of us and our fine area. The urban parts of the state hate it we went more than 2-1 for Trump in 2020 and had a huge boat parade here for him on Shasta Lake.
Are you serious ? "blood libel" ?
Okay Sarah.
It is correct by dictionary definition. It is not based on locals attitude though. Redding is really much more suburban/exurban than urban. The Redding metro area though is at 183,000 people and covers 3,700 square miles. The size land wise of more than Delaware and Rhode Island combined. 48 people per square mile.
No it isn't...even close.
There are loads of places in NY that are 48 people per square mile. What's your point? It's the mountains. Any place like that has low density.
Thanks for posting the actual meaning of that term.
Try actually responding to the content of the post you are responding to. Post 4.1.6 is in reference to the definition of urban. Not whatever the heck you are referring to.
The point was that the area isn’t really urban. Almost no other urban statistical metro areas I know of have only 48 people per square mile.
Per your comment at 4.14 you have once again misused the term blood libel.
You know it and anyone that can read knows it.
Whatever, it had nothing to do with what you replied to in 4.1.6. As to the libeling of my county by the mainstream news media, it is unforgivable.
post 4.1.6 that you responded to in 4.1.7 in full.
And the best part is that in counties all over the state the base is doing this from school boards to city councils to county boards of supervisors. Heck, all the attention is off of us now that San Francisco county recalled three of their school board members!
The point is you used extreme language for something that Jews had to endure over the centuries. It is insulting to say the least.
The Term ‘Blood Libel’: More Common Than You Might Think
Sarah Palin is right to use the term ‘blood libel’
https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Sarah-Palin-is-right-to-use-the-term-blood-libel
There are actually three cities in Shasta county. Anderson population 10,000 to our south on I-5 and Shasta Lake City population 10,000 to our north on I-5. Another 10,000 live in two unincorporated areas to the the east within 10 miles and another 5,000 in such to the west. You all should come up and soon!
Sounds like they recalled a guy for no reason other than that they were crabby.
Crabby due to blue state responses to the China virus. We defied our Governor and as much as possible lived like the people did in South Dakota particularly from May 1, 2020 or before. I bought my current car off a car lot on March 23, 2020. I took it to a stereo sound shop the next day to have after market equipment previously taken from my retired Sorento installed in it.
Sure, but he had nothing to do with that and didn’t support it. He says he was scapegoated, and it sounds like that was true.
He’s not my districts Supervisor so I had no vote or say in the matter. It is what it is. Oh and welcome to one of the least covid 19 mandates compliant locations in all of America!
Thanks again for replying to one of my posts with a non sequitur. It never gets old.
I had no say in the matter but now in retrospect based on the National and state media reactions and that of liberal politicians, I’m glad that it went down the way it did. In response to the Dems in California moving ever more to the woke left, Republicans here must tack more to the right leaving Bush 43 establishment types behind for Noem/DeSantis type Republicans to counter them and to let them know of our resolve. The remaining two of the then three Moty was a part of are not running for re election in November. It’s just a matter of transition from Bush to Trump in orientation among local elected leaders, catching up with the base, not a stupid militia issue or him being scapegoated, even if ultimately he was as a
The cut off portion of my reply reposted below)
result of the realignment.
There are two points I see. First, he hadn’t done - nor was is the process of doing - anything that required urgent action by the electorate. He could have just been voted out in a regular election. If it was just a matter of shifting politics, that would have been reflected in the next election.
Second, the seed says people were upset about the mandates and restrictions from Sacramento, which he had nothing to do with, and opposed, yet he is accused of “being too friendly with the establishment.” And yet, what does his replacement say he wants?
That sounds pretty “friendly” to me. Sorry, but it’s hard to see this as being necessary at all. It looks a lot more like someone took advantage of the situation to seize power.
I wonder what this unnecessary campaign cost the taxpayers - a constituency that usually cares about that kind of thing.
The other two recall targets were up for re election this November so the effort to recall them failed to get enough signatures to qualify and they both announced that they would not seek re-election. Moty had two full years beyond this November on his term, thus he became the focus /scapegoat of the whole issue. As to Garman and his words above, they have to do with the people here in Shasta county and having that conversation among us, not with the powers that be in Sacramento. The recall laws in California are uniform from local to statewide offices with regard to petition signings like the one I signed to recall Newscum.
That one made the statewide ballot last year because enough signed it. In fact one in every six registered voters in Shasta County and the counties surrounding us signed it. 70% of us voted to recall him. As to the cost, it was $400,000 to hold the Moty recall election.
Red areas are growing much better and faster than blue areas. California is losing population and we are not. We are building new housing, industry, commercial and retail spac at a fast rate and attracting remote workers from other parts of the state so that they and their families can have our conservative and rural lifestyle and enough urban stuff so that we are the business and shopping destination for our surrounding area.
It is just that. A welcoming family friendly environment. The local law enforcement has cracked down on gang activity and graffiti, kept track of California prison releases done here as well as the worst of the lawless element of the homeless problem since then. We strongly back our blue here.
Well whatever you are doing isn't working and what ever delusionary opinions you have about your Redding Utopia
is not supported by FBI statistics.
2022 Compare Crime Rates: Los Angeles, CA vs Redding, CA (bestplaces.net)
Redding, CA Crime Rates & Map (areavibes.com)
So much for "idylic" Redding CA....
Does that qualify as an oxymoron ?
You are in California.
and Redding has the same crime rate and homelessness as many other parts of the great state. Rather than deal with the issue,
Redding chose to fence in their park to deprive the homeless places to sleep...
Yeah, Redding sounds like someone's version of Utopia.../S
That’s right. There’s a mission across the street. Also the city built its only police station right next to that park. Along with city hall and the public library. The city has rebuilt and gentrified its former two toughest neighborhoods. The homeless camps have largely moved just outside the city limits in wooded areas beyond the reach of RPD community service units. They do a great job on gangs, graffiti, garbage, and illegal homeless camps. As to the park it is being re developed based on public input and will be reopened within the year or a year. As to the homeless
And the plans are well underway..
https://krcrtv.com/news/local/charter-school-builds-micro-shelter-prototype-in-hopes-to-house-reddings-homeless
The video news report was great.
There's no mission in my town. zero, nada
About 90 minutes to Dallas there are 5 homeless shelters for 1.3 million people,
Redding with a population of 95,000 has 5 homeless "missions".
I think Redding needs a helping hand.
Most of our homeless are I-5 transients who are not here long term. We do what we legally can to get them to keep on moving along. As to genuine locals who are homeless due to genuine reasons there is plenty of compassion for them and plans to get them back on track on their own. Those micro units and the kitchen and shower facilities in one place will help them do so. Our homeless problem is not as acute as it is in coastal urban areas in California.
The so-called "red" areas, where compassionless reactionaries reside, do everything they can to encourage, or force, the homeless population to leave. The homeless then end up in urban areas where more services are available. After they have done all they can to empty their regions of the homeless, the hypocritical reactionary elitists look down on the locales where the homeless end up.
Oh the typical Christian solution./s
You really need to get out of the fucking bubble where you think that where you live is the bomb.
It isn't even close.
Butt then I should know better...
While no area is perfect and we are severely handicapped by being a part of the state of California, we still have a lot going for us.
What are the best things to do while visiting Redding, California?
Redding, California isn’t just a wonderful place to visit – it’s also a great place to call home. Shasta County is full of outdoor adventure, stunning lakes and rivers, lush waterfalls and trails galore. Redding was recently listed on Forbes’ 25 Best Places to Visit in 2020 and has been designated as a California Cultural District, hosting a mix of restaurants, shops, live music, performing arts and other entertainment venues and family-friendly events.
Not trying to spam this, just trying to get you to see reality.
NYC, NY is smelly, overcrowded, overpriced and surrounded by a thousand square miles of the same.
I would no more want to live there than you would.
But it's safer than Redding by a NY mile, lol
The difference is that here it’s an exception and something the public dramatically responds to compared to NY where it’s a fact of life that is downed out because it happens so much, we don’t have a woke DA or woke police /sheriff leadership either.
Personally I think most of the homeless in Reddung are the misguided white Christian's that think they live in a conservative
Utopia. You don't need to live in the wild to be homeless. Homeless and clueless seem to go hand in hand.
Just my opinion.