Last year the Shasta County Elections Office was recognized for its excellence by a national organization which provides no-strings grant funding along with the award. At a subsequent Board of Supervisors meeting a number of speakers argued vehemently against accepting the $1.5 Million grant, saying the money is from a private organization that leans left politically. The assertion was that the Center for Tech and Civic Life is backed by tech billionaires including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Patrick Jones and Chris Kelstrom voted against accepting the free money. The other three voted to accept it, as long as it’s only used for the construction or purchase of a building for the Elections Office. The county currently pays around $15,000 a month to rent a 100 year old converted portion of the Dicker’s Department Store. A new office can be designed to allow easier public observation of elections. The organization agreed to the limits and today the Board of Supervisors must give final approval to accepting the money.
-Steve Gibson