A Conflict of Interest: Ninja Coalition & Shasta County

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Kevin Crye launched the Ninja Coalition, a children’s fitness facility situated in the Mount Shasta Mall, in December 2019. As reported, Crye mentioned that the aim of the Ninja Coalition is to instill enduring fitness objectives. In 2019, the position representing District 1 on the Board of Supervisors was probably not something he had envisioned. Yet, in 2022, Crye ran for the position and won. He was later elected the Board’s chair. 

Fast forward to August 28, 2024. 

Crye, now the Chair of the Shasta County Board of Supervisors, arranged a meeting with the Superintendent of Schools, Mike Freeman. Freeman attested that he assumed the August 28th meeting's agenda would center on the Community Connect Program.

(Community Connect collaborates with schools in Shasta County to assist students by offering case management and linking their families to services in the community. This may encompass services related to physical health, mental and behavioral health, housing support, food assistance, utility aid, transportation, and many additional resources.) 

This expectation was far from unfounded; in fact, it arose from the supervisors' meeting the day before, August 27, 2024, that Crye, speaking on the record, stated he was keenly interested in meeting with Freeman to learn more about the program's details. However, that apparently was not Crye's true intention, according to Freeman.

*** Critical side note: At the August 27th Board of Supervisors meeting, just one day before the meeting between Crye and Freeman, Supervisors Crye, Jones, and Kellstrom voted to delay approval of a contract renewal for the Shasta County Office of Education's Community Connect program.***

As Freeman prepared for the meeting, he reached out to his associates at Community Connect, emphasizing the importance of their presence to showcase the program's impact effectively. He intended to ensure that every critical detail was communicated persuasively, to obtain full approval of the contract. However, when Crye entered the room, he was unexpectedly accompanied by his personal assistant from his personal business. Freeman noted that when Crye saw the Community Connect staff at the meeting, he looked quite shocked and surprised. Crye’s intentions were not to learn more about the Community Connect program. Crye came to the meeting prepared to pitch his own Ascend program, a personal business venture. 

Just for reference: The Ascend program is a “Before-School (ASCEND), After-School, and Expanded Learning Programs for school districts” FREE to students in participating districts (the state and county pay for it). According to their website, they have “partnered with over 40 school districts, traveling directly to schools—both rural and urban, small and large—to provide on-site, customized camp experiences.” You can read more about the programs here: Ascend & California Adventure Camps. 

Crye is financially invested in public education, as his Ninja Coalition gym and ASCEND Program collaborate with public schools throughout the state and county, funded by taxpayer money through secured contracts.

Supervisor Garman reported that he investigated the situation after receiving an email from Freeman. Following a meeting with Freeman and subsequent conversations with others who attended the meeting between Crye and Freeman, Garman informed Crye on the record that during the August meeting, Crye had basically insinuated, “OK, we can secure this full funding if I get my contract.” Garman stated that this was essentially the message he had gathered from those present at the meeting. “I have the email, so it’s documented,” Garman added.

Crye responded to Garman that he doesn't care about making money and that “programs that receive money from the county should provide evidence that they are effective.”

In March of 2025, Anderson Union schools lost access to Community Connect. And why? It was best explained by Freeman when parents at Anderson School District complained:

“Community Connect services were funded through a contract between the county and the Department of Health and Human Services. Where four clinicians provide services and case management to families and students referred by the district. However, the Board of Supervisors voted in August in a 3-2 vote to modify that contract to end in December. It came up again in their September 10th meeting with the finalized contract and was approved unanimously. Supervisors have not renewed it since. The Office of Education turned to the ongoing Community Schools grant from the state to continue the funding.”

It’s astonishing that, despite all the issues, KEVIN CRYE is still collecting taxpayer money from the state and county to support his programs for kids. This calls for serious scrutiny and accountability!

Armed with this information, one might reasonably deduce that Kevin Crye’s conduct is a profound abuse of the authority entrusted to him as a member of the Board of Supervisors. There is clearly a conflict of interest if Crye has a financial stake in school programs that are paid for by the state and county, and he should have recused himself from any voting or negotiations. Furthermore, it can be seen that his hard-right co-members on the board are not merely bystanders; they are active co-conspirators in Crye’s troubling exercise of power, perpetuating a dynamic that undermines the integrity of their collective responsibilities.

The members of the Board of Supervisors were elected to serve the best interests of the community, not to pursue personal and financial gain. This behavior not only undermines ethical standards but also constitutes a clear violation of the Board of Supervisors' Code of Conduct. 

HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE!! VOTE THEM OUT 2026!