Shasta vote count lags as Southern California cities weigh land use

While 57 of California's 58 counties reported smooth election night operations on Tuesday, rural Shasta County experienced overflowing drop boxes, staffing shortages, and computer configuration failures that delayed initial returns until around 10 p.m., according to a CalMatters report published by Mountain View Voice. Meanwhile, municipal officials in Southern California are addressing land-use pressures as West Hollywood moves to preserve film soundstages and wood framing rises on a 21-unit affordable apartment building in Mar Vista.

Shasta County Election Official Faces Delays Ahead of January Transition

While most California counties posted initial results shortly after polls closed at 8 p.m., Shasta County — located two and a half hours north of Sacramento — did not report initial figures until around 10 p.m. and remained the only county in the state that had not finished counting in-person ballots by Wednesday morning. Reporters, including CalMatters partner Shasta Scout, documented overflowing ballot boxes after county election official Clint Curtis reduced the number of drop boxes from 13 to 4 last year, alongside workers placing ballots in incorrect containers, IT failures, and changed polling locations.

When asked by Shasta Scout Tuesday night why Curtis personally left the election office to collect ballots instead of supervising the count, Curtis replied, "Because I am stupid. So when I see it has to be done, I just do it myself." Appointed in 2025 by the Shasta County Board of Supervisors, Curtis lost the June primary to former county election official Joanna Francescut, who will take office in January. In September, FBI agents used bolt cutters to enter a locked room in the county election office where Curtis had padlocked old ballots and discarded the key, though Curtis stated no ballots were seized.

West Hollywood Seeks to Preserve Studios After Quixote Shutdown

In Southern California, West Hollywood officials are gathering feedback through the city's Engage WeHo platform to preserve production venues such as The Lot after Quixote Studios moved to shut down its commercial soundstage at 1011 N. Fuller Ave., as reported by Hoodline. Parent company Hudson Pacific Properties — which acquired Quixote in 2022 for $360 million — is closing Quixote's West Hollywood, Pacoima North Valley, and Atlanta operations while keeping its Griffith Park studio open, laying off about 70 employees to save between $21 million and $27 million a year.

Television writer Helen Krieger, who hosted a "Film Here, Work Here" town hall at The Lot in July, has pointed to neighboring permit reforms: Culver City waived its $660 application fee and daily fees of $350 for motion permits and $75 for still photography from Dec. 1, 2025, through the end of 2026, saving $1,700 (nearly 60%) on a typical 3-day filming production, while the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously on Oct. 27 to create a free micro-production permit for crews of 10 or fewer and study reducing city facility filming fees to $1. FilmLA reported 4,171 on-location filming days in greater Los Angeles for the 3 months ended Sept. 30, down 4.8% year over year and nearly 29% to 38.5% below the 5-year average, with television filming days totaling 1,400 (down nearly 53% from the 5-year average, with 23% going to incentivized projects compared to 9% a year earlier).

21-Unit Affordable Housing Complex Frames Up on Wade Street in Mar Vista

Nearby at 3990 S. Wade Street in Mar Vista, wood framing is rising on a 5-story, 21-unit affordable housing complex developed by ELAD Investment, LLC and designed by Commun with rooftop amenity decks and no on-site parking, according to Hoodline. Using Los Angeles City Planning density bonus incentives on a lot that previously held a single-family home just north of 12701 Washington Boulevard, the project reserves all studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom units for low- and moderate-income households except the manager's unit.

The Wade Street construction follows other Mar Vista affordable projects, including Thomas Beadel's proposed 5-story, 42-unit building with no on-site parking replacing a 6-unit building at 12442 W. Pacific Avenue, and Community Corporation of Santa Monica's 6-story, 50-unit Vista Ballona development at 3960 Grand View Boulevard for households earning 30% to 60% of area median income, which includes 12 units for people with developmental disabilities.