The county revised the qualifications for the job because it has failed to hire a replacement for Dr. Karen Ramstrom, who was fired more than a year ago.
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Amid pleas from some of the public to not rush to judgment and “pause” the selection, Shasta County supervisors appointed Anderson Police Chief Michael Johnson as sheriff Tuesday.
Johnson’s appointment came after a 4-1 vote. Supervisor Patrick Jones cast the lone dissenting vote.
Johnson takes over from Sheriff Eric Magrini, who resigned in June to become the county’s assistant CEO. Johnson will start Aug. 15.
Johnson s term will run through December 2022. He has already said he will seek re-election in June 2022.
Addressing supervisors and the public after his appointment, Johnson said he’s had people ask him why he wants to leave Anderson to lead a department that’s been beset with controversy in recent months with the sudden resignation of Magrini.
Supervisor Les Baugh said Sheriff Eric Magrini will step down to assistant CEO for Shasta County as the selection process begins for a new Shasta County Sheriff.
Alice Gerety is well aware she is living on the edge.
The 83-year-old Redding woman isn t pushing the envelope of danger, though. The edge we re talking about here is the periphery of a political boundary.
And that boundary could be changed this year when Shasta County redraws the lines that mark each of the supervisorial districts. It happens once every 10 years after the U.S. Census.
This year, however, the process of redrawing supervisorial districts is being pushed back several months because the release of Census information is running late, said Cathy Darling Allen, Shasta County clerk and registrar of voters.