Well, I don’t know if the needle giveaway happened at Humboldt Park yesterday. I had a stack of chores yesterday morning, including fix my bike, so I didn’t make it over there to check. I looked at various social media sites today, and there was no mention of it, so I’m going to guess it just went away. We’ll see.
My bike looks great, and I’m getting the new tires today – all the freaking way from Holland. I guess they love old bikes in Holland.
I probably won’t ride my bike in Bidwell Park. What a mess. Tents still line the waterways, along with the requisite trash piles. We’ll see how long it takes council to be good on their word, and whether this new police chief – $20,000/year richer than the old police chief – will clean them out. There’s also a discussion scheduled for tomorrow’s meeting about a “sanctioned campground” at the Silver Dollar. We can’t let them take the fairgrounds, make yourself heard on Chico Engaged.
Yesterday I read Natalie Hansen’s interview with Councilors Brown, Schwab and Huber about social media. Brown is full of shit – I not only email them, I make comments on Chico Engaged. Brown has NEVER responded to even the most polite emails. I believe she believes any disagreement is “impolite”. I believe they all look at the sender before they read, and if you’ve criticized them or disagreed with them in past, they just skip your comments. Brown can prove me wrong by reading the Engaged comments out loud. The councilors should have to do that, not the clerk. But Brown has her own agenda, her mind is wrapped up in a Zip-lock bag to keep out any dissenting viewpoints.
So I write the occasional letter to the editor.
The city of Chico is now being sued by a jogger badly injured in 2017 when a huge tree branch fell on her in Lower Bidwell Park. She was trapped for 30 minutes and had major injuries.
The suit alleges the city does not budget for tree maintenance in Lower Park, which is “traversed by tens of thousands of people every year.” The plaintiff was using an established path, alongside “various recreational amenities, including picnic tables and barbecue pits.” According to the suit, many staffers knew the tree, hanging over South Park Drive, was dangerous, but not only failed to prune or remove it, they didn’t bother to place signs or barricades to keep people away from it.
In 2017 the city budgeted about $45,000 toward “Park Tree Maintenance”. This year $57,500. For perspective, my family paid $10,000 to have 16 dead trees removed from our property. Bidwell Park has thousands and thousands of trees, many of them dead or dying.
While staff claims to have been cutting positions and costs, the city manager recently hired another management position for Public Works, at $125,000/yr, plus benefits. He created a new management position – Public Information Officer – and is asking council to approve another full time management position – Homeless Coordinator.
Meanwhile staff is “considering” a fire suppression plan after homes were threatened near Annie’s Glen.
Our city is management top-heavy and it shows. The park is horribly neglected. We need timber cruisers and heavy equipment operators, but we get people who sit in meetings all day.
Juanita Sumner, Chico
Chico Taxpayers Association 
OMG , very true , Everytime I walk in the park I get angry and worried because the neglect is obvious . Such a beautiful park I bet Mr Bidwell would cry and I wonder what officials in office are thinking . So many beautiful creeks and historic downtown buildings , Chico should be a tourist destination , but instead it’s filthy and full of homeless people in the beautiful plaza and at the creeks . It’s very sad .
I believe the people who insist on living on the streets, parks, and waterways, as well as their supporters, are anarchists who are tearing down our society.
Mrs. Bidwell gave the city the park. She also warned us – be careful who you elect, because they could take the whole thing away from us.