In observation of Easter Sunday and Cesar Chavez Day, school campuses closed for the day including schools with Chico Unified School District, Chico State and other campuses; and the fair weather brought opportunity for a walk in the park, biking, flying kites, soccer, slack lining and fishing.

Councilors also will decide on contracts for grant writing for Table Mountain Boulevard and Washington Avenue; investments into the new city corporation yard, and investments into U.S. treasuries.

Sewer fee rates in Oroville have not been updated since 2013, overdue a typical five-year update cycle. A proposed fee study projects about a $3 increase per year for the next five years for single family residences, according to City Administrator Brian Ring.

The current rate for single family residences is $47.41, and the proposed fees cap at $63.92 by 2029. Proposed fees may also be adjusted for mobile homes and multi-family housing at a ratio of 0.85 and 0.88 respectively.

Oroville is the last of three jurisdictions in the Sewerage Commission Oroville Region to update its fees by July 1, Ring said. If councilors approve the fee study, notices of rate increases will be mailed as required by Proposition 218.

For a planned overhaul of Table Mountain Boulevard and Washington Avenue, councilors will consider contracting with March Thomas and Company to write a grant up to about $17 million for the state Active Transportation Program; the contract for the grant writer firm is to not exceed $85,000.

The city’s corporation yard at 655 Cal Oak Road is being prepared to house the city’s equipment, with improvements in renovations, security and lighting set to be contracted. Trover Construction Management will be considered for an $82,000 contract for pre-construction planning; Accualarm in a $75,000 agreement for security camera and alarms; and William’s Electric Company for a $43,000 job installing electrical and lighting at the corporation yard.

The final item of regular business is a proposal to councilors for the city to invest $10 million into U.S. Treasury bonds with maturities in two to five years.

A second reading of the city’s new accessory dwelling unit ordinance is set in the consent calendar, formalizing city code to meet state laws after councilors approved a rental minimum of 30 days.

The Oroville City Council meets the first and third Tuesday of the month at 4:30 p.m. at the Oroville City Council Chambers at 1735 Montgomery St. Closed session starts at 4. Meetings are free, open to the public and are also streamed on Zoom and YouTube. The council agenda and links to live feeds can be found at cityoforoville.org.

That is the premise of This Way to Resilience exposition Friday at Chico State, where local nonprofits convened for discussion on current efforts to make Butte County prepared with long term resources for its next climate disaster — not if, but when.

“There is no personal protection against climate change,” said Chico State Professor Mark Stemen. “There’s not any one thing we can do to protect ourselves from a major flood or a major fire, but collectively we can.”

Resilience, as Stemen puts it, is recognition that sustainable practices can be put to action, not alone, but as “something we do together.”

“Sustainability is still a goal, but unfortunately things have gotten worse. And now we have to be prepared for disturbances as well – and that is resilience,” Stemen said.

Ushering in this mindset is the Butte Resilience Collaborative, composed of some of the presenters at Friday’s expo. In attendance more than a dozen organizations including the American Red Cross presented their current projects happening in Butte County.

Disasters here — the Oroville Dam spillway and several wildfires — have spawned conversations with the Butte Resilience Collaborative, of which the American Red Cross is part of local conversation.

Nate Millard, manager for the American Red Cross community adaptation program, said the American Red Cross is recognizing climate change to cause billions of dollars in costs, and has now invested about $1 million in Butte County to build out community centers, or “resilience” hubs for the first time.

Currently, Millard said, the Red Cross has invested money into the Bethel African American Episcopal Church, Oroville Southside Community Center, South Chico Community Assistance Center, the Esperanza Center and others in Paradise.

“We’ve been trying to find them all and bring them together,” Millard said.

The organizations at Friday’s expo, including the American Red Cross, are working on a partner agreement form — ironing out how all organizations in the county can triage resources during a disaster.

Millard said this effort into the Butte Resilience Collaborative is seeking to figure out collaboration, communication and resource management soon to be presented April 5 at the Dorothy F. Johnson Center.

Fifteen years ago, disasters costing more than $1 billion would average about three per year in the United States, Millard said. But now about 15 disasters that cause $1 billion in damage are occurring each year, with the last year counting 28.

“Say Maui — Maui is a 3-year recovery. The response was huge and the recovery is even longer, but what we’re realizing is that we’re always in continuous response. It’s too much, and it’s overwhelming everybody.”

Friday’s exposition followed a documentary premiere Thursday called “The Climate Baby Dilemma.”

The city is set for its 20th completed enforcement by April 6 in downtown Chico, near Community Park and by a right-of-way near Highway 32 and Highway 99.

Some areas in Chico have been targeted for enforcement several times over, including Chico City Plaza and Community Park.

City Manager Mark Sorensen said in an email that the Warren v. Chico settlement agreement makes no distinction between a previously enforced area, versus one that is not enforced.

As required by the agreement, Chico must first provide a letter of enforcement intent to Legal Services of Northern California, then give a seven-day notice to people targeted for enforcement, then a 72-hour notice. Only after these steps Chico may complete an enforcement.

Below is a list of approximate dates for each enforcement scheduled by Chico, provided to Sorensen but not disputed:

• Apr. 6, 2024; Chico City Plaza, Community Park.

• Mar. 16, 2024; Lindo Channel.

• Feb. 12, 2024; Teichert Ponds pathway under Highway 99.

• Jan. 16, 2024; bike path in north Chico.

• Dec. 4, 2023; East Avenue, Eaton Road and Teichert Ponds.

• Nov. 13, 2023; Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway.

• Oct. 23, 2023; Alba and White avenues, Little Chico Creek from Broadway Avenue to Eaton Road.

• Sept. 1, 2023; Depot Park, southeast.

• Aug. 11, 2023; Depot Park, northwest.

• Jun. 27, 2023; Community Park.

• May. 15, 2023; Highway 99 bike paths at Panama and East Lassen avenues; and Rio Lindo and Alba avenues.

• Apr. 27, 2023; West Ninth Street and Hazel Avenue.

• Apr. 14, 2023; Teichert Ponds, east.

• March 21, 2023; Eaton and Cohasset roads.

• Feb. 1, 2023; Teichert Ponds, west.

• Oct. 27, 2022; Humboldt park.

• Sept. 19, 2022; Little Chico Creek greenway.

• Jul. 19, 2022; Comanche Creek greenway.

• Jun. 21, 2022; Lindo Channel.

• May 19, 2022; downtown Chico, lower Bidwell Park, Annie’s Glen and Lost Park.

Chico Electric’s director of Business Development, Norm Nielsen, said Gorrilla Ranch’s total greenhouse gas offset is around 759 metric tons.

Gorrill Ranch board chair Corrie Davis accepted the award, and in attendance were Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale), the office of State Assemblyman James Gallagher (R-Yuba City), the office of State Senator Brian Dahle (R-Bieber), and Butte County Supervisors Tod Kimmelshue and Peter Durfee.

They were familiar with the process, and a few shared their lived experiences and how they are at working toward shelter — or not — at the moment.

Gina Marmol visited a few friends around noon Wednesday at Teichert Ponds; she’d made her way from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway north of East 20th street where, earlier in the day, she and others were informed of enforcement and possible arrest by Chico police.

“A lot of it is private property, so that’s our fault; that’s not okay to do that. But at this point, they are talking about arresting us,” Marmol said.

Marmol’s tent was still near Community Park; she plans to move, but she said she doesn’t know what to do at this moment.

“I don’t know what to do. … I got people fist-fighting me in the middle of the night. I’m a 60-year-old woman; I get attacked by men, I get attacked by women — I’m like, ‘I’m over this,’” Marmol said.

“It’s so brutal out here. So brutal. And I try to keep a male somebody around me at all times, and they just want sex. … It’s (messed) up out here. It’s not okay.”

Police served seven-day notices to several people in the morning who live near businesses by Community Park; by the Chico City Plaza and downtown post office; and a Highway 99 right-of-way south of Highway 32.

Community Park

Near Community Park, several people in tents pitched along Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway received notices dated March 27.

The notices stated the city will require everyone to leave the public property by April 6, and that there are enough shelter spaces for everyone at the location. As of Wednesday, 20 beds are open at the Torres Community Shelter and 20 beds at Chico’s Genesis Emergency Housing Site.

Marmol said, at this point, she has been working to get back into a Pallet shelter at Genesis because another housing opportunity fell through. She commented that Chico police have been very kind in the proces, and that she is proud of them; that they are respectful and come “knock” on their doors.

“Chico P.D. has been absolutely amazing in the way we treat us now. And I want them to have credit for that. They’ve been so respectful; so respectful. And everyone amongst the homeless agrees upon that, because years ago … they’d done some (stuff).”

Also near Community Park, Leighton Reed said he has been moving around the city since enforcement at Teichert Ponds and wants to be in a Pallet shelter — but he’d only been referred to the Torres Community Shelter.

Reed said shelter assessments were given to everyone in the morning, though he’d told police he was going to just leave the area.

“Basically if they let us have one area, we’d just stay in one area. But, they’re just making it to where people are saying, basically, (forget) it,” Reed said, referring to people moving in front of residences.

Chico does provide an area of space for campers on the corner of Eaton and Cohasset roads, but it is only available to people determined incompatible with shelter — in which case, Reed does not meet criteria.

“They’ll see us out in the open next to a house; they don’t even care. … I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m probably doing it too, but I still feel guilty and I take off very quickly,” Reed said. “I’m not interrupting children in their play and all that stuff. We all think about that (stuff).”

Reed said he finds very little hope, though he appreciates people coming to bring food to him.

“(Hope) is mostly with each other; we give each other hope. But it’s getting to be that’s even falling short nowadays.”

City Plaza

People at Chico City Plaza said they received notices early Wednesday morning, including Lee Woodbury. She was grooming City Plaza landscaping with a broom, like one would at a zen garden — it kept her hands busy.

Woodbury told this newspaper about her experiences in several shelters that have been negative and does not prefer the shelter that is made available to her. She said she feels dehumanized.

“If I knew what else to be doing, I’d be doing it. And I’m really just at a loss. … It’s like you have all these things that don’t work for me,” Woodbury said.

Woodbury’s partner, Timothy Roush Sr., said he also does not prefer to be in shelter because he can’t stand being indoors — that he’d been “locked up” half of his life. He also experiences pain from metal in his body.

“Being inside walls freaks me out. Even going into the grocery store …,” Roush said.

Several others at City Plaza said they received notices as well. Woodbury said she woke up to police Wednesday at the steps of the post office.

“They told me if I step foot on the post office property again, I’d get arrested, so I went like this,” Woodbury gestured bringing her foot down.

“Then I grabbed my bike and my backpack and walked away. Because if somebody’s not here to know their rights and push that boundary, they’re never going to do it.”

Hugo Cardenas, 32, was arrested Monday by the Stockton Police Department following a string of reported events that began in Gridley.

According to the release, Butte County Sheriff’s Office Deputies found Veronica Avalosdecardenas, 55, of Gridley, deceased while responding to an assistance request by Cal Fire-Butte County for a suspicious medical call near the 300 block of Obermeyer Avenue.

The Sheriff’s Office said detectives found evidence leading to suspicion that Cardenas physically assaulted and murdered Avalosdecardenas, then left in a vehicle.

After Stockton police arrested Cardenas, detectives from Butte County Sheriff’s Office traveled to Stockton and gained additional evidence supporting their suspicion, according to the release.

Cardenas is currently booked into Butte County Jail on an open count of murder.

In effect, the planned buffers “creates an illusion that traffic lanes are narrower,” keeping people closer to the center line of the road and calming traffic, said Fred Mayo, director of Public Works.

“I think we’ve all parked on Montgomery and we realize how narrow that road is when you open a door and a truck or car is going by,” Mayo said.

The Oroville City Council gave consensus Tuesday for staff to proceed with the improvements on Montgomery Street from Feather River Boulevard to Washington Avenue.

Some intersections are to receive painted 22-foot bulb-outs which, Mayo said, which too give an appearance that lanes are narrower than they are, as well as open opportunity to build ADA compliant accessible corners. Mayo said many of the corners are not ADA compliant.

The painted bulb-bouts are to be in place “as a temporary solution” until physical bulb-outs are installed, Mayo said.

Red painted curbs are also planned up 20 feet on each corner, leaving the space open for better visibility for pedestrian crossing.

Three public speakers spoke in favor of the changes, including Planning Commissioner Warren Jensen, who said he recommended Montgomery street be reserved as the main corridor for car access into the city.

“It’s part of a larger conversation that we’re having … to do with safe transportation around the downtown area. In particular, we want to have safe bicycle transportation,” Jensen said. “But we realize that Montgomery street — being the connection from the freeway to downtown — that we want to reserve that as the vehicle corridor.”

Jensen said encouraging drivers to use Montgomery Street and adding pedestrian improvements to other streets may help with excessive speeds in residential areas.

Fire responses

Cal Fire-Butte County Oroville Division Chief Chris Tenns reported to the council the Fire Department’s 2023 end of year statistics on calls and responses.

In one year, the department responded to 8,473 calls, about “two-thirds more than any other station county,” excluding Chico’s Fire Department, Tenns said.

Broken down by type, the department responded to calls including 6,358 medicals, 161 structure fires, 252 vegetation fires, 1014 other fires, 179 hazardous materials instances, 507 public assists and 2 assists to Oroville Police Department.

The department’s mutual aid with Butte County Fire Department and Cal Fire resulted in a number of assists.

The Oroville Fire Department helped respond to 1,535 Butte County Fire Department calls and 113 Cal Fire calls; it also received assistance for 2,577 calls from the Butte County Fire Department and 1,328 calls from Cal Fire.

Downtown Chicoans knew exactly where they were during the initial moments of the pandemic, and reflected on the four years that have passed since — for better or worse.

Cam Fennell

Cam Fennell said he began COVID-19 lockdown in the middle of a toxic relationship with a woman he’s glad to report is no longer with him. They lived in his parents’ vacant house in Red Bluff.

“Being locked down in a house with a toxic partner for that amount of time was not healthy for anybody,” Fennell said. “Me, myself and I, that was not healthy. For her, not healthy. So all the way around.”

Lockdowns also put Fennell out of his dishwashing job; the food industry which Fennell had experience for was not hiring for a long time, he said.

“It was definitely a struggle to find work. I remember applying for like four months straight to every single place that I could. Nobody was taking it; nobody was biting,” Fennel said.

Now, he is in Chico, living out of his car, working a stable job in food service and working on music with his friends.

“Now I’m not tied down with that girl any more,” He said. “Now I’m just trying to get a place with my homeboy and live life.”

Julian Whalen

Julia Whalen showed up to Redding two weeks before he started his first year of college, hoping to get to know the area first. He’d been given notice that his start date was being pushed.

“Everyone was scrambling to figure out what was going on. My roommate was still going to class and I was just hanging out playing video games all day,” Whalen said. “It’s weird like moving into a new town, and all of the sudden you can’t take in the experience.”

But in that time, Whalen said he was still able to meet new people and strengthen his old friendships. And now he’s studying media at Chico State.

“When borders started to lift and people were getting vaccinated, we were able to hang out — old buddies back home and new friends I met.”

Sebastian Caetanu

In his freshman year at Chico State, Sebastian Caetanu was a business major but went back home when lockdowns began. Then he switched to graphic design; a change he attributes to lockdowns.

“It was my freshman year, and during that spring break I was not able to come back until about eight months later,” Catanu said. “Business classes; very involved mathematically and all that. So doing them at home and without people to work on projects with it was definitely a little grating,” Caetanu said.

Now Caetanu is doing social media management work as he goes to school.

“I’m actually really happy with that, and I don’t think I would have done that if I didn’t switch majors. Maybe things happen for a reason,” Tetanus said.

Salem Rivera

Salem Rivera wasn’t too excited before COVID lockdowns began, which she says didn’t affect her immediate plans at the time.

“I was just working this stupid little hotel job. I was 21 and when everything happened it just happened so quick. I just felt stuck in this loop, I guess you could say.

While lockdowns kept Rivera indoors, it didn’t stop her from doing the things she wanted to do later, like travel to Paris.

“As much as we were apart and isolated during COVID, I felt very connected to people because thankfully we have social media,” Rivera said. “It was interesting because I was able to reconnect with so many more people from my past that I hadn’t spoken to in a few years.

John Kelly

John Kelly was studying plant biology in Michigan, and now works in Chico for the U.S. Forest Service.

Kelly said it’s hard to say exactly if lockdowns affect his trajectory in life, but there were moments unique to the situation.

“It sent me home from college, that was a pretty big deal at the time,” Kelly said. “In a lot of ways, COVID did give me time to reflect on what I wanted out of my time at college. And a lot of the times where I would have been socializing, I was kind of out in the woods pursuing that.”

Melissa Theide

Melissa Theide just quit her job one week before COVID as she and her brother decided to open Stoble Coffee in Chico.

Theide was at Ikea when she heard news broke about a quarantine. Then moving to Chico, she found something else aligned in her wheelhouse: starting the social media page Discover Chico.

“That led me to start Discover Chico and meeting people around town. And now I quit the job I came here for and do that full time. I wasn’t planning on staying. COVID made me put down roots.”

Michael David Zylstra, 60, of Chico, was arrested March 14 on a warrant carried out by Chico police on suspicion of two counts of embezzlement and four counts of forgery, according to Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey.

According to Ramsey, Zylstra is accused of taking more than $60,000 from the American Legion and Disabled American Veterans.

Ramsey said the District Attorney’s Office authorized Chico police to seek a warrant from a Butte County judge who issued the warrant for $90,000.

Zylstra paid bail on the day of his arrest and was released, Ramsey said. Zylstra is scheduled to appear for a hearing at the Butte County Courthouse on May 10.

Ramsey said his office is expecting to release more information after processing police reports and individual statements.