Shasta County

A sign mounted on a beige stucco wall directs visitors to "Alcohol & Other Drug Programs" with an arrow pointing left. The sign belongs to the Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services, featuring the county seal with an illustration of redwood trees. Shadows from a nearby structure partially fall across the sign, and a metal conduit runs vertically along the wall.

Commentary

Bridging the urban-rural divide for lifesaving substance abuse treatment

Guest Commentary written by Tracy Nguyen Tracy Nguyen is a student at Stanford University studying political science and public policy. She specializes in state and local governance with a broader focus in health policy. Imagine driving 75 miles one way every day because your life depended on it. That used to be the case for […]

By Tracy Nguyen • March 21, 2025

Jim Scala at his ranch in Montague on Aug. 29, 2022. Photo by Martin do Nascimento, CalMatters

Environment

Rural ranchers face $4,000 proposed fine for violating state drought order

The penalty is the maximum the ranchers — who pumped Shasta River water for eight days — could face under state law. It amounts to about $50 per rancher, which is no deterrent, ranchers and officials agree.

By

Rachel Becker

• November 7, 2022

A formerly homeless mother, Cassidy, holds her child in her apartment in Redding on Sept. 20, 2022. Like many mothers who contract syphilis, Cassidy struggled with meth and alcohol addiction. She was able to get treatment from the Shasta Community street medicine team and help to secure temporary housing during her pregnancy and manage her alcohol withdrawal. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local.

Health

Community health workers hit the streets to battle the surge in congenital syphilis

Once considered an infection nearly eradicated, congenital syphilis rates have risen dramatically in California. Community health workers fan out across communities to find and treat patients who are often homeless or battling addiction.

By

Kristen Hwang

• October 10, 2022

Guillermo Hernandez sits in his van in Richmond on Jan. 28, 2021. Hernandez, who uses his van for his businesses buying and selling second hand goods, lost work after having his license suspended in 2013 for failure to pay a ticket. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters

Justice

State lifts suspensions of half a million driver’s licenses

Legal advocates are trying to roll back California’s hefty traffic ticket fines and fees, which are among the highest in the nation. One attorney called them a “blunt instrument” punishing people “when in reality, for many Californians, traffic tickets are simply too expensive to take care of.”

By

Robert Lewis

• January 29, 2021

Despite widespread and continuing national concerns about election integrity, it’s clear that county registrars of voters in California — the heroes of the 2020 election — made sure every vote was counted. Photos by Lew Griswold; courtesy of Jeannette Logue; Ron Holman, Visalia Times Delta

Elections

Covering elections showed me California votes were secure

Despite continuing national concerns about election integrity, it’s clear that California's county registrars of voters — the heroes of the 2020 election — made sure every vote was counted.

By

Lewis Griswold

• January 15, 2021

Elections

Subdued mood and happy moments at rural Shasta polls

CalMatters talked to volunteer poll workers and full-time staff members in the aftermath of November’s contentious election to see how their work differed from past elections. Poll worker Jeannette Logue of Shasta County described the mood as “very serious.”

By

Lewis Griswold

• December 4, 2020

Elections

A debunked theory fuels a Trump lawsuit

Lea este artículo en español. As if permanent markers didn’t already make enough of a mess, enter #sharpiegate. With votes for Biden mounting, a group of Trump supporters showed up to a ballot counting facility in Arizona’s Maricopa County last Wednesday and cried foul. Their claim: Poll workers were encouraging voters to mark their ballots with […]

By

Steven Rascón

• November 10, 2020

Election worker Lindsey Jost collects sorted ballots at the Napa County clerk-recorder office on Nov. 3, 2020. Napa County purchased a specialized ballot sorting machine for this election in order to limit the number of workers and allow for social distancing in the office. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Elections

California’s counters still have millions of ballots to go

California still must count 4.5 million ballots, a bigger job than what it faced two days after the election in 2016.

By

Lewis Griswold

• November 5, 2020

Education

What we know so far about school reopenings in California

Despite limited testing requirements, California schools that have reopened for in-person instruction have largely avoided COVID-19 outbreaks. Still, some teachers and legislators say large scale surveillance testing is necessary to the rest of the state’s schools and that lack of data is a problem.

By

Ricardo Cano

and

James Bikales

• November 2, 2020

Voting Centers opened across Los Angeles County, including Grand Central Market, on October 24, 2020. Voters can drop-off ballots or vote in person before Nov. 3rd. Photo Credit by Los Angeles County via Flickr

Elections

Counties, cops making sure you’re safe at the polls

California's election officials don't expect intimidation or interference at the polls Tuesday but they're asking law enforcement to step in pronto if it happens.

By

Lewis Griswold

• October 30, 2020