CalMatters and Shasta Scout Sue Shasta County Over Election Subpoena

Two California nonprofit news organizations—statewide newsroom CalMatters and local outlet Shasta Scout—filed a lawsuit on Friday in Shasta County Superior Court challenging Shasta County's refusal to release a federal grand jury subpoena seeking election and ballot records. Brought by attorneys with the First Amendment Coalition under the California Public Records Act, the petition argues that California voters have a constitutional right to inspect records showing what election materials federal investigators demanded from county officials.

The dispute centers on a federal grand jury subpoena served in September 2026 to Shasta County Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis, who met with FBI agents that month and stated publicly that the inquiry related to previous elections. Curtis—who was appointed by the board of supervisors 1 year earlier and lost his June 2026 primary election bid to former Shasta County elections official Joanna Francescut—triggered statewide scrutiny in August 2026 when he placed a padlock on the county ballot storage room door during a dispute with county staff.

When reporters requested a copy of the September subpoena, Shasta County declined to disclose the document, asserting that release could compromise an ongoing federal investigation and that the county lacked authority to make the subpoena public. First Amendment Coalition Legal Director David Loy countered that grand jury secrecy rules do not prohibit a local government recipient from releasing a subpoena under state open-records law, pointing out that at least 8 other California counties—including Fresno, Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino—have already released similar federal election subpoenas in recent months.

CalMatters Managing Editor John D'Anna noted that the Sacramento-based newsroom distributes its reporting free of charge to more than 130 media partners across California and rarely resorts to litigation unless officials block access to documents of clear public importance. Shasta Scout Managing Editor Annelise Pierce added that timely transparency around election records is vital to maintaining civic trust in northern California ahead of certifying local election results.