Placer Supervisor Landon, Lincoln Mayor Andreatta disagree on who knew what before TGI purchase in Lincoln

Lincoln Mayor Holly Andreatta used the public comment period at the Placer County Board of Supervisors meeting on Oct. 7 to dispute statements by Supervisor Shanti Landon about Andreatta's involvement in the City of Lincoln's lawsuit against The Gathering Inn (TGI), a nonprofit seeking to open a medical respite center for unhoused individuals on Third Street. Andreatta's public comment was a response to her being accused of having prior knowledge of the close of escrow of TGI's medical respite center, something Landon admitted to doing last year. The Lincoln News Messenger reached out to Andreatta and Landon in relation to the allegations. The City of Lincoln's lawsuit alleges TGI fraudulently secured $6.4 million in state funding to open a medical respite center for unsheltered individuals near four schools without notifying the city until after the land purchase. Landon, who holds the District 2 seat on the Board of Supervisors, issued a statement when news of the purchase became public acknowledging she knew about the nonprofit's plans in advance and took responsibility for not ensuring the city was informed. Andreatta, who is challenging Landon for the District 2 seat in 2026, said during the meeting Landon incorrectly claimed Andreatta was aware of the project in advance. "You are also well aware that the city had no knowledge of TGI's purchase of the Third Street building or their plans for a low-barrier medical respite shelter until after escrow closed late August, yet for months now, from multiple sources, I've heard that Supervisor Landon has been spreading a false narrative, both privately and publicly, that I knew about TGI's plans in advance," Andreatta said during public comment. Landon told the Lincoln News Messenger her comments were based on the city's second-amended complaint, which mentions a January 2023 meeting between Andreatta and TGI CEO Keith Diederich. According to the city's complaint filed in July 2025, Diederich met with Andreatta at the Waffle Shop in January 2023 to test whether she might be an ally for the proposed medical center but stated critical facts were left out of the conversation. "Plaintiff is informed and believes, and based thereon alleges, that TGI disclosed some facts regarding its plan to open a medical respite center in Lincoln to Plaintiff, but intentionally failed to disclose critical facts, thereby making its disclosure deceptive," the complaint said. The complaint continued to state the purpose of Deiderich and Andreatta's meeting was to determine if "TGI could potentially rely on her for a letter of support." Landon said while Andreatta may not have known the full extent of TGI's intentions, her public comment contradicted the complaint. "While she may not have known the full extent of TGI's intentions, clearly she was informed of some details, and she contradicted this by stating publicly that she had zero knowledge of TGI's plans," Landon said told the Lincoln News Messenger. Landon added that Andreatta's remarks were more about optics than leadership. "The performance by Mayor Andreatta may have provided for good TV, but it's the opposite of good governance," she said. When the Lincoln News Messenger reached out to Andreatta about the details of the January 2023 meeting, Andreatta denied discussing the medical respite center at the Waffle Shop. "There are no details to give because we didn't talk about the medical respite program nor did he (Diederich) give me or anyone at the city any information about the project, which was the context of my comments at the BOS (Board of Supervisors)," Andreatta said. TGI declined to provide a comment when the Lincoln News Messenger reached out about the meeting. In a deposition related to the city's lawsuit, Andreatta said Diederich did bring up the possibility of a facility in Lincoln at the 2023 meeting. "His comment to me was, 'Would you be supportive of us opening a facility in Lincoln?' And my exact response to him was, 'Well, I'm happy to have that conversation with you.' And then the conversation on that ended, and we didn't talk about it again," she said. In Diederich's deposition, he said he scheduled the meeting with the intent to talk to Andreatta about medical respite "to educate her about what it was and what it was not to answer questions that she had regarding it, to talk to her about the unmet need in the community, to talk to her about the funding that was available to potentially expand, to serve the unmet need," he said. "I told her that it was an existed – existing assisted living facility in Lincoln." He shared that Andreatta asked questions after hearing about the concept of the medical respite center. "She asked a lot of questions about the people we serve. She asked me for kind of a history of how we started the project, how the funding happens. She asked me if Lincoln would have to fund anything. And at the end, I asked her a question, could she be supported – supportive of the project in Lincoln, and she said yes." Diederich said in his deposition he went to Andreatta over other Lincoln councilmembers because he considered her a trusted advisor, donor to TGI and friend. At the board meeting, Andreatta stated she knew nothing about the project. "I testified under oath that I had zero knowledge of TGI plans. Every other member of the Lincoln City Council and staff has also said publicly that they did not know. There is not one shred of evidence, no email, no text, no conversation that says otherwise," she said. In a letter submitted to the Board of Supervisors on Oct. 13, TGI Board Chair Keith Estes wrote there is proof of the meeting between Diederich and Mayor Andreatta. "The breakfast meeting took place just before the grant application was revised to seek funding to acquire the facility in Lincoln (it was resubmitted less than one month later). The fact the meeting occurred is proven by text messages, a digital calendar invitation, and a restaurant receipt, showing that Ms. Andreatta and Diederich met at a restaurant in the morning on that day," the letter by Estes said. Andreatta said she addressed the board because it was important to protect the integrity of the City of Lincoln's position. She said she believed Supervisor Landon is spreading misinformation that could mislead the public and create confusion in the community. "My comments were not political, they were about ensuring the facts surrounding the project and our ongoing litigation remain clear and consistent," she said. Andreatta said she wants to make sure the city's case is based on sworn testimony and documented evidence, not speculation or political statements. "Beyond that, I'll let the legal process speak for itself," she said. "My focus is, and always will be, on doing what is best for Lincoln and maintaining the public's trust."