In our Constitutional Republic, government derives their power from the consent of the governed. When government silences the very citizens they derive their power from, government has become corrupt and should be removed in order to maintain the health and function of the Republic.
In this case, a citizen was critical of local government breaking the law AND polluting the north state's air and water. The Board of Supervisors knowingly chose to "silence" that citizen (and every citizen after him) and refused to attach his statement to the public record (until a promise of legal action was brought against the county). By knowingly withholding this information from the citizens of Butte County (information they were entitled by law to have access to), the Board of Supervisors (and staff) violated CA Government Code Title 5. Div. 2, Part 1, Chapter 9, Section 54959, a crime punishable by up to one year imprisonment.
