Park Director Linda Herman, city manager Mark Sorensen, councilmember Sean Morgan, and other staffers have known that illegal camping in Bidwell Park has been a fire threat for at least six years.
The above post includes one of several emails I sent to city staff and council about illegal camping at and around the Peregrine Point disc golf course in Upper Bidwell Park, back in 2018. About a week after I sent this email, a fire started at the Peregrine Point disc golf course, threatening homes all along the east side of Hwy 32.
It became known as the Stoney Fire. A man living along that section of Hwy 32 told us he’d seen the first responders “rescue” a man who admitted to having a camp fire. It eventually burned 962 acres and left dead standing trees that still present a safety hazard for park goers.
So the Park Fire was no surprise to me. We’ve watched Bidwell Park sink into a state of disgrace – overgrown trees, dead branches laying in dead weeds, power lines threading through a jumble of branches. Park trees touching private trees all the way down Vallombrosa. A recent fire that threatened homes near Lost Park even had former councilmember Bob Evans worried enough to write a letter to the editor.
We’ve seen the city’s safety contractors milling around Lower Park for the better part of a year, but we’ve seen no tree work, unless one of those giant branches falls directly across the road. I’ll never forget this story – a man in Glenn County was driving his daughter to Chico State. As they drove along the highway the man noticed a huge branch about to break in front of him. He had to make a split second decision – slam on the brakes at 50 mph, or jam it! He jammed it, and the branch fell across the trunk of the car, crushing it. He and his daughter were uninjured.
Think you might have to make a decision like that driving along Vallombrosa or South Park Drive? It’s not unlikely.
Just imagine Lower Park on fire. I live a block from Lower Park. I’ve been worried about my house burning down in the middle of the night for almost 10 years, since a man and woman were burned to death in a tent right along the fence bordering Vallombrosa. Then there was the freshly blackened spot we found one morning riding our bikes into the park at Crister.
This Park Fire lays at the feet of our city council, as well as the city manager and his management top-heavy staff. Ignoring years of warnings, ignoring good sense, they ignored our wonderful park while they poured money into Downtown and their own pockets. Now their neglect is coming home to roost, with the rest of us.
As I write I’m worrying about friends living in Forest Ranch, Manton, Paynes Creek, wondering about Anderson? The city of Chico takes their place next to PG&E.
As I sit out this latest heat wave, I can’t help but think about folks living on the streets, including people I know.
Here’s the question I have – how did they get there? I’ve known some of these people for years. They grew up in a house, with a mom and dad, and many of them were well-loved and well-educated. They had the usual traumas in life – disappointment, death, loss – these are things that happen to people. Life is not fair. But, life is also full of opportunities, and these people, for some reason, ignored those opportunities and chose the low-hanging fruit – unemployment, drug and alcohol, dysfunction, and oftentimes, criminal activities.
I can’t help but feel, the people that I know who have chosen the street life, knew better, are better people than that, deserve better. But I don’t know how to help them – they want to be in control of their own lives, but somehow they are not. They’ve handed their lives over to drugs and alcohol, for the most part, and those things are easier to get in Chico than a square meal.
What we can do is clean up the environment they’re living in, starting with the criminal element that is responsible for the drug traffic. In Redding they’re doing criminal warrant sweeps of homeless camps – in Chico they hold up their lawsuit and tell us they have to give two weeks’ notice before they clear a camp. “And you better not have any fucking drugs!”
When they clear the empty camp, they don’t make arrests, they just come in to clean up the disgusting mess. Depot Park has been closed for almost a month since the last sweep, dead brown dirt, garbage cans over-flowing with mattresses? How many of these campsites are infested with fleas? Remember they had to close Downtown Plaza a few years ago for a flea outbreak after they cleared the homeless encampment there.
When I watched the video from the recent special council meeting regarding the new Supreme Court ruling, somebody used the phrase “Third World Country”. I don’t think that’s an exaggeration.
This ruling will mean nothing more than a round-trip conga line to Oroville. Arrestees will be back to a new camp within a couple of days, maybe less. The jail is overcrowded as it is, and I’ll predict, having problems with runaway bacterial infections among the residents. And staff?
A friend of mine wonders, what is the city’s tactic here? Do they think they can just annoy these people away? You know who they’re annoying away – decent cops and other public employees who have to take the brunt of this shit. Why would you want to work here? You want to clean up homeless camps where you may very well get a nasty disease? How about Chico Area Recreation District staff? I’ll never forget the CARD employee who got locked in the bathroom he was cleaning at the skateboard park because some jerk had broken off the inside doorknob.
I just checked the CARD website – the skate park is regularly closed for periods up to 72-hours because of vandalism. The most recent closure was last week. We pay for employees to apply a fresh coat of paint to the “urban art zone” (bathroom) once a month.
Our town is mismanaged – and when the fish stinks, it’s the head of the fish that stinks. Again, here we have an 8-headed fish, including four council seats that need to be turned out, and a city manager who needs to be sent out on a rail.
Ironically, I’m watching a tv news story now about 2-time Mayor Andrew Coolidge announcing he will not seek another term because he’s accomplished everything he wanted when he ran. Really? Coolidge signed the first Shelter Crisis Designation that led to the Warren vs Chico lawsuit.
My husband and I ran into a friend who is currently without a home, living on friends’ couches and in his vehicle, having been told he will be arrested if found sleeping in Bidwell Park again. I was shocked at his condition, and sad when he told us he was suffering from Shigella, a bacteria that causes pretty debilitating diarrhea. This virus is passed through dirty hands, drinking water, or food – problems that are everyday for a person without their own bathroom, or a reliable source of drinking water. While it might not be deadly, it sure sounds like a week or more of total hell. Especially in this heat. Our friend had a pack of handwipes that he was using very judiciously. We gave him a bottle of water out of our cooler. He said he was starting to “see the light at the end of the tunnel”, but still staying as close as possible to a bathroom. It was hard to watch him walk away, we have no way to get in touch with him, just the occasional sighting and uncomfortable conversation.
When I did some research, I read about recent “outbreaks” around the state. In San Jose/Santa Clara it’s been directly linked to homeless camps, with officials warning residents not to use the Guadalupe River, for swimming, fishing or any type of recreation. As of March it was in Shasta County, and by May the Butte County Department of Health was putting out notices that it was becoming a problem here. In Shasta County they said the average 2 cases a year had become 16. Butte County reported 5 confirmed cases and others “under investigation”. I expect it to explode. Shigella is apparently very easy to catch, and the patient can continue to infect others even after their own symptoms have disappeared. And if you don’t remove the ill person from their contaminated environment, they can get infected again and again, and that gets dangerous.
In past we’ve taken friends in to our home when they’ve needed help, but wow, what an adventure. These days we’re living on a shoestring in a tiny space and we frankly don’t have the mental or physical resources to help people all the time. I’ve had to turn away family members, and sit awake at night wondering where they are and if they hate me. I’ll tell you what I’ve learned – we need better jails/prisons, mental hospitals, and subsidized housing for people who have been living on the street, in hospitals, or in prison for years and need continuing support to live within the law. We as a society would benefit if we helped these people to become functional members of the community again, instead of “managing” their problems for the funding attached.
“Managed” campgrounds won’t work. What management? Who? Who makes the arbitrary decision as to where they are placed, what will be provided, if and how they are serviced? Where does the funding come from? Here’s how “unmanaged” things are – in Sacramento County they recently announced they will no longer be delivering water to their designated homeless camps. Here’s the part that put my hair on end – they’ve been using American Rescue COVID funding for four years, to buy water for homeless camps, and now the money’s run out so these people are left literally high and dry.
After the Camp Fire, there was a “designated” campground at the Chico Walmart. Several hundred people were sleeping on the ground in November, right on top of each other in tents and makeshift shelters, without any toilets, only the bathrooms in the Walmart, and only during business hours. That was mighty nice of Walmart but a woman died of pneumonia laying out there and I believe the city of Chico was responsible for the conditions those people were left in. For example, the city received over $24 million in Camp Fire relief money, using it for parklets for Downtown bars, new hires, and other questionable purposes. They refused to allow FEMA to set up trailers for the refugees on city property. I know Paradise residents who will never forget how they were treated by the city of Chico.
In my heart I wish we had better services for those folks experiencing hard times. I know the money is there but it is being spent on ridiculous whims. I don’t believe the city of Chico has a rat’s ass of a clue as to how to provide services for the homeless and should stop receiving any kind of funding. The county, state and feds need to do more. Instead of giving money out with no strings, the federal government needs to oversee the spending with specific outcomes in mind. The state and county should carry it out, and the city should stick to basic services like streets, sewers, cops and fire.
Be alert when you are using Bidwell Park and other public areas here in Chico – this virus is really easy to catch.
UPDATE: Here’s a report of a “bacterial outbreak” at the “sanctioned campground” on Eaton Road. They’re calling it e coli but my research shows these conditions are very closely related.
First of all, I can’t believe the city is in denial about this situation. Yes, I can believe the water is clean up to the point of delivery, but they’ve got these people living in their own filth alongside the road with a common spigot to be used for both sanitation and drinking and they don’t take responsibility? Why isn’t this camp being shut down, these people being relocated to real shelters?
Here’s my next prediction – this is going to lead to another lawsuit, and if we’re lucky, Mark Sorensen will be on the next freight out of town. Or maybe he should spend a night at the sanctioned campground? He should take Eric Gustafson and the entire council with him.
It’s hot, like those summers growing up along the Sac River. Don’t give me that global warming crap – I grew up here. In the 70’s we had 117 out in Glenn County, I’ll never forget the weird weather – lightening out of nowhere, little tornados – the neighbors’ barn “exploded”.
I get up early, I do my chores, I waddle back into the house and take up my station on the recliner, under the tiny air conditioner we installed last year because it was cheaper than bailing out to Fort Bragg every time the mercury hit 105+. I been watching a lot of television. Trump is in the news, all these legal issues, I try to understand. When I heard about the “immunity” case, it made me think of this word I see in the city’s employment contracts – “indemnification“.
What is the difference between immunity and indemnification? They both have to do with protecting somebody from the consequences of their own actions, but not in the same way. Here’s a legal/insurance website that gives some explanation.
This article deals with legal cases in regards to COVID vaccine makers, but I think the definitions are the same. Immunity is protection against prosecution for a person’s/corporation’s actions, indemnity means the person won’t have to pay for the consequences of their actions. Read the following passages –
“In the USA manufacturers have immunity (which can potentially be attacked under certain circumstances – such as in the presence of fraud) imposed by a law known as “The PREP Act”. Immunity is a legal shield. The law simply provides that ‘these manufacturers shall not have any civil liability‘.
So, I’M NOT A LAWYER, but it looks to me as though immunity is only good if you truly did not break the law. In this case, they’re talking about civil immunity. Trump is asking for immunity against prosecution. But I believe this section applies in both instances – “(which can potentially be attacked under certain circumstances – such as in the presence of fraud)” So, I’ll guess, if we were to find out, in either case, that the manufacturer or the president acted fraudulently or illegally, the immunity would not stand. Again, I’m just guessing, but I do know it’s a subjective term legally given the recent court ruling.
Indemnification is different. “But in the UK the manufacturers do not have such immunity. What they have – in their contracts with the UK government – is an indemnity. An indemnity is an agreement that one party shall cover the losses of the other.“
Here’s the indemnification clause from a typical city of Chico contract – I just googled, “city of Chico, indemnification” and this contract popped up. These contracts are supposed to be available on the city website but it’s quicker and less frustrating to search it on the internet.
I don’t mean to pick on this person, I found this contract with a general search, but this is exactly what I’ve been saying about “management top-heavy”.
The following clause is also in the city council contracts.
Section 8. DEFENSE AND INDEMNIFICATION. a. The City shall provide a defense to Employee as to any claim, action, suit or proceeding against Employee for any tort, professional liability claim, or other cause or demand of a civil nature, whether groundless or otherwise, arising out of an alleged act or omission occurring in the performance of Employee’s duties under this Agreement or resulting from the exercise of discretion by Employee in connection with the performance of Employee’s duties and responsibilities under this Agreement, unless the act, omission, or exercise of discretion involved negligent, intentional, willful or wanton misconduct by Employee. The defense provided by the Employee shall continue until a final conclusion of the claim, action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals brought by any party.
Meaning, no matter how bad the decisions they make, they are not held personally responsible. If they get sued for something they’ve done as an employee or elected official, the taxpayers provide them with legal defense. Unless “ the act, omission, or exercise of discretion involved negligent, intentional, willful or wanton misconduct by Employee.” Well, here’s the thing – we’d have to prove “negligent, intentional, willful or wanton misconduct” or we’d be on the hook for their legal defense, until a final conclusion of the claim, action, suit or proceeding, including any appeals brought by any party.“
Off the top of my head, here’s an example – Sean Morgan, acting as mayor, had a guy arrested from the podium because Morgan didn’t like what the guy was saying, and the man was demanding his three minutes. The man turned out to be within his rights, and the resulting lawsuit cost the city about $50,000.
But here we sit in the middle of a financial and physical crisis, our town is a fucking wreck. This is the result of many poor decisions made by current and past council members – including a guy who is now sitting in the city manager’s chair . How many of you have received your homeowners’ insurance bills? Ours doubled. California property insurers cite urban sprawl and poor emergency response times, as well as high crime rates – all true in Chico. Bidwell Park, overgrown and unmaintained, is a liability not only to the city but to nearby homeowners. Our streets are not consistently maintained or mapped. Phone and internet in the older parts of Chico are still in lagging the 20th century.
The only people we can hold responsible for this mess are the people we elected, as well as our idiot selves for electing them. The only recourse we have is to throw them out on their asses in November.
Of course, no matter who you elect, you have to be ready to have your vice grips handy.
I was glad to have a response to my last letter to the editor, regarding the effect salary increases and new positions have on our pension deficit, which is the worst problem facing the city of Chico right now. Michele Jordan asked, “what can we do to fix this problem?”
City Council has made the contracts with the employees behind closed doors, with no input from the public, here’s what they can do to fix it – ask employees, particularly management, to pay their own pension deficit, now, and in future.
Transparent California is a website that provides “comprehensiveand easily searchable information on the compensation of public employees and retirees in California”.
It’s provided by the Nevada Policy Institute, a “private non-profit, free-market and limited-government policy research organization based in Las Vegas, Nevada. ” Here’s more information from Wikipedia.
TC provides information gathered from California public agencies, including the city of Chico, Butte County, and the Chico Recreation District. I have cross-referenced this site with the California Secretary of State’s publicpay.gov site, as well as information I’ve gathered from the City of Chico, and it’s reliable and accurate. So I believe TC is correct in their estimation of each employee’s personal pension deficit, using their salary, their expected pay-out at retirement, years served, and their personal share of the cost. I was shocked to find that some of these people have a personal debt equal to some people’s entire salary, more than the median income of our city.
Mark Sorensen, for example, as of 2023, had a base salary of $205,823, (total $213,079 including “other pay”), and a benefits package of $46,282, for a total compensation of $340,441. With previous years of service, his personal pension deficit, as of 2023, was $81,079. I don’t mean to be petty, but I think it’s perfectly reasonable to ask this man to write a check for $81,079, it’s the right thing to do.
So I wrote a letter to the editor about it, I hope other people will chime in. I don’t think people realize the situation the city is in, or why.
Michelle Jordan asked what we could do to fix our pension dilemma. For years now, consultants have told our city leaders that the pension deficit, created by a management top-heavy staff that pays unrealistic shares toward their very generous pensions and benefits, is the biggest problem facing the city of Chico. The pension deficit undermines the budget, siphoning money away from infrastructure and other public needs. Former city manager Mark Orme and his assistant Chris Constantin admitted that the city had been deferring maintenance of roads, sewer, and other critical infrastructure in favor of paying CalPERS costs. At the same time, new positions have added to the cost, even with increasing annual “catchup” “payments – this year’s payment budgeted at $18,000,000.
What can be done? Here’s my simple solution – ask employees, especially management, to write a check to cover their personal pension deficit.
Transparent California, a non-profit public research agency, collects employee salary and benefits figures from public agencies all over California. Using base salary, years of service, and CalPERS contribution, TC figures the individual’s personal pension deficit. Our city manager, for example, has racked up an $81,079.82 deficit as of 2023. Given a salary of over $200,000/year, why couldn’t he just write a check to pay his own deficit? If all the top management and public safety employees paid their own deficit, we could even talk about getting out of CalPERS.
Chico Taxpayers Association 