The Tehama County District Attorney announced Tuesday evening that a settlement was reached between the county and District 3 supervisor Pati Nolen. A trial was scheduled to begin on Wednesday morning for the grand jury’s accusation against Nolen, but the DA says the case was resolved after a 4 p.m. meeting on Tuesday.

Nolen resigned from office, effective Tuesday at 4 p.m., and the release states the agreement stipulates that she will never run for the office of supervisor in the future. Nolen agreed to waive civil and criminal claims against the county. She had previously filed two claims against Tehama County.

The DA agreed not to file any criminal charges against Nolen for any alleged misconduct described in the grand jury accusation.

The Tehama County Grand Jury’s accusation against Nolen contained three charges. The first was that Nolen allegedly recorded a confidential meeting without the other participants’ permission or knowledge. The second charge was that Nolen allegedly had and was observed drinking from a travel cup containing alcohol on county property. The third charge was that Nolen allegedly purposefully removed a confidential personnel file from a closed session meeting. Nolen previously objected to the three charges.

The board of supervisors held a special closed session meeting on Tuesday at 3 p.m. regarding the county’s case against Nolen. In public comment before the closed session item, one member of the public said that if the supervisors were discussing a settlement, “underlying dysfunction” would still not go away.

In resolving the case, the board of supervisors agreed to pay $137,435 in legal fees for Nolen and to waive all criminal and civil charges against her.

The DA’s release states that Judge Matthew McGlynn accepted the resolution and dismissed the grand jury accusation against Nolen.

In the release, District Attorney Matthew Rogers stated the resolution is a path forward out of what the grand jury described as “dysfunction.”

Rogers also made a statement about the county employees who reported what they believed was Nolen’s alleged alcohol consumption before leaving a supervisor’s meeting. When pulled over, no alcohol was detected in Nolen’s system in a field test.

“Now that this case has been resolved, I would like to re-emphasize that those involved in reporting Ms. Nolen as possibly DUI were correct in doing so,” Rogers stated. “Anyone who suspects a crime has been committed should report it to law enforcement so that it may be investigated.”

Nolen shared a statement via text on Wednesday morning.

“This year has brought tremendous personal and financial strain as I have worked to defend myself against false allegations that I continue to firmly deny. Unfortunately, the mounting cost of a prolonged legal battle would come at too great a price to my family,” Nolen stated. “After careful consideration, I have chosen to step down from my position so that I can preserve what matters most, my family’s well-being and the values that guided me into public service. This decision does not reflect guilt or wrongdoing, but rather a recognition of the harsh reality that continuing to fight the District Attorney’s unlimited resources would exhaust the personal and financial supplies of those I love.”

Nolen said it has been the honor of her life to serve the constituents of Tehama County’s District 3, and thanked them for their support, honesty and faith in her.

From the time she took office, Nolen said her goals were to bring economic development and broadband access to the county, work with other agencies to stop flooding in Dairyville, improve relations with local tribes, bring relief to residents in mobile home parks experiencing rent increases and advocate for county fiscal responsibility, including staffing the jail without a new tax.

Nolen said she wishes her efforts had the board’s full support.

“I remain proud of the work accomplished during my tenure, from improving transparency and communication with constituents to advocating for fair and accountable governance. I am very proud of every Department Head hired during my tenure,” Nolen stated.

As of Wednesday morning, the county website was updated, showing that the District 3 position is vacant.

Tehama County is one of 15 charter counties in California. In a general law county, the governor could fill the vacant supervisor position. However, in Tehama’s charter, it specifies, “Whenever a vacancy occurs on the Board of Supervisors, the remaining members of the Board of Supervisors shall fill the vacancy, provided that, if they shall fail to fill the vacancy within ninety (90) days following its occurrence, the Governor shall fill the vacancy.”

Board Chair Matt Hansen said in a phone call on Wednesday that it is important for the board to act within the 90 days to avoid the governor stepping in. Hansen noted that Glenn County had a vacancy on its board after a supervisor resigned, which the governor never filled.

Glenn County District 5 Supervisor Ken Hahn resigned in June 2022, and his seat remained vacant until Jake Withrow was elected and took office in January 2025.

The Tehama charter states the appointed supervisor serves until the election of a successor. Nolen’s term was set to expire Jan. 4, 2027.

Hansen said the work to fill the position began “immediately,” saying the clerk is drafting documents for the process.

He said the board will likely advertise for letters of interest or put out an application for those interested who reside within District 3 and are qualified.

The board will likely hold a special meeting to review the applicants, and public comment will be welcome.

There is some precedent within the county for the process of filling a vacant supervisor seat, as Bill Moule was selected by the 2021 board to fill the District 1 supervisor seat vacated by Steve Chamblin for family reasons. Moule was chosen from seven candidates, which included current Supervisor Rob Burroughs. At that time, the board conducted a “round-robin interview” of the candidates, took an informal poll amongst themselves and voted 3-1 to select Moule.

Beyond the constraint of the 90-day window, Hansen indicated it would be ideal for the appointee to be in place before committee appointments begin at the start of the new year.

As far as Nolen’s now-vacant seat on committees, Hansen said the board is currently reaching out to department heads to find out which positions are essential to be filled immediately. Some others already have alternates assigned.

Hansen said the Vice Chair position, which Nolen held, is one that will ideally be filled at the next board meeting, as that position includes important duties and responsibilities. P

otential impacts from the board vacancy could arise with votes around money and fund transfers that require a 4/5 vote, Hansen shared. With the vacant seat, all four current supervisors will need to vote in agreement for those items; otherwise, they may be stalled.

Hansen said he is now looking to move forward in a positive direction.

The next regular board of supervisors meeting is scheduled for Nov. 18 at 9 a.m.