A judge upheld fines imposed by Shasta County last summer on the owner of about 20 acres of property between Cloverdale and Clear Creek Road.
The property on Modesta View Court is home to Clear Creek Gun Club.
The property owner, 14800 Modesta View LLC, applied for and obtained a grading permit in 2019, but the grading exceeded what the permit allowed, according to the county.
Last summer, a state hearings officer upheld $105,900 in fines levied on the property owner by the county.
The hearings officer also ruled that the county was entitled to recover the $16,019 it cost to abate, a decision that also was reaffirmed by Shasta County Judge Benjamin Hanna in his June 2 six-page ruling.
Modesta View LLC appealed the hearings officer’s decision in Shasta County Superior Court and the appeal was heard at May 22 court hearing.
Regarding the allegation that grading on the property was done without a permit, Hanna wrote that 14800 Modesta View LLC argued at last year’s administrative hearing and in court that the grading was permitted under the county’s agricultural exemption rule.
The landowner’s “arguments in this regard are supported by neither the facts nor the law and were appropriately rejected by the hearing officer,” Hanna stated.
County code enforcement officials had stated that no agricultural products were being cultivated or produced at the property and therefore 14800 Modesta View LLC does not qualify for the exemption.
On May 15, 2025, the county issued a stop work order to 14800 Modesta View LLC. But code enforcement officer Michelle Harden testified at last year’s administrative hearing that she received photographs and videos from a confidential community member that showed that grading continued after the order was issued.
In court, the landowner argued that such evidence not be admitted because it was uncorroborated and based on hearsay.
“As the court pointed out to counsel at the hearing, the evidentiary standards for the administrative hearings are more relaxed than those enforced in a formal court. The hearing officer was therefore well within her discretion to consider the challenged evidence as information obtained from eyewitnesses and relayed to the hearing officer is relevant and something a responsible person could be expected to rely on,” Hanna said in his decision.
But even if the court were to throw out the anonymous evidence, Hanna wrote that the court “still finds that there is sufficient direct and circumstantial evidence to support the hearing officer’s findings that grading took place after issuance of the stop work order.”
Amrit Kulasekaran, a managing member of 14800 Modesta View LLC, was at the May 22 court hearing with his attorney, Nathan Dondi.
“While a ruling was filed in Shasta County Superior Court on the matter, the appeals window on the case is still currently open. As such I cannot provide any further comments on the ruling as we assess our legal options with due diligence,” Kulasekaran said in an email to the Record Searchlight.
David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly “Buzz on the Street” column. He’s part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Judge backs Shasta County fines for gun club owner
Reporting by David Benda, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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By David Benda, Redding Record Searchlight | USA TODAY Network
