I got my flyer yesterday, and I was really disgusted. Not only did they use money that should have gone into the street in front of my house, but they are making some pretty false claims, and leaving out a lot of useful information.
I don’t know what to call this statement. “Unfortunately, our infrastructure and services have not kept pace with the unprecedented population growth…”
The Camp Fire refugees did not cause our problems in Chico. Infrastructure and services are behind because past councils, following the recommendations of city managers from Brian Nakamura to Mark Orme, systematically deferred maintenance and cut services while the money went to the pensions and benefits, particularly the deficits created by unrealistic employee contributions.
Former Public Works Director Ruben Martinez called it, “failure maintenance”. Meaning, they were not maintaining, but waiting until infrastructure like streets and bridges had become completely crapped out, and then doing cheap band-aid repairs. When the Guynn Street bridge fell away from it’s support beams, they just closed it, leaving residents to find a new route out of their neighborhood. They admitted the bridge had failed and closed it in 2017 – they still haven’t replaced it. Even though they say it is fully funded by Cal Trans. Maybe Spring 2023? What?
https://chico.ca.us/post/guynn-avenue-bridge-replacement-project
So, you see, we don’t have a money problem in Chico, we have a spending problem. This flyer is an example of a spending problem. Using taxpayer money to put forward a tax measure, and advertise it to the voters, may not be illegal at this time, but it’s hardly ethical.
If you received one of these, don’t send it back. They don’t ask for names, so this is not a true survey. Staff could fill out as many of these as they want and call it a survey. I recommend you contact your district representative and tell them you will not support the tax measure.
And here’s some history – how soon we forget! Former Chico city manager Brian Nakamura got fired from his post as Rancho Cordova manager for printing up flyers promoting a tax measure.
Chico Taxpayers Association 
I will not support another tax increase at all my street in front of my house is terrible potholes everywhere and we’ve been waiting to get it fixed like 5 years
Thanks Dennis, and you are not alone. Neighborhoods all over town are being neglected in favor of the pensions. Please contact your district rep and be a polite but persistent pain in the ass.. Tell them you will NOT support the measure.
The whole point of the survey is for them to find out what people want to hear and then figure out how to word the tax ballot measure so it is most likely to pass. Nothing binds them to actually spend the money on what the survey respondents want.
I noticed the options for me to check “pay for pensions” or “take on a huge bond and pay tons of money in interest and fees to Wall St” were missing from my survey.
They just must have forgot to list those options although that is certainly what they will do with our money if this tax passes.
Thanks Dave, good point. This is not a true survey, because there is no information requested about the sender. Anybody could fill out a stack of these and turn them in. I wish people would skip the “survey” and load their feelings into the comments section. Then sign their name, take a picture of it. If you send me a picture I’ll post it here. Call, email, or snail mail your district rep – take a picture of that too! Here’s a crazy idea – maybe if they knew we wouldn’t support this turd, they would stop spending money on it and instead restructure city staff and cut salaries, make them pay more of their own benefits.
And isn’t it interesting the only time the claim to care about what we think is when they want more of our money?
I sure hope other people make note of that, and I hope they make it a note to their district rep.