The latest North State and California news on our airwaves for Friday, Feb. 4.
Suspect appeared “paranoid” before opening fire on bus, sheriff says
Authorities have identified the suspect in the mass shooting in Oroville that killed one person and injured four others Wednesday.
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said at a press conference Thursday that the suspect, 21-year-old Sacramento resident Asaahdi Elijah Coleman, fired a gun on the bus after a conversation about Los Angeles and whether it was dangerous. He said witnesses reported Coleman appeared “paranoid” and “agitated.”
“That conversation then prompted Mr. Coleman to show some of the people on the bus a firearm that he had in a small bag or satchel that he used to carry,” he said. “They arrived in Oroville as they parked behind the AM-PM and people began to exit, that is when Mr. Coleman began to fire his weapon.”
Honea said he could not yet release the names of the victims, but among those injured were an 11-year-old girl, a 25-year-old pregnant woman and two men in their 30s. A woman in her 40s died at the scene. After fleeing to a nearby Walmart, Coleman was taken into custody without incident. The investigation is ongoing.
— Adia White, NSPR
Unofficial Shasta County recall tally will be updated today
There are still more than 1,000 ballots to be counted in the recall election of Shasta County Supervisor Leonard Moty. Shasta County Clerk Cathy Darling Allen said Thursday that her office estimates there are 1,975 unprocessed ballots at the registrar’s office, the majority of which are mail-in votes.
Allen said her office will continue to receive and count mail-in ballots through Feb. 8.
As of Thursday, unofficial election results showed Moty being recalled by 384 votes. Darling Allen said her office will be adding votes to the unofficial tally today. Official results may not be available until early March. California state law requires elections to be certified within 30 days.
— Adia White, NSPR
Court rejects bid by PG&E employees to redact names in Camp Fire probe
A state appeals court rejected an attempt by a group of 22 Pacific Gas and Electric Co. employees to black out their names from evidence gathered during the criminal investigation into the 2018 Camp Fire, which devastated the town of Paradise in Butte County and killed more than 80 people.
A Butte County grand jury heard from dozens of the company’s workers. Employees who testified sued to stop the release of unredacted grand jury transcripts, saying they feared retaliation from those angry with the company.
A judge approved redacting the names of workers living in or near Butte County, but did not agree to black out the names of 22 others who were not local. A state appellate court Wednesday upheld the lower court’s ruling.
PG&E said in a statement it was disappointed in the decision but did not say whether it would appeal.
— Dan Brekke (KQED), The California Report
California secretary of state stresses importance of voting
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, who was appointed to the role when her predecessor, Alex Padilla, was appointed to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by Vice President Kamala Harris, has marked her first year in office.
Weber’s parents were Arkansas sharecroppers, and she told CapRadio’s Vicki Gonzalez why she believes educating people about the right to vote is important.
“My father could not vote,” Weber said. “His life was threatened — the Klan — he couldn’t protect his family. He couldn’t protect his property because he couldn’t vote.”
Weber, who is running for a full term this fall, said her office is providing education about voting on social media, in public schools at all levels, town halls and university campuses.
— CapRadio Staff
Newsom administration increases reliance on company that built border wall for COVID-19 aid
The Newsom administration is increasing its reliance on a border wall company to provide medical staffing around the state in response to the omicron surge. The Texas-based company SLSCO built stretches of border wall in California under former president Donald Trump.
Back then, the state filed lawsuits over this work. Now, the Newsom administration is paying the company hundreds of millions of dollars in exchange for COVID-19 medical personnel, which has left immigration rights groups frustrated.
SLSCO pivoted to the medical staffing business during the pandemic. Thousands of its personnel have been deployed at vaccination sites, hospitals and local health clinics in California.
The workers also screened and vaccinated tens of thousands of migrants at the southern border, not far from the wall SLSCO built to keep migrants out. Read the full story.
— CapRadio Staff
Stories from NPR partner stations are edited by NSPR Staff for digital presentation and credited as requested.
In other news
- Tuscan Water District gets LAFCO nod: “The Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) [Thursday] gave its unanimous approval to the Tuscan Water District (TWD), a proposed district that will now give northwestern Butte County landowners the chance to vote on formation, with one vote allocated for each acre owned.” — ChicoSol
- Statement from Leonard Moty, District 2 Supervisor: “I’m proud that I stood against anarchists, extremists, and white supremacists wanting to take over our county. As a lifelong resident of Shasta County, I’m very concerned with this change in leadership and its effect on our community.” — A News Cafe
- Anti-democratic extremists are set to take over this California county. Will more of the state be next?: “... what happened in Redding should be a big, blinking warning light to what’s left of the mainstream Republican Party, and to us all that we have an obligation as Californians to protect elections across the state, not just the ones in our backyard.” — Los Angeles Times (Column)
- From Plumas to Tehama; County Administrator moving for his children: “That’s how Gabriel Hydrick explained his decision to step away from his position as Plumas County Administrator to become the Chief Administrative Officer for Tehama County.” — Plumas News
- Tehama County Sheriff reduces office hours: “The Tehama County Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved the reduction of business hours at the Tehama County Sheriff’s Department’s office … in Red Bluff due to insufficient staff.” — Red Bluff Daily News
- Two Yuba County COVID-related deaths reported: “Two more deaths in the Yuba-Sutter region related to COVID-19 were reported Thursday by health officials, bringing the area’s death toll related to the deadly virus to 309.” — The Appeal Democrat
- Chicostart, Butte County Library announce partnership: “Chicostart and the Butte County Library REACH program have announced a partnership that aims at providing additional resources for the community.” — Chico Enterprise-Record
- Colusa County seeks restraining order for residential development project: “Colusa County announced last week that it has initiated litigation against the city of Colusa in an effort to seek an injunction on the expanded Colusa Industrial Park residential development project.” — Colusa Sun Herald
In case you missed it
- Police investigate Butte County shooting that left multiple injured, 1 dead — NSPR, Headlines (Feb. 3)
- Man accused of shooting at Oroville CHP officer enters plea — NSPR
- California eyes endemic COVID strategy — CalMatters
- COVID updates: Virus deaths rising in California weeks after peak in omicron cases — SacBee
- LaMalfa focuses on drought and wildfire in review of Farm Bill programs — Lassen County Times
- Sen. Nielsen bill seeks to help Sites Reservoir project — The Appeal Democrat
- Redding Chamber pivots to dissolve political action committee amidst tense political climate — Shasta Scout
- COVID-19 in Shasta County: Lab opens free PCR testing clinic near Mercy Medical Center — Redding Record Searchlight
- Red Bluff cannabis ordinances closer to becoming law — Red Bluff Daily News
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