Shasta Rising

Matt Plummer

Shasta Rising is hosted by Shasta County Supervisor Matt Plummer, who is on a mission to make his community the happiest, healthiest, and safest in California. Each episode explores bold ideas grounded in data, research, and evidence — covering public safety, mental health, housing, addiction, and economic growth. Through conversations with local leaders and experts, Matt investigates what it takes to build a thriving Shasta County.

  1. 10/21/2025

    Losing a Son to Fentanyl with Katie Cavanaugh

    Last year I had the privilege of sitting down with mother and community advocate, Katie Cavanaugh, to hear the tragic story of how fentanyl took her son’s life – and how that horrible event spurred to advocate for services and treatment for those accidentally exposed to the lethal drug or wrestling with addiction. Katie shares the lessons she learned and how her view of approaches like “harm reduction” changed.

    15 min

  2. 10/15/2025

    Answering the Tough Questions on Homelessness with Mission CEO Jonathan Anderson

    At 5am on a bench outside the Good News Rescue Mission as part of a national event – Conversations on a Bench, Jonathan and I tackled the tough questions I and many in the community ask about homelessness, including: 1) Is the Mission a low barrier shelter? What barriers do exist to staying there? 2) Are homeless people being bussed in from out of town? 3) How should we approach encampments – zero tolerance, leniency, periodic enforcement, or something else? 4) Does Shasta County’s services for the homeless attract people from out of town? Should we cut services to avoid attracting out-of-towners? Jonathan answers these questions with candor and compassion, building off the experience of serving 18,000 people over the years. Once you’ve listened, let me know what you think!

    51 min

  3. 10/13/2025

    My Update During the Oct 7th Board Meeting

    During my supervisor report on Tuesday, October 7th, I shared an update on some collaborative work I've been doing with Supervisor Harmon on the emerging wolf crisis in Northeastern CA and Supervisor Kelstrom on behavioral health treatment beds. I also discuss conversations I've been having to identify a single call to action and coordinated response to homeless individuals with our CIRT Team and SHASCOM (911 receivers). I also give an update on work with our public safety agencies to publish good crime data and with our housing team to collaborate with local developers to bring more housing online. Please let me know if you have any questions or feedback.

    6 min

  4. 10/13/2025

    My Update During the Sep 30th Board Meeting

    During my supervisor report on Tuesday, September 30th, I shared an observation around several strategic planning processes I've been working on, insights from a conversation with Placer County financial experts on how to take our budgeting process to the next level, a promising conversation with a local health center about partnering on the Sheriff's new corrections and rehabilitation campus, and some updates from my quarterly Lakehead Community meeting. Please let me know if you have any questions or feedback.

    5 min

  5. 09/25/2025

    My Update During the Sep 23rd Board Meeting

    During my supervisor report on Tuesday, September 23rd, I shared an update on several activities from the past few weeks, including my support for 3 local applications for state dollars to expand behavioral treatment beds in our County, our first Developers Roundtable to work collaboratively with builders to bring more housing online, and continued work on our initiative to end veteran homelessness. I wrap up my report with shocking stats on the young people in our Juvenile Rehabilitation Facility. Please let me know if you have any questions or feedback.

    7 min

  6. 09/20/2025

    How to Create a Culture of Respect & Collaboration in Shasta County with a Former CIA Officer

    I had the privilege of sitting down with Janessa Gans Wilder months ago, a former CIA officer who spent years in the Middle East during the Iraq War seeing firsthand what happens when people don't deal with conflict in a healthy way. Following her time in Iraq, she started a peace-building organization, Euphrates Institute, that works to equip people with the skills to build peace and solve problems together. Today, she is working with groups in Israel and the Gaza Strip to help restore communication and relationships. We talk about the current climate of divisiveness and polarization in Shasta County and how we can create a culture of respect and collaboration here: 00:00 - Janessa's experience in conflict resolution 05:13 - How to start rebuilding trust and respect 08:15 - Tackling divisive issues 11:34 - Principles for communication (as used in the Israel/Palestine situation) 14:45 - Principle 1: Give & receive welcome 15:42 - Principle 2: Be present as much as possible 17:00 - Principle 3: Speak your own truth 21:05 - Principle 4: Ask honest, open questions (plus the value of intellectual curiosity) 24:00 - Principle 5: When the going gets rough, turn to wonder (plus pursuing win-wins) 31:32 - Principle 6: Observe confidentiality 32:57 - What can we all do as one person to create this culture 36:00 - Is there hope for a culture of respect and collaboration? 39:40 - Making this a priority I’m excited to reshare this now in light of the events of the past few weeks. What do you think we can do to create a culture of respect & collaboration in Shasta County? Learn more at mattplummer.com

    42 min

  7. 09/04/2025

    AI, Space Travel, & Calculus with Shasta County’s Future Astrophysicists

    Several months ago, I had the great privilege of talking with students of Shasta College’s MESA (Math, Engineering, Science, Achievement) Club. These students are pursuing aeronautical engineering and electrical engineering degrees, participating in statewide conferences for Women in Engineering, and advancing to final rounds of NASA competitions. Excited to share this full conversation, covering favorite AI-powered chat bots, timeline for reaching Mars, least/most favorite college math class, Blue Origin’s 10 min space trip, and much more! While STEM careers and advanced degrees aren’t for every Shasta County student, there are many who I believe will take inspiration from these young people and their courageous pursuit of the sciences.

    37 min

  8. 08/27/2025

    Why Has the Election Office Budget Request Come Before the Board 3 Times in a Row?

    The Election Office Budget Request to enable the Registrar of Voters to film the ballots as they move through the tabulation process and make other changes came before the Board for a third time this Tuesday and then was pulled – not by me, but by ROV Curtis. Am I slow playing the Registrar of Voters’ budget request for equipment to run the elections the way he wants? No. I’m applying the same standard I have of anyone asking for money from the County – demonstrate to me with high confidence that you have a robust plan that will be successful. You may remember my constructive criticism of this proposal for mental health innovation dollars - https://mattplummer.com/my-public-comment-on-the-mental-health-innovation-grant-proposal/ or my back-and-forth with the CORE team working on youth substance use prevention or my deep engagement and scrutiny of the healthcare consulting work. The pace with which ROV Curtis hits that standard is up to him. If you want this done, you can put pressure on him to get it done Here’s the whole backstory

    9 min
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About

Shasta Rising is hosted by Shasta County Supervisor Matt Plummer, who is on a mission to make his community the happiest, healthiest, and safest in California. Each episode explores bold ideas grounded in data, research, and evidence — covering public safety, mental health, housing, addiction, and economic growth. Through conversations with local leaders and experts, Matt investigates what it takes to build a thriving Shasta County.

Information

  • Creator
    Matt Plummer
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Matt Plummer
  • Show Website
    Shasta Rising