A Shasta County courtroom was again packed with onlookers Wednesday for the second day of a hearing concerning a lawsuit filed against the county by failed District 2 Supervisor Candidate Laura Hobbs. Allen Long won 50.13% of the vote, meaning he avoided a runoff by getting more than half the ballots cast. Hobbs came in second in the four-way race with just over 19%. Hobbs attorneys are focusing on what they say is an error in not using the Secretary of State’s randomized alphabet, which placed Long’s name above Hobbs name on the ballot. There was apparently a randomized process, it just wasn’t the one designated by the state. Assistant Registrar Joanna Francescut’s hourslong grilling continued Wednesday as Hobbs’ lawyers tried to establish that Francescut was overworked due to the absence of Registrar of Voters Cathy Darling-Allen, who had already taken medical leave. The case has been continued to June 25th.
-Steve Gibson