But, by virtue of its rural location and size, there simply aren’t many resources available for the homeless or for those experiencing mental health crises, said city officials — dual problems that often go hand-in-hand. The city by itself simply doesn’t have the ability to provide much care or comfort beyond a cup of coffee in the morning and a bed for the night.

Fort Bragg Mayor Bernie Norvell regularly drives through the town to seek out and find people living on the streets, and offer them a hand up — and a way out of town.

There is one shelter in town, the Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center, which has been in operation since 1986 and offers services for the homeless and mentally ill, including transitional housing projects, case management services, vocational services and more. It also operates a Winter Shelter out of several local churches, most years.

A recent $17,000 grant offered by the Mendocino County Continuum of Care has made it possible for the city to buy a Greyhound bus ticket for anyone who needs a ride home. Sometimes, hotels will put up someone for the night, and an officer will often buy the person a cup of coffee in the morning before they get on the bus.

But at the moment, those are pretty much the only, limited options available on the coast for the homeless. Norvell said the city buys at least one bus ticket for someone every few weeks, and they have sent people home to as far away as Alaska and the East Coast.

“It’s just a band-aid, moving them from one place to another,” Norvell said.

But buying them a bus ticket is only an option if, A) they’re willing to go, and B) they have the capacity to accept help. Often times that’s not the case, said Interim Police Chief John Naulty. He estimated at least 75 percent of the phone calls his department receives is to deal with a transient issue, which includes mental health calls. One person, in particular, has prompted more than 230 calls in a single month; and just last Monday, there were six calls about different transient issues to the police station — making up 90 percent of the station’s work for the day.

His staff simply isn’t trained to handle it, he said.

Not only that, but Naulty is well aware that a uniformed officer showing up can often worsen a tense situation — but the police are often the public’s first call.

To their credit, Fort Bragg Police officers will often call mental health professionals from Redwood Community Services when dealing with a crisis. RCS isn’t technically a mobile service — but by virtue of that special, small-town connection — their staff have been able to help in certain situations. The officer will stay out of sight but provide backup if needed, and the situation often resolves itself without the need for an official intervention, Naulty said.

Again though, that small-town hospitality lends itself to a very one-on-one relationship with the homeless. not only do the police officers know many of the homeless by name, but so does most of the town. Say “Bob, the guy who walks with a cane” or “Jane, the woman with the baby stroller” and most people in Fort Bragg will know exactly who you mean. Naulty said he estimates the homeless population of Fort Bragg to be fully one-fifth to one-fourth of the total population.

For all of the issues incumbent with hosting a homeless population — theft, public intoxication, arson, disorderly conduct, and often public urination and defecation — Norvell, Naulty and Fort Bragg City Manager Tabatha Miller agree that it’s not as bad here on the coast as nearby cities Eureka and Ukiah, or even Santa Rosa may have it.

That’s partially because of how rural Fort Bragg is — homelessness isn’t as in-your-face when there’s a dense and mostly-unregulated forest in every direction but west. The cooler temperatures off the ocean also attract some homeless people who find inland temperatures too hot in the summer, Norvell said. Still, wander down the train tracks or into the old commercial area of town, and you’ll find plenty of proof that Fort Bragg struggles with homelessness too.

There’s also a huge difference in addicts and alcoholics who find themselves homeless versus those who recently fell behind on their rent and may be living out of their car, Norvell said. Since each situation is so different and unique, it becomes a moral question of who to give money and support to — who will use it to get back on their feet and who is likely to relapse?

Naulty said the police department is currently trying to find a budget to hire an in-house mental health professional who can ride along on calls. The ideal solution, he said, would be a mental health response team that could be deployed to assist those in the middle of a crisis.

Additionally, the city is hopeful that a recent proposal to the county for a local Crisis Respite house will be approved; at a cost of about $240,000 per year. (Miller said the cost is likely to come out of Measure B funds.) There would be four beds, and residents could stay up to 30 days. It would serve the homeless population that are in the middle of a mental health crisis, but not at the level of being committed to the hospital.

“We’re making a little bit of progress,” Naulty said, “but it all comes down to the financials.”

The city of Chico contracts its attorney services through the firm of Colantuono, Highsmith, Whatley, PC, a law firm with offices in Pasadena and Grass Valley.

Andrew L. Jared, a senior counselor with the firm, has been serving as the city attorney since January. Previously, he was the assistant city attorney under Vince Ewing, when the city contracted with Alvarez-Glasman & Colvin, which operates out of Yountville.

Ewing, though nominally the Chico city attorney, had not advised the city in at least a year or been present at any City Council meetings by the time Jared was promoted. The city also confirmed late last year that it was conducting an audit of its contract with Alvarez-Glasman & Colvin.

Mayor Randall Stone announced the change in staffing in January, but the city has not yet made the meeting minutes nor announcement available to the public.

According to Deputy City Clerk Dani Rogers, Jared does not receive his salary directly from the city, therefore his salary is not subject to a Public Records Act request. It is unknown what the city pays the Colantuono, Highsmith and Whatley firm for Jared’s services.

Jared’s previous firm, Alvarez-Glasman & Colvin, was also unable to provide dates of their employment contract with the city by deadline.

According to the city’s website, some of the services provided by the City Attorney’s Office include representing Chico in all litigation to which the city is a party; rendering legal opinions to the City Council, departments and officers; and preparing and approving city ordinances, resolutions and contracts.

Ory said that wasn’t true, and he was merely waving for her camera.

Nichole Nava, a vocal critic of Ory, said she was walking with one of the three large groups of protesters heading down Main Street in Chico toward the Chico Council Chambers before the Feb. 18 City Council meeting. The groups were part of a large demonstration that evening.

“I was broadcasting the march toward chambers via Facebook for a One Chico group I help admin,” Nava wrote in a statement to the E-R. “As I walked in front of Duffy’s Tavern, Councilmember Karl Ory, who was coming from the opposite direction, deliberately shot out his left arm straight at me. I did nothing to provoke his hostile act.”

Ory said that he was walking to his office and was simply waving at Nava’s camera.

“We were going different directions. I waved at the camera as she went by,” Ory said. “It’s not true. She’s made a lot of accusations. It seems like that’s what she does.”

Nava was one of the organizers of a 2019 recall attempt against Ory and Mayor Randall Stone. She provided video of Tuesday’s incident, taken from behind by a witness, where the incident can clearly be seen.

As Ory approaches Nava walking the opposite direction, he sticks his hand straight out and Nava dodges it.

Both Nava and Ory confirmed there was no contact made, but Nava said it was “only because (she) reacted quickly.”

Nava said she is considering pursuing legal action against the councilor.

“I will be addressing what I believe to be a criminal act,” she said.

Organizers said they are expecting as many as 1,500 protesters to surround the City Council Chambers. There will also likely be a counter-protest planned nearby, but its expected numbers are unknown.

The protest was formed by local business owners and concerned citizens to encourage the city council to ban the North Valley Harm Reduction Coalition from operating a syringe access program. The program was granted to NVHRC by the state’s department of public health, not the city of Chico.

NVHRC program manager Angel Gomez said the counter-protest is not affiliated with the coalition, but they were informed there was one being organized.

“I fully support the right to protest; we have no issue with that,” Gomez said. “We hope that the city will look at the realities of the program and the information about the success this program has had in other places and won’t move forward with the ban.

Before the program was approved in October, Gomez said she “would encourage people to look at the data and to research, because all of their worries and fears have been addressed.”

“Every major medical association agrees that syringe access is good — not only for the users themselves for also for the community as a whole,” Gomez said.

The California Department of Public Health said research has consistently found that increasing access to sterile syringes significantly reduces the risk of HIV transmission, and that California law supports efforts to expand access to sterile syringes through syringe access programs.

The California Department of Public Health was closed for Presidents Day and was unable to return a request for comment.

Chico Police Chief Mike O’Brien and Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea have previously said that though they are in general support of the coalition’s work, they oppose the syringe access program.

Butte County Public Health Officer Dr. Andy Miller, who presented to the City Council on the issue on behalf of the county’s Public Health Department in October, has said he is in support of the access program.

At the council’s last meeting, Councilor Sean Morgan requested a discussion to consider an ordinance “banning needle distribution programs in the city.”

Gomez said it is her understanding that even if the city passes an ordinance banning needle access programs, the city would need to work directly with the state on what that would look like for Chico and the NVHRC’s continued efforts.

“We do follow best practices that are recommended not only by the state of California but also multiple other programs,” Gomez said.

Contentious ordinances

Protesters are also hoping to force the city’s hand on maintaining the Sit & Lie and Offenses Against Public Property ordinances. The former bans sitting or lying on sidewalks in commercial areas, while the latter bans public urination and defecation, and places strict laws on public alcohol consumption and the immediate disposal of dog droppings. Mayor Randall Stone and Vice Mayor Alex Brown have requested a discussion Tuesday to possibly rescind or amend both ordinances.

There is some debate as to whether or not the ordinances are even legal, and those in favor of abolishing the laws have argued it is applied selectively and serves to criminalize homelessness.

“We continue to pick at small pieces of the problem of homelessness when what’s needed is a master plan,” said Councilor Scott Huber.

March around the chambers

On Feb. 4, at the last regular council meeting, protesters carried signs that said “Kids Not Needles,” “Keep Sit-Lie” and “Protect Our Waterways.” They also used pickups and semitrailers from local businesses to block and slowly move along downtown’s busy Main Street during the evening rush hour, creating a traffic jam in front of the council chambers miles long.

The mayor has begun the meeting without comment of what’s going on outside.

Outside, the protest continues, and cars honking their approval can be heard inside the chambers, periodically. pic.twitter.com/SvBUt7izZ8

— Robin Epley (@ByRobinEpley) February 5, 2020

Protest organizer Jody Gallaway, a business owner in Chico, said they do not plan to block the streets again and have been making safety a No. 1 priority.

“I’m concerned about safety, and I’m very concerned about counter-protests,” Gallaway said. “We have really tried to make this a safe event. We keep stressing to not engage and be peaceful and let our numbers reflect our frustration and concern.”

Gallaway said protesters will be gathering in multiple places, but the main location will be at 5 p.m. in the downtown parking lot, near East Third and Wall streets. From there, it’s a short walk to the council chambers at 421 Main St. where at least three groups will merge and use their numbers to encircle the council chambers.

Jesica Giannola, one of the organizers of the counter-protest, said “It’s not a protest, but a plea for better understanding of the program their side continues to protest. We will be peaceful, with no intent of combative engagement. Support for the public health program that supports the people of the city is our message.”

The City Council meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the City Council Chambers at 421 Main St. in Chico.

At the meeting on Feb. 4, more than 250 people — mostly local business owners — gathered on the sidewalk outside the chambers to protest the council’s decision to merely agendize the discussion of these items. Tuesday will be the actual discussion, which will afford the public another opportunity to comment on the controversial ordinances.

On Feb. 4, protesters used large trucks from local businesses to block and slowly move along downtown’s busy Main Street during the evening rush hour. Many travelers honked their horns in solidarity as hundreds on the sidewalk cheered, waving signs that said “Keep Sit-Lie” and “Kids Not Needles.”

It is likely the discussion and public comment period for these items will take up the majority of the council’s time that evening. It may also be prudent to avoid downtown streets for the few hours surrounding the start of the meeting.

Jody Gallaway, who organized the protest on Feb. 4 and is an owner of Gallaway Enterprises in Chico, said there would be more if the council did not listen to the protesters.

Gallaway said their requests were threefold: First, to ban the North Valley Harm Reduction Coalition from operating a syringe access program that recently began with state approval.

Second, that the city maintain its “Sit and Lie” ordinance, which bans sitting or lying on sidewalks in commercial areas.

And third, that the city does not amend the Offenses Against Public Property ordinance, which Mayor Randall Stone and Vice Mayor Alex Brown have suggested and will discuss on Tuesday.

Anyone wishing to speak on these issues will need to sit through the council’s consent agenda first, which has only one item: An amendment to a city ordinance dealing with noise from vehicles and bicycles. The business from the floor period of the evening is reserved for comment on items not on the evening’s agenda, so if you plan to make a comment about any of the discussions being held Tuesday evening, get a speaker card to City Clerk Debbie Presson for that specific item.

If there is time, the city will also hear requested discussions about Safe Space Winter Shelter, an electric mobility sharing program and an extreme heat preparedness plan.

The City Council meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the City Council Chambers at 421 Main St. in Chico.

The class is participating in California Water Service’s H2O Challenge, which is a free competition that invites fourth through sixth grade classrooms in Cal Water service areas to develop and implement solutions for various water issues.

“To date, more than 250 classrooms have participated in the program,” said the company on its website, and this year, Cal Water has expanded the elementary student competition to include K-12 student and teacher participation. The program corresponds to school standards for reading, vocabulary, research, writing, oral-speaking, science, social studies and math, according to the Cal Water website.

Thomas said she went into the project with some potential ideas, but her fourth- and fifth-grade students were very firm in what they wanted to accomplish. “The kids united to make plastic recycling their goal,” she said.

Tianna Atkins, a student in Thomas’ class, said their main goal was to reduce plastic water bottle usage, so the students split up into teams that could each accomplish that goal in different ways: There is a recycling team, a reusables team, a creek cleanup team and the water tester team.

The students even went through all the trash in the dumpsters behind the cafeteria after lunch to pull out recyclable and plastic items, and did an “eco audit” on the school’s classroom taps and water fountains.

“We went to different classrooms and tested to see if there was any lead, bacteria or chemicals,” said Adrian Morales, who showed off the bright purple samples of tested water. (Purple is good — if the samples had turned yellow, Adrian said, that would have meant the school’s water was unsafe to drink.)

Since there was already a class on campus which did some recycling work, the two classes joined forces to implement a much wider program. And Natalie Wood-Toussau, who said she hopes to become a teacher one day, is helping Thomas build a lesson plan for their fellow classes to follow and learn about recycling.

“We thought we could make a difference at least in our community,” said Kazi Ferdous.

During the class’ clean up of Little Chico Creek, they found more than 119 pounds of waste, including a large section of carpet, discarded clothing and tons of — you guessed it — plastic.

“It’s good to reduce plastic because it goes into the ocean and the fish can eat the plastic,” said Adrian. “And Ms. Thomas says fish eat fish, and we eat the fish and the plastic can get into us, too.”

“It can move up the food chain to us!” chimed in Abigail Powers, another student.

The Cal Water challenge states that students must develop and implement a four- to eight-week-long project focusing on water use through a community-based project. The winning classroom will receive $3,500 and an all-expenses-paid camping trip to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area; runners-up will receive grants and additional prizes.

Emily Akimoto and her fourth-grade students from Sierra View Elementary in Chico won the grand prize in 2019, while Mike Buckley and his fourth grade students at Murdock Elementary in Willows won the grand prize in 2018. Thomas’ classroom took home fifth place last year.

If their class wins this year, Thomas says they will use some of the prize money to install a refillable, filtered water station on campus, and student Casen Bauguess said the class is selling customized Kleen Kanteens with the school’s logo on them to raise funds for the water station, even if they don’t win.

Thomas’ class is always thinking big about how to keep their recycling project going, long after the school bell has rung.

“We want this project to go on,” Kazi said. “When a few people start to recycle, then a lot start.”

“In this weird way, this population is underserved,” said Angela McLaughlin, president of the board for Chico’s Safe Space Winter Shelter. “They’re not the ones that the community sees as much. They don’t move around as much, and I think they fall through the cracks.

According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, studies across the U.S. have shown a clear upward trend in the population of homeless aged 50-64 in the past 15 to 20 years.

Subsidized housing is available for seniors at age 62, while Medicare and Social Security benefits are available after 65, but those age limits make the 50-64 population some of the most housing-vulnerable in the nation.

“This is a group which frequently falls between the cracks of governmental safety nets,” the group wrote on its website at nationalhomeless.org. “They are not old enough to qualify for Medicare, however, when their physical health is assaulted by poor nutrition and severe living conditions they may eventually resemble someone much older.”

Even when they reach 65, it may not be enough. As of 2020, the monthly SSI payment for an individual was just $783 — well below the poverty line. California may add up to $160.

McLaughlin said homeless senior citizens tend to have a lot more disabilities and health problems than the general population.

“We see a lot of folks that use walkers and wheelchairs; a lot of people with grave disabilities,” she said. “Couple that with more compromised immune systems — because they are older and more prone to get infections — and mixed in with general population? We see those people getting sick over and over again.”

McLaughlin recalled the story of an elderly homeless woman who was well-known to the shelters in Chico. She became sick with the flu and was extremely dehydrated last winter, but couldn’t find a place to stay during the day — only at night. So McLaughlin said the woman would leave the shelter in the day, go to Enloe Medical Center’s emergency room, and be turned out again after she was given care.

But without a safe, warm place to rest during the day, the elderly woman just got sicker and sicker, McLaughlin said.

“It felt really touch-and-go. She had no body fat, no reserves,” McLaughlin said. “For an average, or a healthy, younger person — it would have been miserable, but it would have passed. For her, she had no reserves and no place to go lay down for the day out of the cold.”

McLaughlin said they didn’t know if the woman would even make it through the winter. McLaughlin said even the county’s Adult Protective Services said there was no funding or program that the woman fit into, and threw up their hands at a solution. But, McLaughlin said, the woman lived and she is living at the Torres Shelter now, where they’re working on a permanent housing solution for her.

Despite the difficulties, there is one example of services for senior homeless in Butte County, but its future is far from certain.

“Simplicity Village is a great example,” McLaughlin said. “That project was specifically to house 56 elderly people. It would be permanent support.”

The tiny home village, proposed by Chico Housing Action Team, would include 33 emergency sleeping cabins and portable units, with a central kitchen and dining area, as well as related support facilities like showers and community-use washers and dryers. The cabins are designed to be temporary homes only, with a proposed location on Notre Dame Boulevard, south of Morrow Lane, in southern Chico.

“There is funding and there are people who can do this and (they) have a good plan,” McLaughlin said. “It’s just obstructionism that prevents us from moving forward.”

She’s referring to the lawsuit brought against the city of Chico and city planning and community director, Brendan Vieg, by a local business owner whose property is near the proposed site.

Frank Solinsky, of Payless Lumber, has appealed the city multiple times to overturn the planning commission’s decision.

“Our business hours start at 5:30 in the morning in the summer, and go as late as midnight. We have a lot of noise and a lot of bright lights for those dark hours; we also create dust. These are all issues that are not conducive to residential living,” Payless Lumber’s manager, Michele Cooper, told the Chico City Council in September 2019. “No one is going to complain about them now. But it will only be a matter of time.”

CHAT Executive Director Leslie Johnson said the project is “on hold” while attorneys are in negotiation.

“We’re hoping to get something resolved soon,” she said. “We wanted to help a vulnerable population, and we see a lot of older people without housing.”

Johnson said CHAT settled on inviting seniors into the program because tiny home villages are not well-suited for families with children.

“Those (seniors who) do have an income, they can only afford to pay a very modest rate,” she said.

Those small incomes usually come from MediCal or Social Security, but would need to go fully toward the cost of a regularly-priced apartment or studio. Research from the National Coalition for the Homeless showed that a person receiving Social Security support would typically have to pay more than 100% of that income to rent a one-bedroom apartment, and more than 90% of it for a typical studio apartment.

“We felt everyone in that situation should have an option available to them,” she said, “and (seniors) tend to be more stable and self-sufficient if they are given an opportunity to have housing.”

Other answers may lie in single-room occupancy — like old hotels or offices than can be turned into a place for each resident to have their own bed, closet and desk, but they’d share a bathroom, laundry room and kitchen communally.

“That may be something that’s useful for this population, as well as other homeless folks who are just getting back on their feet,” McLaughlin said. “(Single-room occupancies) are super helpful for bridging the gap.”

Another answer may be a local program that can provide bridge loans, which helps prevent homelessness before it begins by providing loans to stabilize threatened households.

“(We need) some program where we can ensure that if they are forced to move, there’s something out there that helps them bridge the gap between first, last and security,” McLaughlin said. If the city can keep people off the streets in the first place, she added, “that would be so much more preferable than dealing with it after it’s happened.”

“We just feel incredibly inadequate to deal with the challenges of this population,” McLaughlin said. “Folks on a fixed income are going to continue to fall through the cracks.”

Update

Twenty-six speakers stayed until nearly midnight Tuesday to address the council on their decision to choose the Lavender map and in what order to sequence elections.

Many speakers accused the liberal majority on the council — Karl Ory, Mayor Randall Stone, Vice Mayor Alex Brown and Scott Huber — of colluding to exclude Councilor Sean Morgan from running in his district at the end of his term of office later this year.

“This is a city we all know and love, why are we doing this?” asked Bill Mash. “Let’s just do what’s right for Chico and move on.”

“Incumbency wasn’t supposed to be a factor,” said Nichole Nava. “You willfully ignored the will of your people. You say you represent all of us; I beg to differ.”

Many said they were part of the canvassing effort in District 4 and 2 (Morgan and Huber’s districts) over the weekend to get the word out.

“This whole thing is falling into the category of something that seemed clever at the time, but looking back, you’re going to regret,” said Tom van Overbeek. “This recent decision is just appalling. It’s blatant political trickery. You guys set out to steal (Morgan’s) seat.”

The anger at the council was bipartisan. Nathan Methvin-Terry said he voted for nearly all of the councilors there, and actually “campaigned hard” against Sean Morgan, “But this is wrong,” he said. “This is putting party politics over the will of the voters. There’s a lot of people who like Mr. Morgan. They should have the right to keep him up there.”

He then addressed Ory and Brown directly, and said he was disappointed in their actions.

“You say: ‘We’re at-large and we’re going to represent everybody. Trust us.’ Well I don’t trust you. It’s our job not to trust you,” Methvin-Terry said.

Others called Ory a “master bully” and accused the majority of the council of a deeply partisan divide.

“It’s late, but I’m here because I live in District 4 and I really don’t appreciate the way everyone is trying to make these fun political games, so that one district doesn’t have any political representation for two years,” said Jessica Wilhelm. “Do something courageous, do something different and try to cross the party lines.”

Morgan moved to adopt the ordinance and change the sequencing of elections to districts 1,4,5 and 7, but change the name of district 4 to district 3. That would include every district where there is a councilor up for re-election in 2020. Huber seconded the motion and then made comments.

“I think it’s pretty clear to the community that the Lavender map was created with incumbency considered,” Huber said. “The councilors shouldn’t be voting on councilors. The voters should.”

The motion passed 5-2, with Ory and Stone against. The meeting ended Wednesday morning, at 12:17 a.m., more than six hours after it began.

“The people of Chico should feel their faith in local government is restored,” Morgan said. “It took a lot of dialogue, it took a lot of contention … but at the end of the night, we did the right thing.”

The City Council meeting was adjourned to 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10, in the City Council Chambers at 421 Main St. in Chico, at which time it will address the second reading and adoption of the new districting ordinance. The council will also meet Tuesday, Feb. 11, again at 6 p.m, to address the adjourned items from the Feb. 4 meeting.

The meeting

According to the city’s administrative policies and procedures, the council has to “request to agendize” items before discussing them — basically, they have to vote on whether or not they even want to have a discussion.

Unfortunately that rule led to some confusion amongst protesters who thought the council was making a final decision on several controversial items surrounding issues of homelessness.

There was an unprecedented amount of speakers at Tuesday’s meeting, more than 20 spoke during the Business From The Floor period, and another 75 spoke on the first six items of councilor requests.

The process to agendize councilor requests is usually taken as one item and generally passed unanimously, but the council voted to address each item separately on Tuesday so that each speaker could be heard.

More than 30 speakers addressed the council just on Mayor Randall Stone and Vice Mayor Alex Brown’s request to rescind the city’s Sit & Lie ordinance, which bans people from sitting or lying on sidewalks in commercials areas, and their request to amend the Offenses Against Public Property Ordinance.

Most seemed to be against agendizing the discussion, but there were a few who encouraged the council to move forward.

“The people who are living on the streets are the people suffering,” said Lauren Kohler, who was in favor of the discussion. “There’s no evidence that people are pushed into services, just that they’re pushed out of public spaces.”

“The Sit & Lie ordinance actually gives tools to law enforcement, it encourages people to go to places where they can find sheltering,” said Bryan Meyers, who was against agendizing the discussion. “It shouldn’t even be on the agenda to discuss. I believe everyone in this room wants solutions and to work together.”

After the public comment period, Brown moved to agendize the discussion with Councilor Scott Huber’s second. The council voted 4-3, with councilors Sean Morgan, Kasey Reynolds and Ann Schwab against.

“We continue to pick at small pieces of the problem of homelessness when what’s needed is a master plan,” said Huber. He then introduced a request to agendize a discussion to “develop a comprehensive strategy for reducing homelessness and its impacts in Chico.”

The council voted 5-2 to agendize the discussion, with Stone and Brown voting against.

Morgan’s request for a discussion on an ordinance banning needle distribution programs garnered 20 comments, mostly in approval of the request. Many speakers related stories of having to deal with discarded hypodermic needles and reported an increase in incidents involving needles and syringes across the city.

At a certain point, after several outbursts and arguments, the mayor requested a five-minute break and called on the police chief to clear the entire chamber of audience members. City Clerk Debbie Presson said it was not uncommon to remove people who “get unruly” but removing the entire chamber has also happened before.

The plan was to only let people in to make comments on the item, and then return the audience to the chamber afterward, but when the council reconvened from the break, the rest of the council overwhelmingly condemned Stone’s decision and voted 6-1 to allow the public back into the room immediately.

Heated public comment continued until the council voted 7-0 to approve a discussion about alternatives to the current needle distribution program.

The rest of the councilor requests were approved thusly:

• Councilor Karl Ory’s first request to agendize a discussion to consider the Residential Energy Conservation Ordinance for Substantial Remodels was approved 5-2 with Morgan and Reynolds against.
• Ory’s second request for a discussion on the draft Extreme Heat Preparedness Plan and the cost of cooling shelters to be considered during budget time was approved 6-1 with Morgan against.
• Ory’s third request for a discussion on the endorsement of the Disaster Housing Budget Letter was approved 5-2 with Morgan and Reynolds against.
• Ory’s fourth request to agendize a discussion regarding Disaster Tax Credits and Stone’s request for a discussion regarding Safe Space Winter Shelter’s downtime were moved to be considered another day in favor of skipping to the public hearing and other pertinent items on the agenda, in a vote of 6-1, with Stone against.

Districting

More than four hours after the meeting began — and an official vote to extend the meeting to at least 11 p.m. — the meeting finally proceeded to the public hearing, where councilors considered the first reading of the ordinance the city will need to establish district elections.

The city must approve an ordinance within 90 days, and that deadline would be Feb. 10. Therefore, Tuesday’s meeting was the second-to-last opportunity to discuss districting within those boundaries or to request an extension from the law firm and plaintiff that threatened the city with a multi-million dollar lawsuit under the California Voting Rights Act.

City Attorney Andrew Jared said the law firm had indicated that their “biggest priority” was to establish the district elections before the November election, but that there was no official extension given yet. The council said it will consider moving the next meeting to Monday, Feb. 10 to fit within the 90-day requirement.

City demographer Michael Wagaman explained the differences made to the proposed map since it was last seen, including a slight change in numbering and some boundary changes to districts 1 and 6.

“I want everybody to understand how we got here,” Morgan said. “We agreed on the Lavender map, bipartisan.” Morgan then read a portion of the minutes of the Jan. 21 meeting regarding the sequencing process, acknowledging that they were long and complicated.

After reading back the verbatim transcript, Morgan drew comparisons to the famous Abbott and Costello “Who’s On First” routine — which he then also read a significant portion of.

“Boom: 12,000 people without representation on this dais because four people on this council think they know what’s best,” Morgan said.

“Any myth that we’re leaving people unrepresented for two years is wrong,” Ory countered. “I was elected citywide. I will represent the entire city.”

Ory said it wasn’t just Morgan’s district that wouldn’t be able to vote in 2020, it would be three out of the seven, totaling more than 35,000 residents.

“We will disenfranchise thousands of people one way or another. It’s sequencing,” Ory said. “We can’t allow everyone to vote for council. We can only choose four.”

“I hope that you convinced yourself with your little smoke and mirrors,” Morgan replied. “Leave the council members that are up for reelection, up for reelection. Everything is fair and equitable.”

Morgan said risking the $100,000 that may be incurred by pushing the adoption of the ordinance was more favorable to him than disenfranchising the voters of District 4.

The council then took 26 comments from the public, pushing the meeting past midnight, and past this newspaper’s deadline.

A huge protest has formed outside of the #Chico City Council chambers tonight. There’s easily 200-300 people here, mostly business owners, who are asking the council not to reverse a sit/lie ordinance and ban a needle disposal program. pic.twitter.com/KiO8bM1LxE

— Robin Epley (@ByRobinEpley) February 5, 2020

It’s a convoluted process. By its own rules, the City Council can’t have a discussion about something without announcing first that it wants to have the discussion.

“It creates confusion in the public’s mind,” Mayor Randall Stone said at the beginning of the meeting. “We’re only speaking to when the discussion will be agendized.”

Nevertheless, the protest outside waged on, with a promise to return if the council didn’t take action.

The mayor has begun the meeting without comment of what’s going on outside.

Outside, the protest continues, and cars honking their approval can be heard inside the chambers, periodically. pic.twitter.com/SvBUt7izZ8

— Robin Epley (@ByRobinEpley) February 5, 2020

The protesters used large trucks from local businesses to block and slowly move along downtown’s busy Main Street during the evening rush hour. Many travelers honked their horns in solidarity as hundreds on the sidewalk cheered, waving signs that said “Keep Sit-Lie” and “Kids Not Needles.”

Inside the council chambers, the car horns continued to echo over the proceedings as the meeting got underway.

“I’m in absolute shock and awe,” said Councilor Kasey Reynolds, who is also a local small business owner. “I had no idea this was happening. To see this amount of people who love our community and take the time to come out and do this, it’s amazing.”

The protest was organized in part by Jody Gallaway, an owner of Gallaway Enterprises on Meyer Street in Chico.

“Our public safety issues are significant,” she said. “We’re not being heard by the City Council. Business owners are being ignored. Community members are being ignored.”

Gallaway said their requests were threefold: First, to ban the North Valley Harm Reduction Coalition from operating a syringe access program that recently began with state approval.

Second, they are requesting the council maintain the city’s “Sit & Lie” ordinance, which bans sitting or lying on sidewalks in commercial areas.

Third, the group requests the city does not amend the Offenses Against Public Property ordinance, which Stone and Vice Mayor Alex Brown have suggested.

We’re nearly 2hrs into the meeting and the council hasn’t gotten past the first item on their agenda — not good news for the city, which HAS to make a 1st reading of another controversial ordinance on districting tonight, lest they hit a costly deadline. Rm is still pretty full. pic.twitter.com/dnJygOxJb3

— Robin Epley (@ByRobinEpley) February 5, 2020

Gallaway said the protest had been working with the Chico Police Department before the sign waving started, and that the trucks and cars blocking the street were part of an intentional protest.

Chico Police Department Commander Billy Aldridge said he had approximately a dozen officers on-scene, including a motorcycle cop who was reminding the truck drivers to keep moving — albeit slowly.

Speaking inside, Chico resident Tim Lynch told the council that, “When you have hundreds of people on your doorstep protesting your decisions, you are not doing it right. I don’t know how much more clearly the people of Chico can speak.”

Lynch said he knew many were at the council’s doorstep for the first time ever, and that the council had a mandate from the people “to do the right thing.”

“A lot of us think there is (a problem). So how are you going to get us to the point where those horns and these voices are being heard? Because right now we don’t feel that way,” Lynch said. “If you can’t do the job, then you need to step aside.”

Applause from the overflow room could be heard inside the chambers after many public speakers finished.

“You are not listening to us, you need to hear us,” said Debbie Adams, another speaker. “This is how democracy works.”

“Bullying continues in many different forms. I feel very safe in Chico, except that I have been bullied in this room, the same people who shout that they feel unsafe,” Robyn Engel said.

Engel, a supporter of Stone and Councilor Karl Ory since the 2019 recall effort, was one of the lone voices in support of the council, but she was joined by a few others who stood to encourage Stone and Brown in their efforts.

“For seven years I’ve been looking pretty hard at this issue, right here in Chico, what we have again and again and again is a housing crisis that extends across the entire West Coast,” said Patrick Newman, a local homeless advocate. “We can panic, and we can start screaming about safety, or we can get real about what’s going on here, which is that we failed to house millions of primarily disabled people who have now spilled onto our streets.”

Visible poverty is ugly, said Newman. “I think what we have here tonight is a lynch mob, I think it’s driven by panic; I think it’s driven by fear, and I think it’s driven by people who want an authoritarian solution. It’s not going to be solved by an authoritarian solution.”

The council took a short intermission, at which time, more than 60 more public speakers in total signed up to comment on the councilors’ request to agendize various discussions.

“We’ve always paid attention to local politics, but we’ve never done anything like this before,” said District 2 resident Andy Willhoit. “We simply could not sit by quietly without doing something.”

Willhoit, his wife Karin, and about thirty others walked the streets of their new districts to knock on doors and inform their neighbors about the council’s decision. They urged people to write to Councilor Scott Huber to change his vote to approve the sequence of elections.

At the Jan. 21 City Council meeting, Councilor Karl Ory made the motion to sequence the first elections in 2020 for the now-named districts 1, 3, 5 and 7, claiming that they contain the highest population of nonwhite residents.

Huber seconded Ory’s motion, and the council voted to approve, 4-3, with councilors Sean Morgan, Kasey Reynolds and Ann Schwab against. That vote effectively locked out Morgan from running again in his district until 2024, even though his term is up in 2020.

No other councilor, except Vice Mayor Alex Brown, is in a district they can’t immediately run in again at the end of their term. But Brown could forfeit her current seat (which extends to 2022) to run in the district election in 2020.

Huber recently indicated he might change his vote; if he did, the sequencing of elections would be back up for consideration.

Saturday’s event was organized by Citizens For A Safe Chico on Facebook. Willhoit said he found most people they talked to were “by and large unaware” of the districting issues, and that “We encourage residents to watch and see how (Huber) responds; send an email encouraging him to do what is right and fair.”

In addition to the weekend canvassing, a protest is planned in front of the City Council Chambers at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, before the meeting starts.

The next City Council meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, in the City Council Chambers at 421 Main St. in Chico.