Shasta County Sheriff Michael Johnson will host a community meeting about his plan for an alternative custody campus and possible future jail site in south Redding.
The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Aug. 5 inside the Shasta County Board of Supervisors Chambers on Court Street in downtown Redding.
“Sheriff Johnson will present project specifics, address concerns, and engage in a question-and-answer session following the presentation,” according to the news release.
The “Corrections and Rehabilitation Campus” project has stirred controversy in the community and upset neighbors who stepped up their opposition in February when they filed a lawsuit.
The River Ranch Neighborhood Association has sued the city of Redding and Shasta County, demanding an environmental impact report and/or CEQA review be done before the project progresses any further.
For months, opponents have shown up to county supervisors meetings voicing their displeasure.
“I want to remind you that you took an oath when you first became a supervisor to protect your constituents. I’m one of those. … I want you all to fight for me because this is not something that we want in our county,” a River Ranch resident told supervisors at their July 28 meeting.
Portions of the 91-acre site at 7251 Eastside Road flank the Sacramento River.
Neighbors fear that the campus would make their neighborhood less safe, hurt property values and affect water quality because they fear pesticides will be used on the farm associated with the campus. Residents said their drinking water comes from wells.
The county is leasing the city-owned property rent-free with a future option to buy it for $1, per an agreement that was made in 2025 between the Redding City Council and county Board of Supervisors.
It’s been more than a year since Sheriff Johnson presented his vision for an alternative custody campus to supervisors in January 2025. It’s not clear what compelled Johnson to host a community meeting now.
The Record Searchlight on Thursday emailed sheriff’s office spokesman Tim Mapes to request a phone interview with Johnson ahead of the Aug. 1 meeting.
“Thanks for reaching out. We respectfully decline an interview in advance of the community meeting. The meeting is intended to provide the opportunity to present the project and answer questions, so we don’t want to get out ahead of that process. I did speak to the Sheriff, and he said he would definitely be willing to talk to you after the meeting,” Mapes replied in an email.
County supervisors already have approved a $192,000 contract with Nichols, Melburg & Rossetto Architects to provide architecture and engineering services for the alternative custody campus.
But it’s not known if any additional work has been done on the campus.
County Planning Manager Lio Salazar on Thursday referred questions about the project to Don Renz, a principal engineer in the public works department. Renz did not return a phone message before deadline.
Johnson has said the new alternative campus would include a sheriff’s station, and the infrastructure to accommodate firefighting, culinary, farm, and auto mechanic training. He also said the property on Eastside Road would be big enough to carve out space for a new jail, should the county find the money to build it.
The county has set aside $34 million to build the alternative custody campus, but an exact price tag for the project has not been revealed.
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: Plans for Shasta County custody campus topic of Aug. 5 public meeting
Reporting by David Benda, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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By David Benda, Redding Record Searchlight | USA TODAY Network
