Your Comments Do Make a Difference
Aaron Hatch retained his position as Chair of the Redding Planning Commission as Mayor Audette could not get even one Council member to support her efforts to remove him. This was in large part due to the120 emails and letters sent in support of Hatch, and 26 people who spoke in support of him at the City Council meeting on May 7, 2024. His removal was sought primarily by Mayor Audette because he objected to the weaknesses in the new Redding General Plan, which was not approved by the Planning Commission. Read an interesting report on the meeting in anewscafe.com’s article, Hatch Survives Planning Commission Challenge; Supporters Say His Questions Support Transparency, by Jon Lewis.
Bad News for Trees in Redding
Redding Mayor Tenessa Audette stated at an April City Council meeting, in discussing her appointments to the Planning Commission and her effort to have Chair Aaron Hatch removed, that she was pro Redding and to be pro Redding you must be pro-growth. Her previous appointments to the Planning Commission have stated that they are very much pro-growth; if Audette had been successful in removing Hatch, she would have appointed someone who sees growth as paramount and the environment as secondary. In any case, her pro-grpwth stance is bad news for an effective new tree ordinance, the likes of which is still in the hands of the Planning Department. When completed, the new ordinance will have to be approved by both the Planning Commission and the City Council.
Jones’ High Plains Shooting Range near Millville
Patrick Jones has filed two motions to disqualify Judge Benjamin Hanna from hearing the lawsuit filed by Millville residents against the shooting range. Another hearing will be held on June 10. Shasta Chapter CNPS, Shasta Environmental Alliance, and the Shasta Group of Sierra Club have donated to the Millville residents’ lawsuit because they feel that the Biological Review of the project was completely inadequate. You can read an in-depth article on these legal maneuvers in anewscafe.com’s article, P for Vendetta: Shasta County District 4 Supervisor Patrick Jones Strikes Out Twice in Attempt to Disqualify Judge from Gun Range Lawsuit, by R.V. Scheide.
For more news on local environmental issues and events, please see Shasta Environmental Alliance’s June 2024 Newsletter. ~David Ledger, Conservation Chair