Inside one politician's fight against political extremism in rural California

REDDING — After herding more than 100 cattle onto a gated field, Shasta County Supervisor Mary Rickert reflected on her two professional passions — ranching and local politics — behind the wheel of her mud-strewn John Deere ATV.

“Sometimes, I try to use a few of my cattle-handling skills in the boardroom,” she said. “Animal behavior and human behavior aren’t too distantly related.”

Rickert, 72, should know. In the two years since a slate of far-right candidates seized control of the Shasta County Board of Supervisors, she has been subjected to some of the worst human impulses: stalking, taunts from fellow supervisors, even graphic death threats.

Few would fault Rickert, the most moderate member of the all-Republican board, for retiring from public life. But after the grandmother of six failed to convince anyone else to run as a moderate in the District 3 Supervisor race, she decided to pursue a third term.




https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/shasta-county-supervisor-district-3-19871655.php