Shasta Board of Supervisor Special Meeting 10-24-2025

The Shasta County Board of Supervisors will meet on Friday, October 24, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. at the County Administration Center in Redding. This is a special meeting with a single focus: whether to formally oppose the proposed True North Behavioral Health Campus, a regional facility seeking state Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) funding.

The meeting was called by Chair Kevin Crye, and the agenda includes two items:

What the project is

True North, in partnership with the Arch Collaborative and regional healthcare providers, is proposing a large-scale behavioral health campus that would bring roughly $200 million in state capital funding and an estimated 200 local jobs. The facility would expand inpatient and crisis stabilization capacity and serve multiple North State counties. Support letters have reportedly come from hospitals, law enforcement, school districts, and legislators across the region.

What the County says

The County’s letter argues that the project duplicates existing services, fails to target high-acuity clients, and could undermine local providers by competing for staff and state funds. It also warns of fiscal risk, saying the County could be tied to a 30-year service agreement without clear operational details or cost protections. HHSA Director and Behavioral Health Director Christy Coleman supports opposition, citing sustainability and oversight concerns.

Response to the County's claims

True North and its partners dispute those claims. In a press release issued Thursday, they say the County never invited them to present or clarify details before moving to oppose. They argue the project would fill critical service gaps by reducing emergency-room and jail overcrowding, expand access for surrounding rural counties, and attract state funding that might otherwise go elsewhere.

The underlying tension

The debate appears to be about control, whether Shasta County should lead a regional system or isolate itself from it. The County’s opposition mirrors a pattern under the current board majority: resisting state-backed or regional collaborations in favor of local control.

What’s at stake

If the Board approves the opposition letter, Shasta County will be on record urging the state to deny the True North grant, potentially weakening a project that neighboring counties, hospitals, and community groups have endorsed. If the Board rejects the letter, it could signal willingness to revisit regional behavioral health planning, possibly with stronger fiscal safeguards but more collaboration.

Note: True North has submitted 49 letters of support, including endorsements from Assembly-member Heather Hadwick and Shasta County Sheriff Michael Johnson, emphasizing the region’s mental health crisis and the urgent need for additional resources.

This meeting is expected to draw significant public comment, including from behavioral health professionals and regional partners who say they were shut out of the process.

Residents can attend in person or watch online through the county’s live stream.

And that’s the Agenda Preview.