Archive | December, 2021

Thank You Kelly Meagher

4 Dec

When I don’t hear from or about an old friend for a while, I check the obits. Or I check Arts Devo, in the Chico News and Review.

I picked up a copy of the News and Review at the grocery store, in fact, I picked up several copies, cause they are good for all kinds of things. I read them as I spread them out under the sink, under the dog’s dish, as I wrap packages or trash, or as I crumple them into our charcoal chimenea to start our BBQ. The other day as I was getting ready to start a pile of charcoal, I found this announcement in Arts Devo.

Kelly Meagher (11/25/21), environmental activist, philanthropist, Chico icon, beloved local human of the highest order

Also in that issue, a reprint of a pretty good 2011 profile by Tom Gascoyne, another guy I regularly check the obits for. Both of these men have affected my life in ways they probably don’t even realize.

I met Kelly through my old friends Liz Merry and Aaron Standish,

https://www.merrystandish.com/catalog/item/3220638/4943752.htm

but I knew him because of his “political activism”. Kelly taught me a lot about perseverance, persistence, or, how to get what you want simply by refusing to go away.

My husband and young children used to attend Chico City Council meetings with me, in the old days, there was a lot more public participation in those meetings. Kelly was a regular attendee and speaker. One night I won’t forget – he got into it with Dan Herbert, who could be a real ass on occasion. Herbert tried to argue with Meagher, who was at the podium, and Kelly just kicked his ass. Kelly just held his ground, he wouldn’t let Dan shut him down. I think Herbert finally conceded in about these words: “Kelly, you’ve interrupted me so many times, I can’t remember what I was going to say… you win.” He was laughing as he said it, and very sincere.

I didn’t always agree with Kelly, and he knew that. He was one of the only liberals who never tried to talk me out of a position. In fact, believe or not, he’d often admit that he agreed with me on an issue, despite the stance of the local Democrats. He was the only one of my liberal friends who never got mad and stopped talking to me. We never really talked politics, we just yakked. He just liked me, and I liked him, and politics should never get in the way of a good friendship.

So, I’ll say something sappy here – Thanks Kelly, for your respect and friendship. I feel lucky to have known you, and I’m grateful for the way you treated my kids and the respect you gave my husband. I’m sorry I didn’t try harder to find you over the last few years, but I figured you were enjoying your own time, with your old friends. And, I believe, we carry our friends in our heart. I’ve put one of those special lift chairs in there for you Old Buddy, come on in, take your shoes off, set a spell. I’ll tell you what, I don’t even care if you want to light a cigarette.

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As a “last minute effort to house” people, the Torres Shelter is handing out tents

2 Dec

Chico Enterprise Record 12/2/21

CHICO — A program assisting unhoused people with shelter access ended earlier than expected causing 36 people occupying 26 rooms at the Town House Motel to be evicted by Nov. 30. Five of the parties could not find shelter within their 15-day eviction notice, and were given tents as last minute effort to house them by local shelters.

The program to which this story refers used to be called Project Room Key. Local shelters worked with local motels to get rooms for “unhoused” persons whenever the local shelters could not house them, for whatever reason. Here they insinuate COVID is the reason.

The Butte United Shelter Program was created in July 2021 by United Way of California and True North Shelter Team to protect unhoused people who have no option to self-quarantine by providing them temporary shelter and access to housing resources.

In years past, the program, with very little supervision, was a disaster. I think they were taking advantage of local motels to dump drug users that the shelters wouldn’t take, but that’s just a guess. Rooms at motels were trashed, other guests were harassed, and the troublemakers refused to leave the premises when asked. Last year, in a very candid phone conversation, my district rep Kasey Reynolds told me, “I hate Project Room Key.”

Well, does she advocate giving them tents and sending them to Bidwell Park or other city owned land?

It seems to me there is a more sensible option than just putting them out. These people need proper supervision. This is why churches stopped participating – none of the agencies or groups that advocate for the “unhoused” would provide supervision, or clean up the mess left next morning.

City manager Mark Orme created a new position in 2020 – Homeless Coordinator – and hired his friend Joy Amaro, with a salary over $100,000/year. Amaro apparently found some conflict in the job, and almost immediately quit to head over to a “non-profit” called True North Housing Alliance. True North is now running Torres Shelter, and have administered and now closed the motel program. They boast a “19% success rate.” What?

The Torres Shelter sits on city land and gets public funding from both the city and the county. The shelter director gets a salary – at last I checked, when Brad Montgomery ran the place, it was about $65,000, plus benefits. They also routinely have empty beds but still turn folks away.

I don’t know what kind of person would brag of any kind of “success” here. I don’t know what kind of idiot would give a transient an tent and send them on their way. Furthermore, what kind of public official would condone this arrangement? And ask yourself – who keeps voting these people into office?

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