Prosecutors, residents press board on vacancy, recruitment and public-safety funding as county reports 14.5% vacancy rate

Shasta County officials and dozens of public commenters focused on public-safety staffing and recruiting at the June 9 Board of Supervisors meeting, where county personnel presented a statutorily required report showing 2,083 authorized positions and an overall 14.5% vacancy rate.

The report, delivered by Monica Fugate, director of support services, outlined recent recruitment steps the county has taken and described results from new tools and incentives. “As of that pay period, the County had a total of 2,083 positions, full‑time equivalent positions, and 1,784 of them were filled. This equates to an overall 14.5% vacancy rate,” Fugate said. She described focused hiring steps — including a $15,000 sign‑on bonus for Deputy District Attorney and Deputy Public Defender hires, creation of a law‑clerk extra‑help classification, a reclassification of eligibility worker positions, and expanded outreach through the county’s NeoGov/Attract module.

Why it matters: dozens of residents and county prosecutors told the board that vacancies threaten prosecutions and public safety. Multiple speakers from the District Attorney’s Office said suppressed wages and unfilled posts…