Shasta Supervisors Appoint New Public Health Officer

The Shasta County Board of Supervisors has finally found a replacement for former public health officer Karen Ramstrom, who was fired last year by the board’s hard-right majority.  

James Mu works as a family physician in Redding. He was one of 12 doctors who signed an “Open Letter on COVID-19” in February 2022 decrying vaccine mandates, masking for children, and routine testing of asymptomatic people.

Unlike Ramstrom, who infuriated the board’s majority by adhering to state mandates, Wu suggested he’d put up a fight if the state ever tried to impose similar rules in the future.

“I would like to follow evidence-based policy. However, if there are medical dogma that are not good for the population in our county, then I will question and even challenge them,” he said.  

Shasta has been without a health officer for 17 months. After multiple failed attempts to find a replacement for Ramstrom, supervisors lowered the qualifications for the position so that a medical license is no longer required. However, Dr. Mu does have a license to practice medicine in California. 

See also:

Beware ‘Flying Syringes’: Fringe Pick for Mosquito Board Stirs Controversy in Shasta