04/30/2026
RANCHO TEHAMA
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
SUSAN PRICE, SUPERVISOR CANDIDATE DISTRICT 4
Why do you believe that you would be the best person to represent us on the Board of
Supervisors?
I have broad and extensive experience across local government, serving on the Corning City
Council for eight years, and working for many northern California counties, cities, special districts,
and communities, as well as the non-profit sector and in grant consulting. Over my career, I have
secured $43 million in funding for projects and programs in northern California, including Tehama
County. I am familiar with Rancho Tehama Reserve and its challenges and issues, having worked
with previous Rancho Tehama Boards of Directors on community concerns, with one of them
specifically resulting in a grant funded study. That study was the Rancho Tehama Fire Protection
Water System Study, with funding awarded to Tehama County through the Community
Development Block Grant Program, in 1994. This study was to evaluate and plan for a reliable,
dedicated water infrastructure capable of providing sufficient water flow and pressure for wildland
and structural fire suppression. The study was early planning for future hazardous fuel reduction
projects, vegetation management programs, and water sourcing strategies outlined in more
current studies by the Tehama County Resource Conservation District and Tehama County
Transportation Commission.
What do you see as the primary challenges facing the Board in the coming years?
The main challenge I see facing the County, and Board of Supervisors, is the reduction in federal,
state and local funding for ongoing services, operations and projects, both mandated or
necessary. This is causing a critical concentration of financial and operational challenges, driven
by these steep reductions in federal, state, and local funding. These revenue reductions directly
threaten existing social safety nets, such as the Medi-Cal and CalFresh programs, which serve a
significant portion of the county's vulnerable population. There also exist current compounded
budget deficits that are, and will continue to, force difficult compromises across public safety and
jail reentry staffing and operations, public works infrastructure and maintenance, and other
important County services, programs, and projects. As a rural county with a high poverty rate,
and an economy anchored in agriculture, the Board of Supervisors must carefully balance the
financial need to expand the commercial tax base with the obligation to preserve the current
business community, and its agricultural base, including maintaining sustainable groundwater
resources. Compounding these issues are escalating County legal expenditures and staff
turnover relative to neighboring jurisdictions, which ultimately degrades employee morale and
compromises the delivery of public services.
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Given a possible budget deficit next year, how would you address the challenges and
make budget decisions?
The Board of Supervisors should evaluate all department budgets to ensure that excess
government spending does not occur. Mandated services should be funded first in the event of
reductions in government services and operations. Mandated services are categorized as health
and human services, public safety, and general government. The County recently has taken a
zero-based budgeting approach to its Annual Budget for 2026/2027. Zero-based budgeting
requires justifying expenses based on current needs, aiming for fiscal stability. Zero-based
budgeting has been an option as a budget method, however this will be the first year of a change
to the County’s annual budget process. Previously, remaining budget categories could be re-
budgeted each year by County departments. The key principles of zero-based budgeting are that
all expenses must be justified for each new period, spending must be directly tied to strategic
goals, such as public safety, with budgets being evaluated on current needs rather than utilizing
last year's budget as a baseline. This change will require that County departments justify their
budgets and ensure mandated services and operations are a budget priority. The Board of
Supervisors should evaluate how well this method works after utilizing it for this next budget year.
How do you include the board, staff, and residents in your decision-making process?
Running for County Supervisor in Tehama County means committing to a leadership style of
collaboration and transparency. To make the best decisions for our county, I will actively engage
with the Board, county staff, and residents on issues of concern and problems. I will work with the
other Board members to build consensus and align the County’s strategic goals as possible,
ensuring that the Board tackles County challenges together. Recognizing that our county staff
hold valuable operational expertise, I will maintain open communication to understand the ground-
level impacts of our policies before casting a vote. Most importantly, I will bring decision-making
directly to the residents as much as possible by responding and listening to their views, concerns,
and problems. I will host regular town halls across communities in District 4 to ensure everyone’s
voice will be heard to shape our county's future.
How would you ensure the safety of all residents in a time of tight resources?
To ensure community residents’ safety amid tight resources, I will prioritize core mandated
services, support available technology to help put patrols in high-crime areas, and encourage
residents to use online systems for non-emergency reports to free up deputies. It is important for
the County to maintain robust emergency alert systems for all residents and communities.
Essential services should be funded first to protect budgets for deputies, fire, and emergency
responders. I support continuation, and future expansion, of the current rural area deputy program
to improve response times and strengthen the Sheriff’s office presence in rural parts of the county.
Due to Rancho Tehama’s limited ingress and egress routes and high vulnerability to catastrophic
wildfire, reducing emergency response times is a critical safety priority. A recent 2024 study, the
Tehama County Secondary Access and Routing Study by the Tehama County Transportation
Commission, recommended the following for Rancho Tehama: installation of a fire lane for
emergency personnel ingress during a fire or other hazardous incident, intersection capacity
improvements, siren alert systems, use of roadside machinery to break down brush, small trees,
and heavy undergrowth into small chunks or mulch, prescribed burning, formalized safe refuge
gathering areas, and new emergency wayfinding signage.
